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Medved, Mitchell take home our staff’s top individual awards
It all happened so fast, but here we are.
Here are our staff’s picks for Mountain West superlatives after a wild season that saw San Diego State earn a regular-season crown.
MWWire.com Coach of the Year
Niko Medved, Colorado State
Medved did a fantastic job this season, despite his team not starting play until mid-December due to COVID-19 issues. Once the Rams got on the court, though, it was clear that they were destined for a great season. Medved has turned Colorado State into potential at-large team, and he has exceeded even the loftiest expectations for this team.
While we love watching Niko roam the sidelines in Fort Collins, don’t be surprised to hear his name come up a lot this offseason as coaching jobs open up — including at his alma mater, Minnesota, where he started his coaching career as a graduate assistant.
MWWire.com Player of the Year
Matt Mitchell, San Diego State
While Mitchell may not have the most eye-popping statistics, he has always been the type of player who was more than the sum of his parts. Those intangibles — toughness, IQ, attitude — make Mitchell the unquestioned leader of the team that just took home the regular-season title.
In the spirit of awarding this accolade to the best player on the best team, Mitchell was the easy pick for our staff.
MWWire.com All-MW First Team
- Matt Mitchell, San Diego State
- Neemias Queta, Utah State
- Grant Sherfield, Nevada
- Derrick Alston Jr., Boise State
- David Roddy, Colorado State
MWWire.com All-MW Second Team
- Jordan Schakel, San Diego State
- Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State
- Bryce Hamilton, UNLV
- Orlando Robinson, Fresno State
- Marcus Williams, Wyoming
MWWire.com All-MW Third Team
- Desmond Cambridge Jr., Nevada
- Justin Bean, Utah State
- Abu Kigab, Boise State
- Nathan Mensah, San Diego State
- AJ Walker, Air Force
Well, there you have it! It’s been a wild ride this year, and now we can all finally look forward to the Mountain West Tournament, which starts later this week. In the meantime, connect with us on Twitter at @MWCwire and @andrewdieckhoff, and let us know your picks for the 2021 Mountain West awards!
Andrew Dieckhoff is a USBWA member writing about college basketball for Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and The DPI Gradebook presented by Heat Check CBB. Andy is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and a graduate of Portland State University. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon.
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