UNLV freshman D.J. Thomas was named to the All-Mountain West second team on Monday, making him the only Scarlet and Gray player to earn postseason recognition in 2023-24.
Thomas, a Las Vegas native, also earned three votes for Freshman of the Year, but that award went to New Mexico forward J.T. Toppin, who received nine votes.
The all-conference teams and awards were voted on by the media, with a journalist from each of the 11 markets getting one ballot.
San Diego State senior forward Jaedon LeDee was named Player of the Year, picking up seven of 11 votes.
The All-Mountain West first team was composed of LeDee, Utah State forward Great Osobor, Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens, Boise State forward Tyson Degenhart and UNR guard Jarod Lucas.
The second team was made up of six players due to a tie in voting. Utah State guard Darius Brown, UNR guard Kenan Blackshear, New Mexico guard Donovan Dent, New Mexico forward J.T. Toppin and New Mexico guard Jaelen House joined Thomas in that group.
Thomas was originally in the high school Class of 2024, but reclassified to graduate last summer and join UNLV a year early. He started all 30 games and was a consistent force throughout the season, averaging a team-best 13.6 points and 5.2 assists per contest.
Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle was named Coach of the Year after leading the Aggies to the outright regular season championship. Osobor was named Newcomer of the Year, and House was named Defensive Player of the Year; UNLV senior wing Luis Rodriguez received one vote for Defensive Player of the Year.
UNLV senior center Kalib Boone missed out on the all-conference teams but placed among the honorable mentions.
UNLV went 19-11 overall and finished 12-6 in Mountain West play, earning the No. 4 seed in this week’s conference tournament. The Scarlet and Gray will face No. 5 San Diego State in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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