NORTHWEST NOTES: March 14, 2024

NIC trio named to

all-SWAC team

Three North Idaho College men's basketball players were named to the All-Scenic West Athletic Conference list on Monday, the conference announced.

Dante Sawyer, a sophomore guard from San Francisco, was named to the first team. Jalen Skalskiy, a redshirt sophomore forward from Rathdrum and freshman Vaughn Weems from Federal Way, Wash., were selected to the second team for NIC, which finished 21-10 in its first season in the conference since 2016.

Utah State-Eastern sophomore Martel Williams, a Southern Utah transfer, was named the conference's Player of the Year.

Salt Lake's Kyle Taylor was named the conference's Coach of the Year. The Bruins beat CSI 87-65 in the Region 18 Tournament championship game last Saturday to advance to a regional playoff game against Eastern Arizona this Saturday in Thatcher, Ariz.

WSU's Smith, Rice

earn All-Pac-12 honors

Washington State men's basketball coach Kyle Smith was named the Pac-12 John R. Wooden Coach of the Year, the conference announced on Tuesday morning.

Redshirt freshman Myles Rice was named conference Freshman of the Year as the team earned six honors in the postseason awards.

Rice was also named to the conference's first team and to the all-freshman team. Graduate student Isaac Jones was also named to the first team and junior Jaylen Wells was an honorable mention.

Arizona guard Caleb Love, a North Carolina transfer, was named the conference's Player of the Year.

 Rice became the first player in WSU men’s basketball history to be named the Conference Freshman of the Year, scoring 15.3 points per game. Seven times, Rice was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, becoming the first player in Conference history to win 4-straight weekly awards, while tying Evan Mobley for most Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards in league history.

ALL-PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL

Player of the Year — Caleb Love, Arizona.

Coach of the Year — Kyle Smith, Washington State.

Newcomer of the Year — Caleb Love, Arizona.

First team

KJ Simpson, 6-2, 189, jr., G, West Hills, Calif., Colorado; Caleb Love, 6-4, 205, sr., G, St. Louis, Arizona (Player of the Year); Jaylon Tyson, 6-7, 215, jr.,  G, Plano, Texas, California; Keion Brooks, 6-7, 210, jr., F, Fort Wayne, Ind., Washington; Oumar Ballo, 7-0, 260, Koulikoro, Mali, C, Arizona.

Second team

Jordan Pope, 6-2, 165, so., G, Oakley, Calif., Oregon State; Boogie Ellis, 6-3, 190, sr., San Diego, USC; Myles Rice, 6-3, 180, G, Columbia, S.C., Washington State; Isaac Jones, 6-9, 245, sr., F, Spanaway, Wash., Washington State; Branden Carlson, 7-0, 220, F, South Jordan, Utah, Utah.