March 7, 2011
SAN DIEGO - Three San Diego State women's basketball players, seniors Paris Johnson (third team) and Jessika Bradley (third team) and sophomore Courtney Clements (honorable mention), each earned Mountain West Conference honors for their play so far this season, the league office announced Monday afternoon. Clements also became the second Aztec in a row to claim MWC Newcomer-of- the-Year honors, while Johnson was tabbed to the all-defensive team for the second time in the last three seasons.
The school's all-time leader in career blocks and consecutive starts, Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) has been named to each of the all-conference squads during her stint on The Mesa. Last year, she was a second-team pick after grabbing first-team honors in 2009. As a freshman, the 6-4 center was chosen to the honorable mention squad. This year, the San Diego High grad leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game, posting 21 outings in double-figures. She also ranks first on the team and 33rd nationally in field-goal percentage (52.3) and is second in both rebounding (7.6) and blocks (56). Johnson received her second career nod to the five-player all-defensive team, after also doing so as a sophomore in 2009, the first year the award was handed out.
The league Newcomer of the Year last season, Bradley joined her front court teammate Johnson on the all-conference third team. The 6-3 forward ranks 16th nationally in blocked shots per game with a career-high 74, which are the third in Aztec single-season history. Bradley has led the team in rebounding on 19 occasions and in assists seven times. She has scored in double-figures 13 times in 2010-11, with nine of those coming against MWC opponents.
Clements follows in Bradley's footsteps as the MWC's Newcomer of the Year after posting a team-best 12.1 points per outing in conference contests. She has a team-high 41 triples and is shooting over 80 percent from the stripe. Clements has earned 27 starts and has managed 10 or more points 17 times, including a team season-high 29 in an overtime game with Utah in January.
The sixth-seeded Aztecs will face No. 7 seed New Mexico on Tuesday at this week's 2011 Conoco Mountain West Conference Championships at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The game tips off at 7 p.m. PT and features a live audio call with Chris Ello on XTRA Sports 1360 and live stats on SDSU's official website, www.goaztecs.com.
2011 Mountain West Conference Postseason Awards
Player of the Year: Aubrey Vandiver, Wyoming
Defensive Player of the Year: Mindy Bonham, BYU
Freshman of the Year: Michelle Plouffe, Utah
Newcomer of the Year: Courtney Clements, San Diego State
6th Player of the Year: Kristen Riley, BYU
Coach of the Year: Jeff Judkins, BYU
First Team All-Mountain West Conference
!^#Aubrey Vandiver, Sr., G, 5-11, Wyoming
%^Mindy Bonham, Sr., G, 5-10, BYU
%^Emily Carter, Sr., G, 6-1, TCU
!%^Helena Sverrisdottir, Sr., G/F, 6-1, TCU
%^Hillary Carlson, Sr., F, 6-3, Wyoming
Second Team All-Mountain West Conference
^Coriann Fraughton, Sr., F, 6-1, BYU
^Kim Mestdagh, Jr., G/F, 5-10, Colorado State
^Starr Crawford, So., F, 6-0, TCU
Michelle Plouffe, Fr., F, 6-4, Utah
Iwalani Rodrigues, So., G, 5-9, Utah
Third Team All-Mountain West Conference
^Haley Hall, Sr., G, 5-4, BYU
Sam Martin, Fr., F, 6-2, Colorado State
^Amanda Best, Sr., G, 6-0, New Mexico
Jessika Bradley, Sr., F, 6-3, San Diego State
!%^Paris Johnson, Sr., C, 6-4, San Diego State
Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference
^Jazmine Foreman, Sr., G, 5-5, BYU
Kristen Riley, Jr., C, 6-3, BYU
Jasmine Patterson, Fr., G, 5-7, New Mexico
Courtney Clements, So., G, 6-0, San Diego State
Kelli Thompson, So., G, 6-0, UNLV
Janita Badon, Jr., G, 5-7, Utah
Jade Kennedy, Sr., F, 6-1, Wyoming
Chaundra Sewell, So., F, 6-1, Wyoming
All-Defensive Team
%^Mindy Bonham, Sr., G, 5-10, BYU
Porche Torrance, Jr., G/F, 6-1, New Mexico
%Paris Johnson, Sr., C, 6-4, San Diego State
Starr Crawford, So., F, 6-0, TCU
Janita Badon, Jr., G, 5-7, Utah
# notes unanimous first-team selection
! 2007-08 all-MWC team selection
%2008-09 all-MWC/Defensive team selection
^2009-10 all-MWC/Defensive team selection