Ducks Fly High With Pac-12 Awards
SAN FRANCISCO ? In a vote of conference coaches, senior guard Joseph Young has been named the 2014-15 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Player of the Year and Dana Altman has been named the Pac-12 John R. Wooden Coach of the Year, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Monday.
Junior forward Elgin Cook was named to the all-Pac-12 second team, while two Ducks were selected for the all-freshman team, forwards Jordan Bell and Dillon Brooks. Bell was also chosen for the all-defensive team.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Oregon State junior guard Gary Payton II has been named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Washington State sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson has been named Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year.
PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Young is Oregon’s fourth Player of the Year, joining the likes of former Duck guards Ron Lee (1975-76), Terrell Brandon 1990-91), and Luke Ridnour (2002-03) with his honor. The senior guard from Houston, Texas, leads the Pac-12 averaging 19.8 points per game, while also netting 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per outing. He also paced the Pac-12 at the free-throw line (91.8 percent).
In two seasons at Oregon, Young scored 1,257 points. Only Brandon scored more during a two-year period with 1,263 points. Combining his two seasons at Houston, Young has scored 2,173 points in his college career.
PAC-12 JOHN R. WOODEN COACH OF THE YEAR
Altman guided Oregon to a tie for a second-place finish in the Pac-12 race after being picked to finish eight by the media in the annual preseason Pac-12 Men’s Basketball poll. Oregon posted a regular-season record of 23-8 overall and 13-5 in Pac-12.
Under Altman, the Ducks have posted 20 or more wins in a school-record five consecutive seasons. Altman’s career record stands at 530-298 over his 26 seasons of head coaching, including a 120-55 record in five seasons at Oregon.
He now has 18 consecutive winning seasons as a head coach (13 at Creighton, 5 at Oregon). Only six other active coaches in Division I can stake that claim ? Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Roy Williams (North Carolina), Bill Self (Kansas), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) and Stew Morrill (Utah State).
It’s the second time in three seasons that Altman has been honored as the league’s Coach of the Year, and the fourth time an Oregon coach has earned the distinction ? Altman (2015, 2013), Ernie Kent (2002), and Dick Harter (1977).
COOK, BELL, BROOKS HONORED
Cook, from Milwaukee, Wis., earned his first all-Pac-12 second-team honors. He is Oregon’s second-leading scorer at 13.1 points per game, grabs 5.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 52.2 percent from the floor.
Bell leads the Pac-12 with 83 blocked shots, which is the UO school record as well as the second-most blocks by a freshman in league history. He is Oregon’s leading rebounder at 6.4 per game. Brooks is the team’s third-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game and grabs 4.9 rebounds per contest.
Coach of the Year, All-Conference, All-Freshman, All-Defensive teams and Most Improved Player are voted on by the coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for themselves or their own players for the honors.
ALL-PAC-12 TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Name School Pos Yr Ht Wt Hometown (Last School)
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ARIZ F So. 6-7 215 Chester, Pa. (Chester HS)
Stanley Johnson ARIZ F Fr. 6-6 225 Fullerton, Calif. (Mater Dei HS)
DaVont? Lacy WSU G Sr. 6-4 215 Tacoma, Wash. (Curtis HS)
T.J. McConnell ARIZ G Sr. 6-1 195 Pittsburgh, Pa. (Duquesne)
Gary Payton II OSU G Jr. 6-3 175 Las Vegas, Nev. (Salt Lake CC)
Norman Powell UCLA G Sr. 6-4 215 San Diego, Calif. (Lincoln HS)
Chasson Randle STAN G Sr. 6-2 185 Rock Island, Ill. (Rock Island HS)
Tyrone Wallace CAL G Jr. 6-5 200 Bakersfield, Calif. (Bakersfield HS)
Delon Wright UTAH G Sr. 6-5 178 Lawndale, Calif. (City College of San Francisco)
Joseph Young ORE G Sr. 6-2 185 Houston, Texas (Houston)
SECOND TEAM
Name School Pos Yr Ht Wt Hometown (Last School)
Askia Booker COLO G Sr. 6-2 175 Los Angeles, Calif. (Price HS)
Elgin Cook ORE F Jr. 6-6 206 Milwaukee, Wis. (Northwest Florida State)
Kevon Looney UCLA F Fr. 6-9 220 Milwaukee, Wis. (Hamilton HS)
Brandon Taylor UTAH G Jr. 5-10 165 Los Angeles, Calif. (Pacific Hills HS)
Nigel Williams-Goss WASH G So. 6-3 185 Happy Valley, Ore. (Findlay Prep (Nev.))
Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes): Bryce Alford (UCLA, So., G), Brandon Ashley (ARIZ, Jr., F), Anthony
Brown (STAN, Sr., F), Josh Hawkinson (WSU, So., F), Shaquielle McKissic (ASU, Sr., F), Stefan Nastic (STAN, Sr., C)
PAC-12 ALL-FRESHMEN TEAM
Name School Pos Ht Wt Hometown (Last School)
Jordan Bell ORE F 6-9 190 Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach Poly HS)
Dillon Brooks ORE F 6-5 205 Mississauga, Ont. (Findlay Prep)
Tra Holder ASU G 6-1 180 Los Angeles, Calif. (Brentwood School)
Stanley Johnson ARIZ F 6-6 225 Fullerton, Calif. (Mater Dei HS)
Kevon Looney UCLA F 6-9 220 Milwaukee, Wis. (Hamilton HS)
Jordan McLaughlin USC G 6-1 170 Etiwanda, Calif. (Etiwanda HS)
Jakob Poeltl UTAH F 7-0 230 Vienna, Austria (Arkadia Traiskirchen)
PAC-12 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Name School Pos Yr. Ht Wt Hometown (Last School)
Jordan Bell ORE F Fr. 6-9 190 Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach Poly HS)
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ARIZ F So. 6-7 215 Chester, Pa. (Chester HS)
T.J. McConnell ARIZ G Sr. 6-1 195 Pittsburgh, Pa. (Duquesne)
Gary Payton II OSU G Jr. 6-3 175 Las Vegas, Nev. (Salt Lake CC)
Delon Wright UTAH G Sr. 6-5 178 Los Angeles, Calif. (City College of San Francisco)
Honorable Mention (receiving at least three votes): Shaquielle McKissic (ASU, Sr., F), Norman Powell (UCLA, Sr., G), Brandon
Taylor (Utah, Jr., G)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Joseph Young, Oregon
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Stanley Johnson, Arizona
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gary Payton II, Oregon State
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Josh Hawkinson, Washington State
JOHN R. WOODEN COACH OF THE YEAR: Dana Altman, Oregon
