USU Men’s Hoops: Four Aggies receive Mountain West honors, Queta snubbed of POY Award
The Mountain West men’s basketball coaches announced their 2020-2021 all-conference teams mid-day Tuesday, and several Aggies received honors.
For the third straight season, junior center Neemias Queta was voted defensive player of the year, while also receiving first-team all-Mountain West honors. Junior forward Justin Bean was awarded second-team all-Mountain West honors, senior forward Alphonso Anderson was awarded MW Sixth Man of the Year, and junior guard Marco joined Queta on the MW defensive team.
Despite the accolades, Queta’s unprecedented season of dominance was not enough to win the most prestigious award: Mountain West Player of the Year, which went to senior Matt Mitchell of San Diego State.
Queta averaged 14.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. In conference play, he was No. 1 in the Mountain West for a defensive rating (27.9 percent), block percentage (14.2), No. 5 in effective field goal percentage (58.4), No. 6 in offensive rating (11.6 percent.), and No. 8 in offensive rating (116.7.)
The Portuguese big man was also the first player in MW history to average more than 14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game. He is the only player in the nation with more than 65 blocks and 65 assists. He earned NCAA defensive player of the year by Bleacher Report and was voted Mountain West Player of the Year by a panel of media members.
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Matt Mitchell averaged 15.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He had a No. 22 best effective field goal percentage (53.3) and the No.19 offensive rating (109.3.)
USU play-by-play voice Scotty Gerrard had this to say: “MWC Coaches give the Player of the Year Award to SDSU’s Matt Mitchell. I honestly can’t wrap my brain around this one. Neemias Queta should have won this award. But if not him, I would have selected Derrick Alston, Grant Sherfield, or David Roddy over Mitchell.”
https://twitter.com/ScottyGZone/status/1369363563853324290
Anthony’s defensive team honors are well deserved. The transfer guard often defended the opposing team’s best scorers, holding 2021 newcomer player of the year Grant Sherfield to 8.5 points per game in two games, and MW freshman of the year Marcus Williams to four points and 2-8 shooting in the teams only matchup.
Bean finished the regular season averaging 11.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He recorded four straight double-double to close the regular season and earned MW Player of the Week Accolades last week.
Anderson averaged 6.8 points and 2.7 rebounds off the bench for the Aggies. He scored double figures in seven games and three of the last four, including last week against Fresno State, where he scored 11 points and hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:34 to play.
Utah State takes on the winner of UNLV and Air Force in the Quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament Thursday evening in Las Vegas.