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WCC Announces 2008 Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams
March 4, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
SAN BRUNO, Calif. -- Gonzaga junior guard Jeremy Pargo was the driving force behind the Bulldogs' eighth consecutive WCC regular season title and was rewarded by the league's head coaches with the WCC Player of the Year award. Saint Mary's, enjoying one of the best seasons in program history, landed the conference's Defensive Player of the Year in junior forward Diamon Simpson, and the WCC's Newcomer of the Year, in freshman guard Patrick Mills. Gonzaga and Saint Mary's battled for the WCC regular season crown down to the final weekend of conference play. For their coaching efforts, Gonzaga's Mark Few and Saint Mary's Randy Bennett were named WCC Co-Coaches of the Year. Pargo is the eighth consecutive Gonzaga player to earn the conference's top award. He follows former GU standouts Derek Raivio (2007), Adam Morrison (2006), Ronny Turiaf (2005), Blake Stepp (2004, 2003), Dan Dickau (2002) and Casey Calvary (2001). The Chicago, Ill. native paced the WCC in assists with 6.23 assists per game, while ranking 13th in the league in scoring with 11.8 points per game. The Gaels, paced by Simpson's 51 blocks, tallied a WCC-best 160 blocked shots this season, already tying them for the second most in a single season in WCC history (SMC set the record last season with 172). Simpson is the second Saint Mary's player to earn the league's top defensive honor, following Anthony Woodards, who took home the award in 2003. Mills has had an immediate impact on the Saint Mary's program, helping the Gaels earn a top 25 ranking for the first time since the 1988-89 season. The Canberra, Australia native ranked second among WCC freshmen in scoring during the regular season, pacing the Gaels with 14.4 points per game. In addition, he led all WCC freshmen in assists (3.47 apg) and steals (1.80 spg). Few, in his ninth season at the helm of the Gonzaga program, guided the Bulldogs to their eighth consecutive WCC regular season title. The Coach of the Year honor is Few's seventh overall. He took home the award from 2001-06, and is the only coach in WCC history to earn the award more than four times. Bennett has guided the Gaels to one of the best seasons in program history. Entering the WCC Tournament, the Gaels own a 25-5 record and have already tied the school record for most wins in a season, set under Bennett in the 2004-05 season. Bennett became the school's all-time wins leader earlier this season, surpassing James Weaver`s (1955-62) record that stood for 45 years. 2008 WCC AWARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR CO-COACH OF THE YEAR 2008 ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM ALL-WCC HONORABLE MENTION ALL-WCC FRESHMAN TEAM
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