Bobby Howard Earns First-Team All Big Sky Honors

[Old Skool Cat]

Congrats to Bobby Howard - First Team & Marquis Navarre - Honorable Mention!

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Weber State's Lillard Named MVP
Four Unanimous First-Team Selections
Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference
3/3/2010 4:23:40 PM

ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Individual Award Winners
MVP – Damian Lillard, G, Weber State
Newcomer of the Year – Franklin Session, G/F, Weber State
Freshman Of the Year – Glen Dean, G, Eastern Washington
Defensive Player of the Year – Yahosh Bonner, G, Northern Colorado

A season after earning the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year Award, Weber State’s Damian Lillard is the league’s men’s basketball Most Valuable Player. The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard from Oakland, Calif., was a unanimous selection by the conference coaches as the MVP, as well as an undisputed member of the All-Conference First Team. Lillard guided Weber State to the regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Sky Championship. Lillard averaged a league-best 19.7 points per game during the regular season. He also leads the league in 3-pointers per game (2.7), and is fourth in assists (3., fifth in free-throw percentage (84., 12th in 3-point field-goal percentage (39.3) and 15th in steals (1.1 per game.). He reached double figures in 26 of the Wildcats’ 28 games, hitting for at least 20 in 15 games and for at least 30 twice. In 16 conference games, Lillard netted 20.7 points her game and hit 44 percent of his 3-pointers. Lillard is one of just four sophomores to capture the MVP award, joining Montana State’s Jason Erickson (2001-02), Montana’s Larry Krystkowiak (1983-84) and Idaho’s Brian Kellerman (1980-81). Lillard and Erickson are the only players to win Freshman of the Year and MVP in consecutive seasons. Last season, Lillard became the first true freshman in Big Sky history to be named First Team All-Conference. Lillard’s teammate Franklin Session was tabbed as the Newcomer of the Year. The 6-2 junior forward/guard averaged 10.5 points, six rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.9 blocked shots during the regular-season. In conference play, Session averaged 11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Eastern Washington’s Glen Dean was named the Freshman of the Year. The 5-10 guard from Seattle, Wash., averaged 12.2 points and 4.4 assists per game. The true freshman is 11th in the league in scoring and second in assists. In conference play, he netted 14.4 points and a league-best 5.2 assists per game. Dean also made 80.4 percent of his free throws and shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

Northern Colorado senior Yahosh Bonner was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-1 senior guard from Mesa, Ariz., earned the honor not with mind-blowing statistics, but with tenacious lock-down defense on several top scorers. He was named the MVP of the Rainbow Classic for his stellar defense. He held the likes Montana’s Anthony Johnson, Idaho State’s Amorrow Morgan, Lillard and Dean well below their season averages in Northern Colorado victories. Bonner finished Northern Colorado’s 24-win regular-season averaging 6.1 points, 2.4 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

Four members of the six-player All-Conference First Team were unanimous selections. Joining Lillard on all of the coaches’ ballots were: Montana guard Anthony Johnson, Northern Colorado guard Will Figures and Northern Arizona guard Cameron Jones. Johnson, who was also a unanimous selection in 2008-09 when he was the Newcomer of the Year, averaged 18.8 points per game during the regular season. He made 87.4 percent of his free throws and 45.2 percent of his 3-pointers. The 6-1 senior from Tacoma, Wash., became the first player in UM history to score 1,000 career points in just two seasons.

Figures, a 5-9 senior from Centennial, Colo., averages 16.7 points and 2.6 assists per game. He connected on 85.3 percent of his free throws, getting to the charity stripe a league-high 204 times. Figures helped the Bears’ to a second-place finish in the conference, and a 24-6 regular-season record.

Jones, a 6-foot-4 guard from Los Angeles, ranks second in the league in scoring at 19.3 points per game. He also averages 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He enters the conference tournament making 50.1 percent of his field goals, 43.2 percent of his 3-pointers and 74.1 percent of his free throws.

Portland State forward Jamie Jones and Montana State forward Bobby Howard rounded out the All-Conference First Team. Howard, a 6-7 junior from Great Falls, Mont., helped the Bobcats to 10 conference victories and the No. 3 seed in the tournament. Howard averages 14.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He shoots 51.7 percent from the field. Jamie Jones, a 6-7 senior from El Segundo, Calif., led the league with eight double-doubles. He ranks third in the nation in field-goal percentage. Jones leads the league in rebounds at 7.8 per game, and averages 14.3 points per game.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Great job by Bobby Howard and congrats. If could hit his freethows he'd been unanimous too!

Interesting that the tallest players on the list are only 6'7" (and both are probably closer to 6'6" on a good day). The Big Sky is a guard heavy league right now.

[whitetrashgriz]

i'm very happy for bobby, but all this does is remind me how dissapointed i have been in rush this year, and bynum too. i thought the three of them were going to really step up this year, and bobby is the only one who seemed to do that. hopefully everyone get's their act together now, and we can put together a nice run.

CONGRATS BOBBY!!!!! WELL DESERVED.

[GOKATS]

Congrats to Bobby and Navarre!!

[4everacatfan]

Great job by Bobby Howard and congrats. If could hit his freethows he'd been unanimous too!

Interesting that the tallest players on the list are only 6'7" (and both are probably closer to 6'6" on a good day). The Big Sky is a guard heavy league right now.

5 of 6 against the griz and 4 of 4 in the last minute to help ice it. I think he is improving. Great Job Bobby, For an undersized post you did a heck of a job.

Interesting observation all year people have discussed on the board how weak our inside game is and it is the guy that has taken to posting up and playing inside that gets the highest post season honor.

[BelgradeBobcat]

I think his season really took off when he stopped looking for the three so much and planted himself on the left block. His finishing inside has been brilliant this season.

[bozbobcat]

That's a great effort for Bobby...nice work, kid.

He really had a good season, and seemed to provide at least 15 points per game down the stretch. He's done very well on defense and rebounding as well, and it is certainly deserved. Way to go!

[HelenaCat]

I think his season really took off when he stopped looking for the three so much and planted himself on the left block. His finishing inside has been brilliant this season.

I really agree. The other thing this did was just make him extremely consistent. The second half of this year you could almost go into every game and just pencil in 15 points and 6 boards at a minimum. Great job Bobby and congratulations.

Same with Marquis. He had a tough game in Missoula, but prior to that he played well all year and again was pretty darn consistent. That has to make a coaches job a lot easer when he knows going into any game that he just just about count on a good level of performance from certain guys.

[4everacatfan]

I think his season really took off when he stopped looking for the three so much and planted himself on the left block. His finishing inside has been brilliant this season.

I totally agree. It was interesting last week Mansch does a Big Sky notes section each week in the GF tribune and in the article Bobby said he started listening to his coaches and parents about getting inside and how it has worked out well for him. I know a lot of big guys fall in love with that 3 but it drives me crazy at the Regionals last week here in Spokane watching the 6'10" guys popping out to hit the 3.

[technoCat]

Good job Bobby! He has definitely elevated his play down the stretch which is awesome to see given how he has disappeared late in seasons. Looks like he's finally taking on more of a leadership role. Really great to see. Anybody know what his conference only stats are?

[whitetrashgriz]

Good job Bobby! He has definitely elevated his play down the stretch which is awesome to see given how he has disappeared late in seasons. Looks like he's finally taking on more of a leadership role. Really great to see. Anybody know what his conference only stats are?

15.2 PPG (9th)
6.5 REB (4th)
2.2 OFF REB (4th)
4.3 DEF REB (5th)
53% FG SHOOTING (9th)
30% 3PT
64% FT
33 MIN/GM (10th)

one negative is that he only had 20 assists in 16 conference games. however, one pretty big positive is that for a guy who has the ball as much as him, and plays the minutes he plays he only had 25 turnovers in 16 games. if he improves on this next year, as well as increases his free throw and 3 point percentage, he'll have a hell of a year.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

I'm confused how is the newcomer of the year and the freshman of the year, not the same player? It's kind of like the heisman winner, who most of the time doesn't win the player of the year award.

[rtb]

I'm confused how is the newcomer of the year and the freshman of the year, not the same player? It's kind of like the heisman winner, who most of the time doesn't win the player of the year award.

Newcomer of the year is usually a JC transfer or someone that has dropped down and so is in their first year in the BSC, but isn't a true freshman.

[coachouert]

I'm confused how is the newcomer of the year and the freshman of the year, not the same player? It's kind of like the heisman winner, who most of the time doesn't win the player of the year award.

The Newcomer of the Year was a JC transfer and not a freshman.

Franklin Session (6-3, 175 Jr. Forward / Los Angeles, California) was named the 2009-10 Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year, and named Second Team All-Big Sky Conference. Session is averaging 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, overall, and 11.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in Big Sky Conference play. Session transferred to Weber State after playing one year at Irvine Valley JC his freshman year and at Saddleback JC his sophomore season. He has played in all 28 games and been a starter 25 times.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

Ic that makes sense, I figured it had to be something like that but I guess I never really thought about it.