March 7, 2011
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men's basketball head coach Steve Fisher has earned Mountain West Conference co-coach-of-the-year accolades, the league announced Monday afternoon. D.J. Gay and Kawhi Leonard, meanwhile, were voted to the first team, Malcolm Thomas to the second team and Billy White received honorable mention honors. Leonard and Thomas were also placed on the all-defensive squad.
Fisher, who is in his 12th season at SDSU and 20th overall, garnered his first-ever conference coach-of-the-year award and shares it with Brigham Young's Dave Rose. Fisher, who was named national coach of the year in 1992, led the Aztecs to a share of the Mountain West regular-season title with a record of 14-2. The regular-season crown was the second for SDSU and first since 2006. The 14 victories, meanwhile, represent the most San Diego State has won in the 12-year history of the league, eclipsing the 2006 team's 13 wins. Entering the MWC Championship, Fisher has the Aztecs atop the league standings in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense, three-point field-goal percentage defense, rebounding offense, rebounding margin, blocked shots, offensive rebounds and offensive rebound percentage. Fisher is just the second head coach in SDSU history to earn league coach-of-the-year honors and first since Smokey Gaines won the WAC award in 1985.
Gay, a senior captain, was voted to the all-conference first team and earned all-league honors for the second time in his career (2010 honorable mention). The Sun Valley, Calif., native started all 16 Mountain West games and led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.87), while ranking third in minutes played (36.4), tied for fourth in steals (1.5), fourth in three-point field goals made (2.0), seventh in assists (3.6), 10th in three-point field-goal percentage (.333) and 16th in scoring (11.6). At one point during conference play, Gay went 177 consecutive minutes without committing a turnover while accumulating 23 assists during the same time frame. The senior guard posted eight double-figure scoring games and had a career-high 30 at New Mexico and 20 points against both Air Force and at UNLV.
Leonard, for the second time in two seasons, was named to the first team after leading the Mountain West in rebounding (11.9) and offensive rebounding (8.2). The Riverside, Calif., product also ranked second in offensive rebounds (3.7), tied for fourth in steals (1.5), fifth in scoring (14.8), sixth in free-throw percentage (.767) and ninth in minutes. The sophomore recorded 12 double-doubles, which set the MWC single-season record, and posted five 15-plus rebounding efforts, including a season-best 17 vs. UNLV. SDSU's leader in scoring, rebounding and steals also produced 15 double-figure scoring efforts, which includes 22-point nights at BYU and vs. New Mexico and a 20-point performance at Utah. Leonard is the second Aztec in MWC history to be a two-time all-first-team choice and first since Brandon Heath was vote to the squad in 2006 and 2007.
Thomas landed on the all-league second team for a second year in a row after averaging 11.4 points and 9.3 rebounds, which ranked 17th and third, respectively, in the Mountain West. One of the premier shot blockers in the nation, Thomas also ranked second in the MWC after averaging 2.3 blocks per game. In addition to ranking in the top 10 in rebounds and steals, Thomas also ranked third in both offensive (3.2) and defensive rebounds (6.1). The senior logged seven double-doubles during league action and blocked at least one shot in all 16 contests. Offensively, the forward shot 50 percent from the field and scored in double figures eight times, including back-to-back 20-efforts vs. New Mexico and at Air Force.
For the fourth time in four seasons, White earned all-league accolades after garnering honorable mention recognition. A native of Las Vegas, Nev., White started all 16 games and averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds, while shooting a team-best 54.7 percent from the field. The forward scored in double figures seven times and had an impressive 19 points on a career-high nine free throws vs. TCU. On Senior Night vs. Colorado State, White was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field en route to 13 points and five rebounds. White is just the second Aztec to earn all-MWC honors all four seasons and the first since Heath accomplished the feat from 2004 to 2007.