March 8, 2016
Senior Marqueze Coleman and freshman Cameron Oliver both received All-Mountain West honors as selected by the conference coaches. The Wolf Pack doubled last year's overall and MW win totals posting an 18-12 record and went 10-8 in conference play to tie for fourth. The Pack are seeded fifth and will play New Mexico on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the 2016 MW Championships at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Coleman was named the All-MW second team after leading the team in scoring with his 17 points per game. Coleman was fifth in the conference in scoring and ranked in the top 10 in five additional categories. The Los Angeles product is 23rd in scoring at Nevada with 1,043 points. In 11 games he scored 20 or more points which included three games over 30 points. At UNLV he scored 31 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double in the Silver & Blue.
Oliver earned two honors being selected to the All-MW third team and All-MW defensive team. He averaged 11.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. The Sacramento native led the MW in blocks and was third in rebounding. He set the MW record with 24 rebounds in the Fresno State overtime win and added 20 points for his first 20-20 game. At UNLV he again grabbed 20 rebounds finishing with 21. On the season he produced six double-doubles.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Mountain West announced its 2015-16 men's basketball awards today. The Conference's 11 head coaches voted on the All-Conference teams, as well as the coach, player, newcomer, sixth man, freshman and defensive honors.
San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher earned MW Coach of the Year honors, while Fresno State's Marvelle Harris was selected as Player of the Year. For the second year in a row, San Diego State forward Skylar Spencer was named Defensive Player of the Year, after sharing the honor with Wyoming's Larry Nance, Jr., in 2014-15. Aztecs freshman Jeremy Hemsley was recognized as Freshman of the Year, while New Mexico's Elijah Brown and San José State's Brandon Clarke were chosen as Newcomer and Sixth Man of the Year, respectively.
Fisher, who led the Aztecs to a MW-record tying 16 league victories, has earned his fourth MW Coach of the Year distinction. SDSU, who was projected to finish first in the league's preseason poll, set the MW record with eight consecutive road conference victories this season. Fisher and the Aztecs have won at least a share of three straight MW crowns.
Harris, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard, finished the Conference slate leading the MW with 4.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game. He ranked third with 22.7 points per game. The native of Rialto, California, is one of two players nationally to rank in the top three in their respective conference in: points per game, assists per game, steals per game, assist-to-turnover ratio and minutes per game. Harris led the Bulldogs to a 13-5 Conference record, their most league victories in a single season since 2002-03 (13). The senior led all MW players with five 30-point games during the 18-game Conference schedule, and he scored at least 20 points in 13 of the league contests.
Spencer, a San Diego State senior, has been named the league Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He joins UNLV's Khem Birch (2012-13, 2013-14) and Wyoming's Justin Williams (2004-05, 2005-06) as the only players in MW history to win the defensive honor in back-to-back years. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound senior averaged 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in Conference play. The Aztec big man is the school's and conference's all-time leader in career blocks.
Hemsley, a freshman from Rancho Cucamonga, California, was second on the team with a 13.1 points per game average in league play. As the Aztecs point guard, Hemsley dished out 28 assists and pulled down 46 rebounds. He is the first Aztec to win Freshman of the Year honors since Kawhi Leonard following the 2009-10 season.
Brown, who transferred to New Mexico from Butler University, was second in the league averaging 22.9 points per game. The sophomore guard, who shot 42.3 percent from the field while averaging 3.3 assists and 2.9 3-pointers per game, registered the Mountain West's first 40-10 game since 2002-03 (Ruben Douglas; New Mexico). Against Fresno State, Brown scored 41 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. The 41 points were the most in a single game by a MW player since the 2012-13 season.
Clarke is the first freshman to be named MW Sixth Man of the Year. Clarke, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound guard, averaged 10.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in league action. The Phoenix, Arizona, native ranked second in the conference with 1.7 blocks per game. Clarke is the first postseason Mountain West men's basketball award winner in San José State history.
Four student-athletes were repeat selections to the All-MW list in 2015-16, while 11 made their first appearance on the team. Harris led the group of repeat All-Conference honorees, earning first-team accolades for the second consecutive year. Webb III moved up to the first team following a second-team selection last year. Shepard is second team for the second straight year. Josh Adams (first team) and Chris Smith (third team) move up from last year's third team and honorable mention, respectively.
2015-16 All-Mountain West Men's Basketball Team
First Team
Josh Adams, Sr., G, Wyoming
Elijah Brown, So., G, New Mexico
Marvelle Harris, Sr., G, Fresno State
Trey Kell, So., G, San Diego State
James Webb III, Sr., F, Boise State
Second Team
Marqueze Coleman, Sr., G, Nevada
Patrick McCaw, So., G, UNLV
Antwan Scott, Sr., G, Colorado State
Winston Shepard, Sr., F, San Diego State
Tim Williams, Jr., F, New Mexico
Third Team
Jeremy Hemsley, Fr., G, San Diego State
Jalen Moore, Jr., W, Utah State
Cameron Oliver, Fr., F, Nevada
Chris Smith, Sr., G, Utah State
Mikey Thompson, Sr., G, Boise State
Defensive Team
Marvelle Harris, Sr., G, Fresno State
Patrick McCaw, So., G, UNLV
Cameron Oliver, Fr., F, Nevada
Winston Shepard, Sr., F, San Diego State
Skylar Spencer, Sr., F, San Diego State
Honorable Mention
Hayden Graham, Jr., F, Air Force
Jason McManamen, Jr., G, Wyoming
Player of the Year: Marvelle Harris, Sr., G, Fresno State
Defensive Player of the Year: Skylar Spencer, Sr., F, San Diego State
Freshman of the Year: Jeremy Hemsley, G, San Diego State
Newcomer of the Year: Elijah Brown, So., G, New Mexico
Sixth Man of the Year: Brandon Clarke, Fr., G, San José State
Coach of the Year: Steve Fisher, San Diego State
