Four Nevada players get postseason honors

By Garrett Hylton
Monday, Mar. 10, 2008 @ 1:57 am

The all-Western Athletic Conference teams are out, and two long streaks for the Nevada men’s basketball team are over.

Utah State guard Jaycee Carroll won WAC player of the year honors over Marcelus Kemp, ending the Wolf Pack’s four-year reign of player of the years, and Boise State coach Gregg Graham won coach of the year, meaning Nevada coach Mark Fox didn’t win the award for the first time of his career.

First Team All-WAC
Jaycee Carroll, Sr., G, Utah State
Marcelus Kemp, Sr., G, Nevada

Kevin Bell, Sr., PG, Fresno State
Justin Hawkins, Sr., F, New Mexico State
Reggie Larry, Sr., F, Boise State

Analysis: Carroll deserved to win player of the year. Kemp is better - he actually scores more per 40 minutes than Carroll and is a more versatile athlete - but Carroll means everything to the Aggies. They simply wouldn’t have won a share of the WAC championship without him. Kemp means a lot to the Wolf Pack, but he has a better cast of players around him.

Carroll played all 40 minutes in eight of the Aggies 16 conference games. He played less than 38 minutes only twice. He was on the floor for basically the Aggies whole season, and he still managed to make more than half his shots from the field and from 3-point range.

All-WAC Second Team
Matt Nelson, Sr., F, Boise State
Matt Gibson, Sr., G, Hawaii
Jordan Brooks, Jr., F, Idaho
JaVale McGee, So., F, Nevada
Gary Wilkinson, Jr., F, Utah State

Analysis: McGee struggled at times this season, but he’s so much better than he was a year ago. He’s averaged almost 14 points per game and more than seven rebounds. That’s more than you could have expected preseason. He’s also emerged as the best big man in the conference and one of the most athletically gifted players in the country. If he shows the same improvement next season, he could be an All-American.

Coach of the year: Greg Graham, Boise State

Analysis: Fox didn’t win the award and this was arguably his best coaching job. But Graham deserves this award. Even though the Broncos choked away sole possession of the conference title, they won a championship after being picked fifth. The program hadn’t mattered until this season.

All-Newcomer Team
Jordan Brooks, Jr., F, Idaho
Gary Wilkinson, Jr., F, Utah State
Herb Pope, Fr., F, New Mexico State
C.J. Webster, So., C, San Jose State
Armon Johnson, Fr., PG, Nevada (newcomer of the year)

Analysis:Johnson’s been the frontrunner for this award for much of the season. He’s been amazing both as an efficient scorer and as a game-manager for a freshman. He’ll never be as good a passer as Ramon Sessions, the last Nevada player to win this award, but he’s already a more dangerous scorer. Once he gets his outside shooting touch back, he’ll be dangerous. Johnson wasn’t nearly as touted as preseason freshman of the year Herb Pope, but Johnson proved the Wolf Pack found another great player overlooked by the big schools.

One notable omission on this team is San Jose State freshman Justin Graham. He missed some time with an wrist injury, but he’s a big, sweet-shooting guard that played a big role in the Spartans improvement this season. I thought he was better than Webster.

All-Defensive Team
Matt Bauscher, Sr., G, Boise State
Matt Gibson, Sr., G, Hawaii
Lyndale Burleson, Jr., G, Nevada
JaVale McGee, So., F, Nevada
Fred Peete, Sr., G, New Mexico State

Analysis:

Burleson is probably the big surprise here, although he’s worthy of the mention. He didn’t play a ton of minutes, but Burleson was a huge difference maker on defense for the Pack after becoming eligible in December. His speed and size really give opposing ball handler’s problems, and he can be aggressive because he comes off the bench. Burleson gambles sometimes and gives up open shots, but how many times has he turned around a fast break by speeding down the court and knocking the ball loose?

Also, we can debate McGee’s inclusion all we want, but he belongs. Yes his footwork needs tons of improvement, he doesn’t always dominate the boards like he should and he gives up easy points to players who are much smaller and less athletic than him, but he’s the most dangerous shot blocker in the West. His mere presence changes the way teams play against the Wolf Pack. Opposing guards often hesitate as soon as they get in the paint. His presence alone is worthy of selection.





This entry was posted on Monday, March 10th, 2008 at 1:57 am and is filed under Basketball, Nevada Athletics, Sports, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

 

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Responses to “Four Nevada players get postseason honors”
  1. Raymond Says:
    March 10th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

    I think McGee deserves it. He can change the face of a game in an instant. Despite the ups and downs I’ve enjoyed the season, glad to see Kemp on the 1st team. Still would like to see the WAC get back up there as a conference though…