Tuesday, March 22, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – The two top scorers in the GNAC are adding more hardware to their walls as both Western Oregon’s Andy Avgi and Alaska Anchorage’s Sekou “Suki” Wiggs have been selected as Division II men’s basketball All-Americans.

Both Avgi and Wiggs were selected Monday as third team All-Americans by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) in the program voted upon by the division’s sports information directors. On Tuesday, Avgi was announced as one of 16 selections to the National Basketball Coaches Association Division II All-America Team.

The two All-American awards continue a long list of honors this season for Avgi. In addition to being named the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year and to preseason All-American teams by The Sporting News and Division II Bulletin, Avgi has ended the season with selection as the GNAC Player of the Year, D2CCA West Region Player of the Year and NCAA West Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Avgi enters the NCAA Division II Elite Eight averaging 20 points per game, second in the GNAC to Wiggs. He also ranks fourth in the league with an average of 1.32 blocked shots per game and is sixth with a .531 field goal percentage. His ledger includes three 30-plus point games, topped by a 34-point effort against Western Washington on Feb. 11. In the NCAA West Regional, Avgi averaged 20.7 points in three games, shot 50 percent from the floor and 58.3 percent from three-point range and had six blocked shots.

A First Team All-GNAC selection and the GNAC’s Newcomer of the Year after transferring to Alaska Anchorage from Division I Idaho, Wiggs led the conference in scoring with 24.1 points per game. The junior also ranked third in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and steals (1.6 spg), fourth in three-pointers (2.1 made per game) and ninth in assists (3.3 apg). Wiggs led the GNAC in minutes played, averaging 34.9 minutes per game, and he finished ranked second in Division II in free throws attempts (316) and third in free throws made (243).

NABC ALL-WEST REGION TEAM: Avgi and Wiggs also lead four GNAC selections to the NABC Division II All-West Region Teams. The two first team selections are joined by second team selections Mitch Penner of Seattle Pacific and Travante Williams of Alaska. Western Oregon’s Jim Shaw was named by the organization as its West Region Coach of the Year.

Penner, a First Team All-GNAC selection, led Seattle Pacific to their 12th consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearance after the Falcons finished the regular season tied for third in the GNAC regular season standings. Penner finished the season ranked fourth in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game. His season ledger included a pair of 30-plus point games, topped by a 37-point performance against Concordia on Feb. 4. Penner was named the GNAC Player of the Week three times this season, the most of any individual player.

Williams, who earned First Team All-GNAC after transferring from Adams State, led the Nanooks to the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships, where they fell in the championship game to Western Oregon. Williams finished the season ranked third in the league in scoring at 18.7 points per game and second in rebounding at 7.5 rebounds per game. Williams also finished the season leading the GNAC and ranked ninth in Division II with 2.33 steals per game.

In his first season as head coach at his alma mater, Shaw has led Western Oregon to a school-record tying 30 wins entering the Division II Elite Eight as well as the GNAC regular season and tournament titles. Shaw took over during the summer after a long career as a Division I assistant coach, which included stops at Saint Mary’s (Calif.), Washington, Oklahoma, Portland, Montana State, Southern Utah and Oregon State.