Colorado State University Athletics
Four Rams honored by Mountain West
3/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MW Release
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Mountain West announced Tuesday its all-conference awards, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. Colorado State seniors J.J. Avila and Daniel Bejarano were honored with first-team and second-team All-Mountain West nods, respectively, while senior Stanton Kidd captured honorable mention all-conference and sophomore John Gillon was tabbed as the league's Sixth Man of the Year.
A 6-8, 250-pound forward Avila becomes the sixth first-team all-MW performer at Colorado State, joining former frontcourt standouts Colton Iverson (2013), Jason Smith (2006; 2007) and Andy Ogide (2011), and guard Wes Eikmeier (2012). He was named third-team all-league in 2014.
Avila, from McAllen, Texas, leads Colorado State in both scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg) overall, and upped his scoring average to 18.9 points per game in league play (second in the MW). He also ranks among the league leaders in rebounds per game (7.4, fourth), field-goal percentage (.565, first), steals per game (2.1, second), and offensive rebounds per game (3.3, second) in conference play. Entering next week's conference tournament, Avila - one of the most productive and versatile players in the nation - ranks as the only player in NCAA Division I to average at least 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and shoot better than 54 percent from the field.
Bejarano, a 6-5, 220-pound product from Phoenix, Ariz., earns his second consecutive second-team all-MW award. He was also tabbed as the league's Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore in 2013. Taking on a new role as the point guard in the Rams' offensive attack that ranks first in the league in scoring, Bejarano ranked among the MW leaders in league play in scoring (11.0 ppg, 20th), rebounding (7.4 rpg, sixth), three-pointers per game (2.0, ninth) and defensive rebounds per game (5.9, fourth).
Kidd, in his first season on the court for the Rams, has had a major impact on the Rams' record-breaking season. A native of Baltimore, Kidd averaged 11.5 points per game overall this season, scoring at a clip of 10.8 points per game. In conference play, Kidd has averaged 4.6 rebounds per game while ranking as one of the team's top three-point threats, and leading the Rams with 23 blocks overall, 16 against MW foes.
Gillon is the third Ram to be named the Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year since the award's inception in 2009, joining Pierce Hornung (2011) and Bejarano (2013). A native of Houston, Texas, in his first season on the court for the Rams after transferring from Arkansas-Little Rock, Gillon is a key part of the Rams' impressive depth off the bench. A natural point guard, he leads the Mountain West by averaging 3.9 assists per game despite averaging just 23 minutes off the bench for the Rams. He also ranks among the conference leaders in free-throw percentage (.811, tied for third) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.7, second). Overall, he leads the team in assist with 101 on the year, while averaging 8.2 points per game.
Avila and Bejarano are two of just four players - joining Wyoming's Larry Nance Jr. and Boise State's Derrick Marks - as the only repeat all-conference selections.
