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BYU-Hawaii, GCU, Dixie State picked 1-2-3; Alves Player of Year

PHOENIX, AZ - Brigham Young University Hawaii senior center/forward Lucas Alves (Casa Branca, Brazil/Colegio Avanqo Ensino Progranado) has been selected as the 2009-10 Pacific West Conference Preseason Player of the Year, while his Seasiders received all nine first-place votes and are the favorites to repeat as champions of the PacWest.

Preseason All-PacWest Team

The PacWest Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team and predicted order of finish were announced during the league's media day on Monday, Oct. 26, in Honolulu. The hour-long event was broadcast live on Red Zone Media.

(Listen to the PacWest Men's Basketball Media Day Broadcast at the following links:)

Dixie State & Grand Canyon
Academy of Art, Dominican (CA) & NDNU
Hawai‘i Pacific & BYU-Hawaii
Chaminade & Hawai‘i Hilo
PacWest Men's Basketball Media Day Wrapup

The PacWest season begins this Friday, Oct. 30, when Grand Canyon battles Western Washington in the opening round of the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim, Calif. The conference season begins on Jan. 5.

BYU-Hawaii garnered all nine first-place votes, while Lucas, the PacWest Player of the Year in 2007-08 and 2008-09, has been chosen to collect his third honor. Votes were cast by the head coaches or designated representatives of each Pacific West Conference institution. The entire predicted order of finish and last year's record, is as follows:

  1. BYU-Hawaii (27-2 / 12-0 PacWest) - 9 First Place Votes      
  2. Grand Canyon (13-14 / 5-7)
  3. Dixie State (16-11 / 8-4)
  4. Chaminade (15-12 / 7-5)
  5. Hawai‘i Hilo (15-12 / 5-5)
  6. Hawai‘i Pacific (9-17 / 3-9)
  7. NDNU (6-21 / 0-12)
  8. Dominican (CA) (16-13 / 11-5 California Pacific Conference)
  9. Academy of Art (4-22 / No Conference Record)

BYU-Hawaii captured the 2008-09 PacWest title with an unbeaten 12-0 conference record and a 27-2 overall mark. The Seasiders fell to Cal Poly Pomona in the NCAA Division II West Region finale.

Despite a 13-14 overall record in 2008-09, Grand Canyon University - under the direction of new head coach Russ Pennell - has been selected to finish second in the conference, while Dixie State under Jon Judkins is picked third. Matt Mahar's Chaminade Silverswords have been tagged fourth.

The 2009-10 PacWest Preseason All-Conference Team features seven players representing six different teams, including two from BYU-Hawaii. In addition to Alves, senior guard J.R. Buensuceso (Eagle Rock, CA/Eagle Rock - right photo) was selected for the honor.

The preseason list also included Chaminade junior guard Cartier Carter (Moreno Valley, CA/Vista Del Lago), Hawai‘i Pacific senior guard Jeff Ingram (Queen Creek, AZ/Queen Creek - left photo), Notre Dame de Namur sophomore guard Bennie Murray (Fairfield, CA/Will C. Wood), Hawai‘i Hilo senior guard Bryan Ngo (San Jose, CA/Santa Clara), and Dixie State senior forward Andy Palmer (St. George, UT/Pine View).

Buensuceso led the PacWest in assists per game (6.00) and total assists (174) last season to claim All-PacWest Second Team honors. He also ranked fourth in the league in steals per game (1.97) and eighth in free throw shooting (78.3%).

Many of his assists went to Alves who averaged 19.8 points per game to lead the conference. Alves, who has earned three All-PacWest First Team selections during his career, ranked third in rebounding average (7.5) seventh in field goal shooting (52.7%), and first in blocked shots per game (1.38). He was named the Daktronics Division II Player of the Year in 2008-09.

Palmer made his hometown of St. George proud after earning All-PacWest Second Team accolades in 2008-09. He shot 54.9% from the floor and averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Red Storm. He is the top returning scorer and rebounder for Dixie State heading into the season.

Murray (right photo) earned All-PacWest Honorable Mention as a freshman last year and is the youngest player on the preseason squad. Five seniors and one junior comprise the remainder of the list.

Murray ranked 11th in scoring in the conference last season by averaging 12.5 points per game. His 1.97 three-pointers made per game left him seventh in the league at the end of the campaign.

Carter is primed to have a great season for Chaminade in 2009-10. Last year he averaged 8.6 points per game and shot 50% in 19 games off the bench.

Ingram will be counted upon to drain long-range shots this season. He hit 60 three-pointers last year and averaged 12.3 points per game. He ranked 14th in scoring in the conference, while his 79.7% foul shooting was good enough for seventh. He also averaged 2.31 three's made per game (5th) and shot 38% (3rd) from beyond the arc.

Ngo (left) tied for seventh in the PacWest in assists per contest, averaging 3.22 every time he stepped on the floor. He also averaged 9.6 points per game.

For the complete 2008-09 PacWest Men's Basketball conference statistics, please click on the following link:

http://www.pacificwestsports.org/sports/mbkb/2008-09/stats/confstat.HTM

For the 2009-10 PacWest Men's Basketball schedule, please click on the following link:

http://www.pacificwestsports.org/sports/mbkb/2009-10/Schedule

 

--PACWEST--