Player of the year

Sophomore center Andrew Bogut was named player of the year, while coach Ray Giacoletti took coach of the year honors.

Also, senior guard Marc Jackson joined Bogut on the all-MWC first team, while Bryant Markson earned third-team honors and Justin Hawkins was an honorable-mention selection.

Giacoletti, who led his team to a MWC championship with a 13-1 record in his first year at Utah and a 25-4 overall mark, was typically modest about his honor.

"Really it's not about me," he said. "It's a tribute to the staff and this team."

Bogut was the obvious choice for player of the year honors after averaging 20.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game on 64.0 percent shooting in conference games.

"It's great," Bogut said, even if it was no surprise to him. "It's good for our team. We have four guys who got awards. It just shows how good of a team we are."

Jackson's overall numbers weren't as good as several players on the second or third team, although he did finish first in assist-to-turnover ratio, and second in assists and free-throw percentage. The voters, however, which included the league's coaches and two media members from each of the league's eight cities, rewarded Jackson for his overall impact in each game.

"It's definitely an achievement I'm proud of," Jackson said. "But the biggest thing is the team aspect. Being first team comes from being first in the conference."

Others joining Bogut and Jackson on the first team are New Mexcio forward Danny Granger, UNLV forward Odartey Blankson and Wyoming guard Jay Straight. All but Bogut are seniors.

Second-team selections included Air Force players Nick Welch and Antoine Hood, San Diego State's Marcus Slaughter and Brandon Heath and Colorado State center Matt Nelson.

BYU's only selection was guard Mike Hall, who was named to the third team. Others besides Markson on the third team are New Mexico's Troy DeVries and David Chiotti and Wyoming's Justin Williams.

Williams, who ranks No. 7 in the country in blocked shots, was named defensive player of the year. Utah nominated Markson for defensive player of the year, and he might have split votes with teammate Jackson.

Colorado State's Justin Smith, who averaged 11.3 points and 7.5 rebounds, was named freshman of the year.

E-mail: sor@desnews.com

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