The online publication CollegeInsider.com recognized a handful of Big West representatives in their annual postseason awards installment.
In addition to Long Beach State's James Ennis and Corey Hawkins of UC Davis being named to the
Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American Team in late March, the publication announced their selections for various other awards following the Final Four in Atlanta, and three more Big West athletes made those lists.
UC Irvine guard Alex Young and Hawai`i forward Isaac Fotu were selected to the
2013 Mid-Major Freshmen All-America Team, while UCI sophomore Will Davis II made the
2013 Mid-Major Defensive All-America Team.
Young, a 6-1 native of Phoenix, Ore., earned Big West Co-Freshman of the Year honors with UH's Fotu. Young set an Anteater freshman single-season record with 144 assists and his 2.62 assist/turnover ratio ranked 16th in the nation. Young ranked fifth in the Big West with 3.9 assists per game and ninth in free throw percentage (.775). He took over the starting point guard reins early on in the season and helped the Anteaters to a 21-16 campaign, tying for the third-most wins in program history.
Fotu blossomed in his initial season on the islands to form perhaps the most formidable frontline in the Big West with all-conference honorees Christian Standhardinger and Vander Joaquim. Fotu ranked third on the Rainbow Warriors in points (10.1 ppg) and rebounds (6.2 rpg) while blocking a team second-best 24 shots. In conference games only, Fotu topped the circuit with a .635 (73 of 115) field goal percentage. He scored 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and three blocked shots against Air Force in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Davis II became a dominant defender in the paint for the Anteaters in his sophomore season. His 88 blocked shots obliterated the school's single-season record of 55 that he set as a freshman. In addition, the 88 blocks placed Davis II in a tie for second with former Pacific standout and NBA No. 1 draft pick Michael Olowokandi on the Big West single-season list. Davis II came up one block short of tying UC Santa Barbara's Eric McArthur (1990) for the single-season record. The native of Sacramento, Calif. tied his single-season school record and Big West record with eight rejections in a Mar. 2 win over Long Beach State.
In addition to the player awards, newly retired Pacific head coach Bob Thomason was the recipient of the
Gene Bartow Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievement and contributions to the game, in honor of the former Memphis State, UCLA and UAB coach who compiled a 647-353 record in 36 seasons. Thomason finished his 25-year career at Pacific as the Big West's all-time wins leader in both overall and conference games, and took the Tigers to their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in his final act as a legendary mentor for the conference.
| 2013 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Freshman All-America Team |
Name
|
Height
|
School |
| Nathan Boothe |
6-9 |
Toledo |
| Siyani Chambers |
6-0 |
Harvard |
| Bryn Forbes |
6-3 |
Cleveland State |
| Isaac Fotu |
6-8 |
Hawai`i |
| Jordan Fouse |
6-7 |
Green Bay |
| Stephen Hurt |
6-10 |
Lipscomb |
| Venky Jois |
6-7 |
Eastern Washington |
| Michael Kessens |
6-9 |
Longwood |
| Shawn Long |
6-9 |
UL-Lafayette |
| Marcus Marshall |
6-3 |
Missouri State |
| Darius Paul |
6-8 |
Western Michigan |
| Deron Powers |
5-11 |
Hampton |
| Shane Richards |
6-5 |
Manhattan |
| Jordan Reed |
6-4 |
Binghamton |
| Justin Sears |
6-8 |
Yale |
| Jameel Warney |
6-8 |
Stony Brook |
| Maurice Watson |
5-10 |
Boston University |
| Jalan West |
5-10 |
Northwestern State |
| Shivaughn Wiggins |
5-10 |
Mount St. Mary's |
| Lester Wilson |
6-4 |
East Tennessee State |
| Alex Young |
6-1 |
UC Irvine |
| 2013 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America Team |
| Name |
Height
|
School |
| Antonio Bostic |
6-2 |
Stephen F. Austin |
| Rhamel Brown |
6-7 |
Manhattan |
| Tekele Cotton |
6-2 |
Wichita State |
| Brandon Davies |
6-9 |
Brigham Young |
| Will Davis II |
6-8 |
UC Irvine |
| Damian Eargle |
6-7 |
Youngstown State |
| Gregory Echenique |
6-9 |
Creighton |
| Jamelle Hagins |
6-9 |
Delaware |
| Ian Hummer |
6-7 |
Princeton |
| Jamee Jackson |
6-7 |
Quinnipiac |
| Velton Jones |
6-0 |
Robert Morris |
| Bruce Massey |
6-3 |
Middle Tennessee |
| Duke Mondy |
6-4 |
Oakland |
| Daniel Mullings |
6-2 |
New Mexico State |
| Kenny Ortiz |
6-0 |
Wagner |
| Terell Parks |
6-8 |
Western Illinois |
| Dyricus Simms Edwards |
6-3 |
Bradley |
| Bernard Thompson |
6-3 |
Florida Gulf Coast |
| Corey Walden |
6-2 |
Eastern Kentucky |
| Anthony Winbush |
6-7 |
Loyola (MD) |
| Brian Voelkel |
6-6 |
Vermont |