Monday, March 2, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – Western Oregon forward Andy Avgi, who led the Wolves to a 23-5 record and the GNAC regular-season title, has been voted the 2014-15 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.

Avgi received eight of a possible nine first-place votes for the Player of the Year award and was also the lone unanimous selection to the all-conference team, being listed among the top six players on all nine opposing coaches’ ballots.

Avgi led the Wolves and ranked third in the GNAC in scoring this winter, averaging 18.1 points per game.  He also ranked 10^th in the conference in rebounding (5.8) and third in field goal percentage, converting on 61.6 percent of his attempts.

WOU coach Brady Bergeson was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year.  The 2000 graduate of Chapman is in his fourth season at Western Oregon and has a career record 69-43 going into this week’s GNAC conference tournament in Billings, Montana.

Also winning special awards were guard Riley Stockton of Seattle Pacific, WOU guard Julian Nichols and Northwest Nazarene forward Alex Birketoft.

Stockton was honored by the league’s coaches as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year.  He also won the same award in 2013.  Stockton averages just 9.7 points per game, but is among the conference leaders ranking fifth in rebounds (6.7) sixth in assists (3.9) and is the SPU team leader in steals with 31.

Nichols, who leads the GNAC in steals with 66 and ranks second in assists (5.9) was selected the GNAC Newcomer of the Year.  He is also WOU’s second leading scorer averaging 12.4 points per game.

Birketoft earned GNAC Freshman of the Year honors after helping lead Northwest Nazarene to its first playoff appearance since 2011.   Birketoft is averaging 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Crusaders and has 25 blocked shots.

Joining Avgi on the first team all-conference team are Stockton, Nichols, guards Travis Thompson of Alaska Anchorage and Dom Williams of Central Washington and forward Anye Turner of Western Washington.  Thompson was the lone repeater from last year’s first team.

Selected to the second team were forward Jeffrey Parker and guard Ricardo Maxwell, both from Western Washington; Seattle Pacific center Corey Hutsen; Northwest Nazarene forward Kevin Rima, guard Sango Niang of Simon Fraser and forward Joseph Stroud of Central Washington.

2014-15 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

First Team: *Andy Avgi, Western Oregon (F, 6-6, Jr., Woodburn, OR); +Travis Thompson, Alaska Anchorage (G, 6-1, Sr., Anchorage, AK); Dom Williams, Central Washington (G, 5-11, Sr., Tacoma, WA); Riley Stockton, Seattle Pacific (G, 6-4, Sr., Spokane, WA); Julian Nichols, Western Oregon (G, 6-2, Jr., Upland, WA);  Anye Turner, Western Washington (F, 6-7, Sr., Olympia, WA).  *Unanimous +First team repeater

Second Team: Sango Niang, Simon Fraser (G, 6-0, Sr., Paris, France); Jeffrey Parker, Western Washington (F, 6-6, So., Richmond, CA); Corey Hutsen, Seattle Pacific (C, 6-8, Sr., Sammamish, WA); Kevin Rima, Northwest Nazarene (F, 6-7, Sr., Fairbanks, AK); Joseph Stroud, Central Washington (F, 6-8, Jr., Seattle, WA); Ricardo Maxwell, Western Washington (G, 5-10, Jr., Cincinnati, OH).

Honorable Mention:  Brian McGill, Alaska Anchorage (G, 6-2, Jr., Clackamas, OR); Almir Hadzisehovic, Alaska (C, 6-8, Jr., Belgrade, Serbia); Ashton Edwards, Alaska (G, 6-0, Jr., Compton, CA); Jace Anderson, MSU Billings (G, 5-10, So., Whitewater, MT); Erik Kinney, Northwest Nazarene (G, 6-4, Jr., Fairfield, CA); Alex Birketoft, Northwest Nazarene (F, 6-8, Fr., Oelstykke, Denmark); Riley Carel, Saint Martin’s (G, 6-2, Sr., Enumclaw, WA); Mitch Penner, Seattle Pacific (F, 6-5, Jr., Seattle, WA); Matt Borton, Seattle Pacific (F, 6-5, Sr., Yakima, WA); Shawn Reid, Seattle Pacific (F, 6-4, Sr., Post Falls, ID); Jordan Wiley, Western Oregon (G, 6-6, Jr., McKenzie, OR); Lewis Thomas, Western Oregon (F, 6-8, Sr., Perth, Australia).

SPECIAL AWARDS: Player of the Year – Andy Avgi, Western Oregon.  Defensive Player of the Year – Riley Stockton, Seattle Pacific. Newcomer of the Year – Julian Nichols, Western Oregon. Freshman of the Year – Alex Birketoft, Northwest Nazarene .  Coach of the Year – Brady Bergeson, Western Oregon.