March 8, 2010
SAN DIEGO - Four San Diego State men's basketball players picked up 2010 Mountain West Conference postseason awards, the league announced Monday. Kawhi Leonard was named the MWC's freshman of the year and voted to the all-conference first team becoming the first freshman in the 11-year history of the league to earn first-team honors. Malcolm Thomas, meanwhile, earned second-team accolades and both D.J. Gay and Billy White received honorable mention recognition.
Leonard, the league's preseason freshman of the year, earned the Mountain West's postseason version of the award after averaging a team-best 14.4 points and 9.6 rebounds to go along with 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 48.4 percent field-goal shooting and 71.0 percent free-throw shooting. In conference games only, Leonard finished among the top 10 in offensive rebounding (1st), rebounding (2nd), defensive rebounding (3rd), scoring (5th), field-goal percentage (5th), steals (7th), blocked shots (9th), free-throw percentage (10th), and minutes played (10th). Starting all 16 league games, Leonard scored in double figures 13 times, hit the double-digit mark in rebounding nine times, and posted nine double-doubles. In games vs. Wyoming, Leonard enjoyed career nights in scoring with 25 in Laramie and a career-high 26 against the Cowboys at Viejas Arena. The forward is the third Aztec in school history to be named MWC freshman of the year joining Evan Burns in 2003 and Billy White in 2008 and his award marks the sixth time an Aztec has been placed on the first team.
Thomas, a San Diego native, earned his way onto the second team after averaging 11.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-high 1.3 blocks, while shooting a conference-best 57.6 percent from the floor. In his first season in the Mountain West, Thomas ranked among the league leaders in seven categories (1st-field-goal percentage, 2nd-offensive boards, 3rd-rebounding, 3rd-blocked shots, 4th-defensive rebounds, 10th-assists, 13th-scoring) and started all 16 ballgames. The junior scored in double figures 11 times and reached the double-digit plateau in rebounding four times, while logging three double-doubles. Thomas saved his best performances for Utah as he scored 23 points in Salt Lake City and followed it up with a career-high 28 at Viejas Arena.
Gay earned his first all-conference award after starting all 16 games and playing a team-best 35.3 minutes a game. One of three Aztecs to finish the league slate in double figures (10.7), the junior led the team in assists (3.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.07), while also averaging 1.1 steals and making a team-best 31 three-point field goals. In Mountain West action, Gay finished second in minutes played, third in assist-to-turnover ratio, fifth in three-point field-goal percentage (.419), eighth in assists, eighth in three-point field goals made (1.9), and 18th in scoring. The guard from Sun Valley, Calif., scored in double digits eight times, including the last three games. Gay also produced eight games with one turnover or less and four efforts with zero miscues. He scored a career-high 25 points after connecting on six three-pointers at New Mexico.
A two-time all-conference performer entering this season, White, a junior, made it 3-for-3 when he earned honorable mention accolades. Hobbled by an ankle injury suffered in the conference-opening win over New Mexico, White recovered to score in double figures six times, including in five of the final eight games of the league slate. The junior missed only the game at Wyoming and played the last 14 games, starting 13 of them. The Las Vegas, Nev., product finished the season ranked 10th in both blocked shots and offensive rebounding. White ended Mountain West play by averaging 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and shooting 52.7 percent from the field. In 15 conference games played, White shot 50 percent or better 11 times, including his last nine outings. White is the fourth Aztec in the MWC era to earn all-conference recognition at least three times, joining Brandon Heath, Marcus Slaughter and Lorrenzo Wade.
This is the second straight season, and fourth time overall, in which San Diego State has had a school-record-tying four players earn all-conference honors. The Aztecs are set to return all four honorees in 2010-11.