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March 4, 2013

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University guard John Allen (Sr., Brier/Mountlake Terrace) has been named Player of the Year and Tony Dominguez shared Coach of the Year honors in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball All-Star selections announced Monday.

Allen, who has scored double-figure points 22 times this season with a high of 38, was a near unanimous POY selection, receiving nine of 10 votes from the conference coaches.

Allen, who was one of two unanimous first-team picks, is averaging 17.5 points. He ranks among the league's top 10 in three categories, being fourth in 3-point makes (2.2), fifth in free-throw shooting (85.5 percent, 59-of-69), and sixth in assists (3.9).

Allen was picked as the preseason GNAC Player of the Year and was a Division II Bulletin Super 16 selection. He has scored 1,371 career points, which ranks 10th among WWU leaders, and is 15th in assists (313) and his free-throw percentage of 89.0 (218-of-245) is on school-record pace.

Dominguez, who was a Viking assistant for the last 17 seasons, is believed to be the first person in NCAA Division II history to win his first 24 games as a head coach. He has directed WWU to a 26-1record and the GNAC regular-season title with a conference record-setting 17-1 mark.

The Vikings won their first 24 contests of the season and stretched their winning streak over the last two years to 30 before losing. Both the start and streak broke school records set 41 years ago.

Allen was one of two WWU players selected to the first team. The other was Paul Jones (Sr., Kent/Kent-Meridian), who is averaging 14.7 points, eighth in the league, and 6.7 rebounds, 10th in the GNAC. He is second among conference field-goal shooters at 58.3 percent (154-264) .

Jones has scored double figures in 22 games and has had five double-doubles in points and rebounds this season.

WWU guard Richard Woodworth (Jr., Bellevue/Newport) was a second-team pick. He has scored double figures 15 times this season and is averaging 10.4 points.

Woodworth ranks sixth among GNAC leaders in both 3-point accuracy (44.8 percent, 30-of-67) and free throw shooting (84.9 percent, 62-of-73).

Two Vikings received honorable mention all-star honors. They were center Chris Mitchell (Sr., Everson/Nooksack Valley), who is averaging 9.0 points and 7.3 rebounds, and forward Austin Bragg (Jr., Longview/Mark Morris), a transfer from Clark CC, who is averaging 9.0 points and 7.3 rebounds, fourth in the GNAC.

Bragg has had a GNAC and team-best six double-doubles in points and rebounds this season, including a 20-point, 11-rebound effort against Seattle Pacific on Feb. 2.

Mitchell, who received first-team CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District honors and is a three-time GNAC academic all-star, is second among league leaders in blocked shots at 1.4 (39, has blocked 12 shots in last four games) and Bragg is fourth at 1.3 (36).

Dominguez shared Coach of the Year honors with Alaska Fairbanks' Mick Durham.

WWU is the No.1 seed at this week's third annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament being held at Lacey.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference

Vikings' John Allen Voted GNAC Player of the Year

Western Washington guard John Allen has been voted the 2012-13 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year.

Allen was a near unanimous choice for the Player of the Year award receiving nine of 10 first-place votes from the conference coaches.

He led the Vikings to a 26-1 record this season and a GNAC record 30-game win streak, which began last year during WWU's historic run to the NCAA Division II national championship.

Allen finished the regular-season as the conference's second-leading scorer averaging 17.5 points per game. He also ranked sixth in the conference in assists (3.9).

First-year Viking coach Tony Dominguez and Alaska Fairbanks' Mick Durham tied in the balloting for GNAC Coach of the Year honors each receiving five votes.

Dominguez, a 1994 graduate of WWU and a long-time assistant with the Vikings, began his collegiate head coaching career with 24 consecutive wins before losing last month at Alaska Fairbanks.

Durham, a 1979 grad of Montana State University, guided UAF to a 15-11 record, a 10-game improvement over last year when the Nanooks won just five games in his first season at Fairbanks. UAF will be competing in the post-season this week for the first time in eight years.

Also winning special awards were guards Riley Stockton of Seattle Pacific and Mark McLaughlin of Central Washington and forward Andy Avgi of Western Oregon.

Stockton earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. In addition to helping hold Seattle Pacific's opponents to a GNAC-leading 61.9 points per game, Stockton led the conference in rebounding (7.6) and ranked seventh in assists (3.8) from his guard position.

McLaughlin finished the regular-season as the conference's leading scorer averaging 22.4 points per game. Avgi, who was an unanimous selection as GNAC Freshman of the Year, finished third in the GNAC in both scoring (16.2) and field goal percentage (57.7.).

Allen was one of two unanimous selections to the GNAC first team all-conference team. Also selected unanimously was guard David Downs of Seattle Pacific who was the lone first team repeat selection.

Joining Allen and Downs on the first team were McLaughlin, Western Washington forward Paul Jones, Alaska Anchorage guard Kyle Fossman and Montana State Billings forward Jarrell Crayton.

Earning second team honors were Seattle Pacific forwards Patrick Simon and Jobi Wall, guards Richard Woodworth of Western Washington and Teancum Stafford of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks center Sergej Pucar and Nanook guard Dominique Brinson.

Eighteen other players including three each from Montana State Billings and Northwest Nazarene, two each from Saint Martin's, Seattle Pacific, Western Oregon and Western Washington, and one each from Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington and Simon Fraser were honorable mention selections.

2012-13 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

First Team: +John Allen, Western Washington (G, 6-0, Sr., Brier, WA); *+David Downs, Seattle Pacific (G, 6-2, Jr., Kirkland, WA); Paul Jones, Western Washington (F, 6-5, Sr., Kent, WA); Mark McLaughlin, Central Washington (G, 6-6, Jr., Bothell, WA); Kyle Fossman, Alaska Anchorage (G, 6-1, Jr., Haines, AK); Jarrell Crayton, Montana State Billings (F, 6-7, Sr., Bellevue, NE). +Unanimous *Repeater

Second Team: Patrick Simon, Seattle Pacific (F, 6-8, Jr., Ephrata, WA); Jobi Wall, Seattle Pacific (F, 6-6, Sr., Arvada, CO); Richard Woodworth, Western Washington (G, 6-3, Jr., Bellevue, WA); Teancum Stafford, Alaska Anchorage (G, 6-5, So., Auburn, WA); Sergej Pucar, Alaska Fairbanks (C, 6-11, Jr., Belgrade, Serbia); Dominique Brinson, Alaska Fairbanks (G, 6-2, Sr., Juneau, AK).

Honorable Mention: Liam Gibcus, Alaska Anchorage (F, 6-10, Sr., Lysterfield, Australia); Pat Voeut, Alaska Fairbanks (G, 5-11, Jr., Bellingham, WA); Jordan Coby, Central Washington (G, 6-1, Sr., Tacoma, WA); Kalob Hatcher, Montana State Billings (G, 5-11, Jr., San Diego, CA); Dave Arnold, Montana State Billings (G, 6-2, Sr., Highlands Ranch, CO); Omar McDade, Montana State Billings (G, 6-3, Sr., Logan, UT); Kenny Jones, Northwest Nazarene (G, 6-2, Sr., Los Angeles, CA);Kevin Rima, Northwest Nazarene (F, 6-6, So., Fairbanks, AK); Jonathan Hawkins, Northwest Nazarene (G, 6-3, Sr., Phoenix, AZ); Roger O'Neill, Saint Martin's (F, 6-5, Sr., Edmonds, WA); Brady Bomber, Saint Martin's (G, 5-10, Sr., Lynden, WA); Riley Stockton, Seattle Pacific (G, 6-4, So., Spokane, WA); Andy Poling, Seattle Pacific (C, 6-11, Sr., Portland, OR); Taylor Dunn, Simon Fraser (G, 6-4, Jr., Vancouver, WA); Kolton Nelson, Western Oregon (C, 6-8, Sr., Klamath Falls, OR); Andy Avgi, Western Oregon (F, 6-5, Fr., Woodburn, OR); Austin Bragg, Western Washington (F, 6-9, Jr., Longview, WA); Chris Mitchell, Western Washington (C, 6-9, Sr., Everson, WA).

GNAC Player of the Year - John Allen, Western Washington (G, 6-0, Sr., Brier, WA)

GNAC Defensive Player of the Year - Riley Stockton, Seattle Pacific (G, 6-4, So., Spokane, WA)

GNAC Newcomer of the Year - Mark McLaughlin, Central Washington (G, 6-6, Jr., Bothell, WA)

GNAC Freshman of the Year - Andy Avgi, Western Oregon (F, 6-5, Fr., Woodburn, OR)

GNAC Coach of the Year - Tony Dominguez, Western Washington, and Mick Durham, UAF