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Jimmer's an All-American...and a Player of the Year (but not in the MWC)

gregWRUBELL

March 9th, 2010 @ 5:54am

'Tis the season for postseason honors, and following yesterday's conference kudos comes the first wave of national honors.

Today, the Sporting News names Jimmer Fredette as a Third Team All-American. New Mexico's Darington Hobson is also a Third Team honoree.

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The United State Basketball Writers Association (USBWA, of which I am now a member) has named its all-District VIII team. District VIII comprises, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Montana.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jimmer Fredette, BYU

Fredette is BYU's first District VIII Player of the Year since the inception of the Mountain West Conference in 1999-2000.

It also appears that Fredette is BYU's first USBWA District Player of the Year since Michael Smith in 1987.

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COACH OF THE YEAR

Steve Alford, New Mexico

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ALL-DISTRICT TEAM

Luke Babbitt, Nevada

Jackson Emery, BYU

Jimmer Fredette, BYU

Corey Higgins, Colorado

Darington Hobson, New Mexico

Damian Lillard, Weber State

Ramon Martinez, New Mexico

Jared Quayle, Utah State

Tre'von Willis, UNLV

Jahman Young, New Mexico S

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This is the third consecutive year BYU has had two players named to the All-District VIII team (Fredette is a repeat honoree). In the last seven years, the MWC has had the All-District VIII Player of the Year four times; on three previous occasions that player was also the MWC Player of the Year, with Fredette now becoming the only exception.

So, a player deemed to be the best in a region that encompasses multiple conferences is not voted the best player in his own conference. The way I see it, MWC voters were voting for a player on the team with the best conference record, whereas USBWA voters were voting for the best player in a multi-state region. I'll say it again: Fredette should have been a co-MWC POY at the very least.

In the WAC, by the way, Nevada's Luke Babbitt was named Player of the Year, while Utah State won the WAC regular season crown and had two First Team honorees (Quayle and Wesley). Babbit's Wolfpack got swept by the Aggies and finished second to USU, by three games.

*******

Once the postseason rolls around, depth is a very good thing, and BYU has never looked deeper than in the last couple of weeks. In the last two games, BYU's bench players have accounted for 105 of the Cougars' 178 points, or 59% of the team's scoring production.

Of BYU's ten regulars, six players (including three reserves) have had games with 20 or more points this season:

Season Scoring Highs

Fredette: 49

Emery: 25

Haws: 24

Tavernari: 23

Abouo: 22

Davies: 21

Loyd: 19

Hartsock: 17

Miles: 14

Morgan: 6

*******

In Saturday's game at TCU game, BYU had three players score 20+ points (Tavernari, Emery, Abouo); the second time this season BYU has done that (Nevada). It's the first time in 31 years that BYU had two such games in the same season.

*******

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