March 10, 2003
SAN DIEGO - Experience and youth from the San Diego State men's basketball team were rewarded as senior guard Tony Bland was selected to the All-Mountain West Conference second team and freshman forward Evan Burns was named the league's Freshman of the Year. Additionally, Burns and seniors Mike Mackell and Deandre Moore earned All-MWC honorable mention status.
The honor caps a terrific two-year SDSU career for Bland, a transfer from Syracuse who lent instant credibility to the Aztec program when he set foot on campus. The Los Angeles native finished fourth in the league scoring race at 16.7 points per game, a number that was elevated to 17.9 points in conference games. Bland also polished his all-round game this season as he not only dished out 3.41 assists per game (fourth in the MWC), but he also earned a reputation as a defensive stopper who regularly matched up against the opposition's top wing player.
Entering the conference tournament, Bland is just 31 points shy of becoming the program's 20th 1,000-point scorer and only the third to accomplish the feat in two seasons. A consistent winner, each of his first three collegiate seasons resulted in a 20-win campaign and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Being tabbed as the MWC's top freshman completes a whirlwind season and justifies the hype surrounding Burns, a McDonald's High School All-American and the most decorated recruit ever to attend San Diego State. The Inglewood, Calif., native became eligible to play in the fifth game of the season and evolved into a force even while adjusting to the Division I game. He averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and was a double-figure scorer in MWC games (10.2). He scored in double-digits in each of the last four regular-season games, including a career-high 31-point, 13-rebound performance in a win over New Mexico that helped net him MWC Player of the Week honors on March 3.
Seniors Mackell and Moore teamed with Bland to help lead the Aztecs to a 36-24 record since the beginning of the 2001-02 season and the 2002 MWC Tournament Championship. The Washington, D.C., native is perhaps the conference's most consistent post player, as he has scored in double-figures in 28 of his last 29 games. Mackell has averaged 15.2 points this season, tied for eighth in the league. Moore worked hard in the offseason and it paid off with a healthy season that is the best of his career. The point guard, from Compton, Calif., has averaged a career-high 29.9 minutes per game while dispensing the league's second-most assists (4.07 per game) and registering the third-most steals (1.52).
The Aztecs compete as the fifth seed in the Mountain West Conference Championship in Las Vegas beginning with Thursday's quarterfinals game at 9 p.m. against fourth-seeded host UNLV.