Thursday, March 21, 2013

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington  guard John Allen (Sr., Brier/Mountlake Terrace) was named to the third team and forward Paul Jones (Jr., Kent/Kent-Meridian) received honorable mention on the 2013 Daktronics Division II Men’s Basketball All-America team.

Allen and Jones have helped the 30-2 Vikings to a second straight NCAA II West Regional championship and Elite Eight appearance. They also played key roles on last year’s 31-5 team that won the national title.

Allen, who leads WWU in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game, earlier was named the Daktronics West Region and Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year.  He  also paces the team in free-throw shooting (86.5 percent, 77-of-89), treys (2.1) and assists (4.2).

Allen has scored 1,453 career points, which ranks eighth among WWU leaders (needs 12 to move into seventh), is 12th in assists (340) and his free-throw percentage of 89.1 (236-of-265) is on school-record pace.

Allen, who has scored double-figure points 25 times this season with a high of 38, has had three 30-plus point games this season and seven career contests with 30 or more. The school record is nine. He scored a career-high 43 points, the second-highest figure in school history and four off the school record, against Simon Fraser on Jan. 2, 2011.

Jones, a first-team Daktronics West Region and all-conference pick, is averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. He is 24th nationally at 59.0 percent (180-305), and has scored double figures in 26 games.

Jones has had five double-doubles in points and rebounds this season.

WWU, which won the regular-season GNAC title with a 17-1 mark, a league record, will play Florida Southern (27-5) in the first round of the Elite Eight on Thursday, March 28 (3 p.m. PT), at Louisville, Kentucky (Freedom Hall).