ALL-BIG SKY BASKETBALL TEAMS:
From news services
• MEN
BOISE — Idaho State's Dylan Darling was named Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Plaer in men's basketball, the conference announced.
Darling, the former Central Valley High star who played his first two seasons at Washington State, averaged 23.2 points per game and 5.9 assists through 18 conference games. The Bengals were picked in the preseason to finish eighth in the Big Sky and finished the regular season fourth in the standings. Darling was also unanimously selected as the league’s Newcomer of the Year and to the league’s All-Conference First Team.
ISU’s Evan Otten was named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year. Otten led the conference in blocks with 66 total on the season for an average of 2.3 per contest.
Portland State’s Tre-Vaughn Minott was the Big Sky’s Defensive Player of the Year, helping navigate the Vikings to the best overall team defense in the conference, as they allowed just 69.3 points per game.
Montana’s Money Williams earned the nod as the league’s top reserve after being moved out of the starting lineup around the beginning of conference play. In Big Sky games Williams averaged 13.4 points per game and 3.5 assists per game.
After navigating his team to a Co-Big Sky title, and becoming Montana’s all-time winningest coach, Travis DeCuire was named Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year. This marks the second time in his career that DeCuire has earned this title from the Big Sky.
Jack Payne of Idaho, formerly of Boise and Owyhee high schools, and a transfer from Colorado State, earned honorable mention.
2024-25 Big Sky Men’s Basketball Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player: Dylan Darling, Idaho State
Newcomer of the Year: Dylan Darling, Idaho State
Freshman of the Year: Evan Otten, Idaho State
Defensive Player of the Year: Tre-Vaughn Minott, Portland State
Top Reserve: Money Williams, Montana
Coach of the Year: Travis DeCuire, Montana
First Team All-Conference
Dylan Darling, Idaho State; Langston Reynolds, Northern Colorado; Trent McLaughlin, Northern Arizona; Blaise Threatt, Weber State; Joe Pridgen, Montana; Isaiah Hawthorne, Northern Colorado; Jaron Rillie, Northern Colorado.
Second Team All-Conference
Malik Moore, Montana; Carson Towt, Northern Arizona; Terri Miller Jr., Portland State; Jacob Holt, Sacramento State; Money Williams, Montana; Brandon Whitney, Montana
Honorable Mention
Jaylin Henderson, Portland State; Qiant Myers, Portland State; Jake O’Neil, Idaho State; Brandon Walker, Montana State; Jack Payne, Idaho
All-Defensive Team
Tre-Vaughn Minott, Portland State (DPOY); Carson Towt, Northern Arizona; Brandon Whitney, Montana; Jake O’Neil, Idaho State; Zach Bloch, Northern Colorado
• WOMEN
Idaho's Olivia Nelson was unanimously named Newcomer of the Year, and a first-team selection. Nelson ranked fifth in the league in scoring with 14.3 points per game. Nelson registered a pair of 30+ point games during the conference slate.
Kourtney Grossman earned freshman of the year honors representing Eastern Washington. She is the third Eagle in the past five years to win this award. Grossman led the league in rebounds, averaging 10.4 per game. She also recorded 13 double-doubles on the season, good enough to rank #26 in the nation.
Montana State's Esmeralda Morales was named Most Valuable Player and a unanimous All-Conference First Team member. Morales heads into the postseason ranked third in the Big Sky in scoring with 15.2 points per game and fourth in steals with 1.9 per game.
Fellow Bobcat Taylee Chirrick was named Defensive Player of the Year in her first season of collegiate competition. The true freshman led the conference in steals with 3.2 per game, totaling 95 in the regular season.
Montana State's Tricia Binford was named Coach of the Year after leading the Bobcats to their first outright regular season title since the 2019-2020 season. This is Binford's fifth coach of the year honor.
Hope Hassmann of Idaho and Peyton Howard of Eastern Washington earned honorable mention.
First Team All-Conference
Esmeralda Morales, Montana State; Olivia Nelson, Idaho; Taylor Feldman, Northern Arizona; Sophie Glancey, Northern Arizona; Marah Dykstra, Montana State; Benthe Versteeg, Sacramento State; Taylor Smith, Weber State
Second Team
Kendra Parra, Weber State; Tasia Jordan, Idaho State; Jaydia Martin, Sacramento State; Katelynn Martin, Montana State; Nyah Moran, Northern Arizona; Mack Konig, Montana
Honorable Mention
London Gamble, Northern Colorado; Dani Bartsch, Montana; Hope Hassmann, Idaho; Peyton Howard, Eastern Washington; Kourtney Grossman, Eastern Washington
All-Defensive Team
Taylee Chirrick, Montana State (DPOY); Katelynn Martin, Montana State ; Benthe Versteeg, Sacramento State; Kacey Spink, Idaho State; Sophie Glancey, Northern Arizona