WAC NOTES
HAWAI‘I’S JOAQUIM NAMED VERIZON WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hawai‘i’s Vander Joaquim has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 9-15. The honor marks the second career WAC Player of the Week award and second this season for Joaquim.
Joaquim, a junior forward from Luanda, Angola (College of Eastern Utah), led Hawai‘i to a 1-1 record last week with a 74-68 overtime win at Fresno State and a 77-74 setback at Nevada. Joaquim scored a season-high 23 points, while adding 16 rebounds and three blocks for his fifth double-double of the season in the overtime win at Fresno State. Joaquim helped UH to the win after scoring his team’s final two baskets of regulation, including the game-tying field goal with five seconds remaining. He then scored 10 of UH’s 16 points in overtime to secure the victory. Joaquim recorded his third-straight 20 point game with 23 points in a near-upset at Nevada. He also added seven rebounds and a career-high seven blocks. The seven blocks were one short of the UH school record.
On the week, Joaquim averaged 22.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game. He shot 73.9.4 percent (13-of-23) from the field and 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Fresno State sophomore guard Kevin Olekaibe … Idaho senior guard Deremy Geiger … Nevada sophomore guard Deonte Burton … New Mexico State senior forward Wendell McKines … Utah State senior guard Brockeith Pane.
WEEK 10 WAC HIGHLIGHTS
Nevada and New Mexico State each went 2-0 in WAC play last week. Nevada defeated San Jose State and Hawai‘i as Deonte Burton led the Pack over the two games averaging 19.5 points on 52 percent shooting. Nevada has now won 11 straight games. Nevada connected on 16 three-point field goals against San Jose State, tying SJSU’s mark against Coppin State earlier this season. NM State downed Utah State and Idaho last week. Wendell McKines led the Aggies with a pair of double-doubles as he averaged 18.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last week. Hawai‘i, Idaho and Utah State each split a pair of games last week, while Louisiana Tech and San Jose State each went 0-2. Fresno State’s Kevin Olekaibe recorded the WAC’s single game high in points for an individual this season with 32 in a win over San Jose State last week.
WAC CONTINUES RISE ON RPI AND ESPN CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS LIST
After starting the season as low as No. 28 on the conference RPI list, the WAC has surged its way to No. 14 this week (up two spots from last week), according to collegerpi.com. The league also comes in as the 12th-best conference in the nation according to ESPN’s conference power rankings, also up two spots from last week. Nevada currently holds the highest team RPI in the league at No. 69 this week.
WAC TEAMS/PLAYERS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Jan. 15, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in five team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in six individual stat categories. Idaho holds the highest team mark as it ranks 12th nationally in three-point percentage at 40.5 percent. New Mexico State ranks 16th nationally in rebound margin at 7.4. Individually, Nevada’s Malik Story holds the highest national mark, ranking third in three-point field goal percentage at 50 percent. New Mexico State’s Wendell McKines ranks sixth nationally with 11 double-doubles.
NMSU’S MCKINES ON HIS WAY TO ELITE 1,000 POINT/1,000 REBOUND CLUB
With 1,198 career points and 953 career rebounds, New Mexico State senior forward Wendell McKines is on his way to the 1,000 points/rebounds club. There is currently only one active player in all of Division I that has at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds (T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State - 1,536 points/1,047 rebounds). McKines will become just the 12th player in WAC history to reach the double-milestone.
WAC All-Time 1,000 point/1,000 rebound List
Keith Van Horn, Utah (1993-97), 2,542 points/1,074 reb.
Nick Fazekas, Nevada (2003-07), 2,464 points/1,254 reb.
Bob Elliot, Arizona (1973-77), 2,131 points/1,083 reb.
Michael Harris, Rice (2001-05), 2,014 points/1,111 reb.
Josh Grant, Utah (1988-93), 2,000 points/1,066 reb.
Kenny Thomas, UNM (1996-99), 1,931 points/1,032 reb.
Micahel Cage, SDSU (1980-84), 1,846 points/1,317 reb.
Reginald Slater, UW (1988-92), 1,809 points/1,197 reb.
Al Fleming, Arizona (1973-76), 1,765 points/1,190 reb.
Paul Millsap, LA Tech (2003-06), 1,708 points/1,172 reb.
Mitch Smith, Utah (1985-89), 1,628 points/1,036 reb.
Wendell McKines, NMSU (2007-), 1,198 points/953 reb.
SAN JOSE STATE’S CARTER RECORDS FIRST WAC 20-20 GAME SINCE 2006
San Jose State senior forward Wil Carter scored 21 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in a loss at Hawai‘i on Jan. 7. Carter becomes the first WAC player to score at least 20 points and pull down 20 boards since Louisiana Tech’s Paul Millsap did it in 2006. It also marked the first 20-rebound game by a SJSU player since Chris McNealy did it against Utah in December of 1981. It marks only the eighth 20-rebound performance by a Division I player this season.
UTAH STATE AND HAWAI‘I IMPRESS AT HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS
Utah State went a perfect 3-0 at the Athletes in Action Classic in Logan to win the championship. The Aggies defeated UT-Arlington 73-69, Saint Peter’s 72-47 and Kent State 81-62 to claim the title. Hawai‘i went 2-1 at the the Hawaiian Airlines Diamondhead Classic in Honolulu. The Rainbow Warriors dropped a close 65-62 decision to Auburn in its tournament opener before winning its next two games, an 84-82 overtime victory over then No. 14 Xavier and a 75-68 win against Clemson.
SAN JOSE STATE AND NEVADA SET SCHOOL RECORDS WITH 16 THREES IN A SINGLE GAME, RANKS AS FOURTH-BEST SINGLE GAME PERFORMANCE IN THE NATION
San Jose State set single-game school records with 16 three-point baskets made and 40 three-point baskets attempted in the December 29 victory over Coppin State at the Elgin Baylor Classic. The previous records in these categories were 14 made 3-pointers in a 2005 game against Louisiana Tech and 32 3-point tries in a 2011 game versus Boise State. Nevada set a single game school record of their own with 16 made thres and 32 attempts to break the old school record of 15 made threes against Cal State Fullerton in 1999. The 16 made threes ranks as the fourth-best single-game performance in the nation this season.
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO LAS VEGAS, TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The 2012 WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held March 7-10 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and will include all eight WAC teams. All-session tickets for the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament presented by Verizon are available for purchase now. All-session tickets include access to each men’s and women’s tournament game, totaling 14 games in eight sessions. All-session tickets are on sale Friday through the Orleans Arena Box Office. Tickets will also be available for purchase through each WAC school’s ticket office. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets from their institution’s ticket office or online to avoid service fees associated with ticket sales through the Orleans Arena. Single-session tickets, which allow access to the two games listed in the session will be sold only on the day of the respective game, and can only be purchased through the Orleans Arena. Fans who wish to attend only the women’s tournament games may purchase a women’s tournament all-session ticket through the Orleans Arena ticket office.
INDIVIDUAL WAC SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE RANKS NATIONALLY
Utah State’s Preston Medlin hit eight three-point field goals in a win at Idaho State on Nov. 26. The eight threes is the third-most scored in the nation this season. USU’s Kyisean Reed connected on 11-of-12 shots for a 92.3 field goal percentage against Kent State on Dec. 22. Reed’s performance ranks as the fourth-best field goal percentage performance in the nation this season. Fresno State’s Jonathan Wills hit a perfect 13-of-13 free throws in a Nov. 22 game against UTSA. Wills’ night ranks him with the third-best performance nationally this year.
ESPN SEARS BRACKETBUSTERS
For the 10th year in a row, the WAC has partnered with ESPN and several other top college basketball conferences for ESPN Sears BracketBusters, a weekend men’s basketball event matching potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. All eight WAC teams will be a part of this year’s pool of teams. The event will be held February 18. The match-ups for Sears BracketBuster Saturday will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences about three weeks before the event.
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (8-11, 1-3 WAC)
Fresno State went 1-1 last week with a 74-68 overtime loss at home to Hawai‘i before an 82-73 victory at home against San Jose State ... in the loss to UH, junior guard Garrett Johnson erupted for a career-high 18 points ... Kevin Olekaibe added 15 points for the Bulldogs, and senior Steven Shepp had eight points and career-high 11 assists ... in the win over San Jose State, Fresno State trailed for less than two minutes and used career nights by sophomore Kevin Olekaibe (32 points) and Kevin Foster (19 points/14 rebounds) to lock up their first conference win of the season ... Fresno State finishes its three-game homestand when CSU San Marcos visits the Save Mart Center on Wednesday night before the Bulldogs hit the road for three straight WAC contests starting next Saturday at Nevada, which will be featured on the WAC Sports Network.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (10-7, 2-1 WAC)
Hawai‘i went 1-1 last week ... the team defeated Fresno State 74-68 in overtime on the road before falling 77-74 to Nevada in a tightly contested battle in Reno ... at Fresno State, Zane Johnson scored a game-high 24 points to lead Hawai’i ... however it was Vander Joaquim who lifted UH with his clutch play, scoring UH’s final two baskets of regulation, including the game-tying basket with five seconds left, then scored 10 of UH’s 16 points in overtime ... Joaquim finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season ... at Nevada, Joaquim led UH with 22 points, seven rebounds and a career-high seven blocks ... Joston Thomas poured in 21 points, while Zane Johnson added 11 ... Jeremiah Ostrowki again was efficient at the point, dishing out nine assists ... the Rainbow Warriors now return home to take on Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Jan. 19 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Idaho Vandals (9-9, 2-2 WAC)
Idaho went 1-1 last week ... the team rallied to defeat Louisiana Tech 90-88 in overtime ... Idaho then dropped an 80-68 decision at New Mexico State ... Geiger led all scorers with 23 points at LA Tech ... Tatum set career bests in points (20) and made (13) and attempted (15) free throws, while adding a game-high six assists and four rebounds ... Stephen Madison chipped in 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal ... Kyle Barone recorded his fifth double-double of the season with13 points and a career-best 15 boards ... at NMSU, Connor Hill bounced back from an 0-for-5 shooting day at Louisiana Tech to lead Idaho with 12 points ... Hill was joined in double figures by Barone and Geiger, each of whom added 11 points, while senior Djim Bandoumel dropped in 10 points ... Idaho returns home next week for just one game – a Saturday date with Utah State.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-10, 0-3 WAC)
Louisiana Tech dropped a pair of WAC home games last week ... the team fell 90-88 in overtime to Idaho before taking a 69-65 loss to Utah State ... Brandon Gibson’s first double-double of the season, career-high 22 points and 13 rebounds, was not enough as LA Tech fell to Idaho ... along with Gibson’s point total, Raheem Appleby scored 19 points and Trevor Gaskins contributed 15 and Cordaruis Johnson chipped in 12 points as well ... versus Utah State, Kenyon McNeail scored a season-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc ... Gaskins and freshman guard Raheem Appleby contributed 10 points each ... Gibson grabbed a team-best seven rebounds while Kyser pulled down five boards in his first career start ... the Bulldogs return to action Thursday when they travel to face Hawai‘i.
Nevada Wolf Pack (14-3, 4-0 WAC)
Nevada went 2-0 last week at home, defeating San Jose State 81-57 before downing Hawai‘i 77-74 ... in the win over SJSU, Jerry Evans Jr. scored 19 points to lead Nevada, who matched their win total from last season and posted their first 10-game winning streak in five years ... the Wolf Pack hit a school-record 16 3-pointers, including five from Evans in the game ... Deonte Burton scored 25 points to spark Nevada over Hawai‘i on Saturday ... Olek Czyz added 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolf Pack for their 11th-straight victory ... the Rainbow Warriors cut the Nevada lead to a point on a 3-pointer by Zane Johnson with 30 seconds left, but Story hit a pair of free throws with 10.5 seconds left to seal the victory for Nevada ... Nevada steps out of league play to host Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday night before welcoming Fresno State on Saturday.
New Mexico State Aggies (13-5, 3-0 WAC)
New Mexico State went 2-0 last week at home ... the Aggies defeated Utah State 80-60 before taking down Idaho 80-68 ... in the win over Utah State, The Aggies had five players in double-figures with freshman guard Daniel Mullings leading the way with 17 points ... Wendell McKines posted his 10th double-double of the year and 37th of his career with 13 points and 11 rebounds ... Tshilidzi Nephawe tied a season-high mark with 12 points, while Hamidu Rahman contributed 11 ... Hernst Laroche added 10 points with six assists ... in the win over Idaho, Laroche had a season-high 20 points on a 5-of-10 performance from the field including a 3-for-5 showing at the 3-point line ... the Crimson and White post players also contributed with 12 points from Rahman and 10 points from Nephawe ... the Aggies return to the road and play at San Jose State, 19 and Hawai’i, Jan. 21.
San Jose Spartans (6-11, 0-3 WAC)
San Jose State went 0-2 last week on the road ... the Spartans dropped an 81-57 decision at Nevada before falling 82-73 at Fresno State ... James Kinney led the Spartans in scoring with 16 points at Nevada ... Stephon Smith came off the bench with his second season scoring high in as many games ... mith was in double-figure scoring for the first time this season with 14 points and tied Nevada’s Evans for game-high rebound honors with seven ... in the loss at Fresno State, Wil Carter led SJSU in scoring and rebounding with 20 points and 13 rebounds ... Kinney poured in 18 on 4-of-5 from 3-point range ... Keith Shamburger had his first double-figure scoring game in WAC play with 16 ... D.J. Brown, making his first start of the season, had 11 ... San Jose State will play at The Event Center for the first time since December 20 when the Spartans host New Mexico State on Jan. 19.
Utah State Aggies (10-8, 2-2 WAC)
Utah State went 1-1 last week on the road ... the Aggies took an 80-60 loss at New Mexico State before picking up a 69-65 victory at Louisiana Tech ... Kyisean Reed had 18 points and six rebounds, but Utah State was out-scored 38-14 in the final 15 minutes as it lost at New Mexico State ... Utah State has now dropped back-to-back games for the second time this year and for just the 18th time in the last 13 years ... Brockeith Pane added 16 points for Utah State ... Pane scored a career-high 24 points to lead Utah State to a win against Louisiana Tech on Saturday night as USU avoided its first three-game losing streak since the 2007-08 season ... Medlin added 11 points and a career-high nine rebounds for Utah State, while Reed finished with 11 points and eight boards ... USU will continue its season-long road stretch with a game at future WAC foe Seattle on Thursday before returning to WAC action at Idaho on Saturday.