Men's Basketball

2016-17 All-PacWest Men’s Basketball Team

2016-17 All-PacWest Men's Basketball Team

IRVINE, Calif. – California Baptist guard Michael Smith highlighted the 2016-17 All-PacWest Men’s Basketball team, released by the conference office on Wednesday. Smith became the second repeat PacWest Player of the Year in conference history.
 
Smith led the PacWest in scoring (24.7 ppg), and ranked eighth in field goal percentage (.483), third in free throw percentage (.863) and 12th in rebounding (6.6 rpg). His scoring percentage was third-best in the nation and he made the seventh-most free throws (170). He score 20 points in 20 of his 25 games, including a career-high 42 points against UC San Diego, which netted him a USBWA National Player of the Week honor. He became CBU’s career scoring leader in January and scored 35 points against BYU-Hawaii to break the PacWest scoring mark, ending the regular season with 1,953 points. Smith also led the Lancers in assists (92) and steals (33).
 
Connor Looney (Hawai’i Pacific) was named PacWest Defender of the Year. Looney was second in the PacWest in steals (64) and steals per game (2.3), ranking 12th and 17th in the nation, respectively. A three-time PacWest Defender of the Week, Looney had a steal in 27 games, including nine with at least three steals. Hawai’i Pacific led the PacWest and was 20th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 67.1 points per game. Looney earned his first All-PacWest honor this season and was fifth in the conference in scoring (17.0 ppg)
 
Austin Pope (Chaminade) was named PacWest Newcomer of the Year. A transfer from North Idaho College, he ranked second in the PacWest in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and total rebounds (234), first in defensive rebounds (174) and eighth in offensive rebounds (60). He averaged 12.0 points per game on 47.4 percent shooting. He grabbed double-digit rebounds in 13 games, including 16 against Notre Dame de Namur. He logged eight double-doubles, including five-consecutive in January, and scored a career-high 26 points against Holy Names.
 
Sterling Somers (Point Loma) was named PacWest Freshman of the Year. He averaged 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, and totaled 31 assists and 17 steals. He won three-straight PacWest Freshman of the Week honors during a string of six-consecutive double-digit scoring performances. He notched his first-career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Hawai’i Hilo, and scored a career-high 22 points at Chaminade. Somers is the second-consecutive Sea Lion to win PacWest Freshman of the Year, joining teammate Josh Rodriguez.
 
Darren Vorderbruegge (Hawai’i Pacific) was named PacWest Coach of the Year. In his ninth year at HPU, he led the Sharks to their first PacWest regular season championship with an 18-2 conference record. HPU has been ranked in the NABC Coaches’ Poll for nine-straight weeks, ascending to No. 3 on Feb. 7, the highest ranking in program history. HPU is currently No. 6 in the nation.
 
Smith and Looney were joined on the All-PacWest First Team by Kalidou Diouf (CBU), Rohndell Goodwin (Chaminade), Trevor Hill (Dixie State) and Chauncey Orr (Hawai’i Pacific). Kuany Kuany (Chaminade) earned a third team spot, ending his career as a four-time All-PacWest honoree.