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March 11, 2009

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University guard Ira Graham (Sr., Fontana, CA) was a first-team selection on the Daktronics NCAA Division II West Region men's basketball all-star squad announced today.

The Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Graham is averaging 18.7 points on 53.3 percent field-goal shooting, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals. He has scored double figures in all but two games this season.

A four-year letter winner, who has started every game for the Vikings over the last three seasons, Graham has scored 1,436 career points, tying him for eighth place among school leaders.

Western was ranked No.23 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA II Top 25 Poll and clinched the school's first outright GNAC title last Saturday with an 85-68 win over arch-rival Central Washington

The 21-5 Vikings host Seattle Pacific on Friday (7 p.m.) in an opening-round game of the NCAA II West Sub-Regional on Haggen Court in Sam Carver Gymnasium.

2009 Daktronics West Region Men's Basketball

Alves Selected Daktronics West Region Player-of-the-Year

SPOKANE, WA - Lucas Alves, a 6-9 junior forward from BYU-Hawaii, has been voted the 2008-09 Daktronics NCAA Division II West Region Men's Basketball Player-of-the-Year.

Alves, who earned first team West Region honors for the second year in a row, out-pointed Brandon Brown of Cal State San Bernardino 124-81 to earn the Player-of-the-Year honors

Alves, who averaged 19.7 points and 7.6 rebounds in leading the Seasiders to a 25-1 record and a No. 3 national ranking, and Cal Poly Pomona forward Larry Gordon were the only first-team repeaters from a year ago

Joining Alves, Brown and Gordon on the first team were guards Jake Linton of Saint Martin's and Ira Graham of Western Washington.

Selected to the second team were guards Joel Smith of Chaminade, Michael Hernandez of Cal State Dominguez Hills and Matt Penoncello of Central Washington and forwards Jay DeMaestri of Hawaii Hilo and Jake Beitinger of Central Washington. Beitinger was also a second team selection last year.

Players selected to the region first team will now be listed on the Daktronics All-American national ballot. The All-American team will be announced later this month.

The selections are made by the sports information directors at the region's schools that sponsor men's basketball. The region includes teams, which compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, Great Northwest Athletic Conference and Pacific West Conference.

2009 DAKTRONICS WEST REGIONAL MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-STAR TEAM

First Team: Jake Linton, Saint Martin's (G, 5-10, Sr., Lynnwood, WA); Ira Graham, Western Washington (G, 6-1, Sr., Fontana, CA); Lucas Alves, BYU-Hawaii (F, 6-9, Jr., Casa Branca, Brazil); Larry Gordon, Cal Poly Pomona (F, 6-5, Sr., Pomona, CA); Brandon Brown, CSU San Bernardino (C, 6-7, Jr., New Orleans, LA).

Second Team: Joel Smith, Chaminade (G, 6-4, Sr., Lompoc, CA); Michael Hernandez, CSU Dominguez Hills (G, 6-2, Sr., Whittier, CA); Matt Penoncello, Central Washington (G, 6-5, Sr., Moscow, ID); Jay DeMaestri, Hawaii Hilo (F, 6-6, Sr., Mill Valley, CA); Jake Beitinger, Central Washington (F, 6-8, Sr., Port Orchard, WA).