Senior
Josh Akognon of Cal State Fullerton collected Player of the Year honors to lead the 2008-09 Big West men's basketball all-conference team, announced Commissioner Dennis Farrell Monday. Cal State Northridge's
Bobby Braswell captured the Coach of the Year award, while
Larry Anderson of Long Beach State got the nod as Freshman of the Year.
Akognon is the second straight Titan to receive Player of the Year acclaim as his former teammate Scott Cutley garnered co-honors last season. A 5-11 guard from Petaluma, Calif., Akognon is one of the nation's most prolific scorers. He leads the Big West with 23.5 points per game and has ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring all season. With 704 points scored, Akognon stands just 16 points shy of breaking Leon Wood's 25-year old single-season record of 719 set in 1983-84. One of the most lethal perimeter shooters in Big West history, Akognon's 123 three-pointers rank second in conference single-season annals and his 239 treys are eighth on the career list. He hit five or more threes in 13 games and drained a career-high eight at New Mexico State on Feb. 21. Akognon scored 20 or more points on a league-leading 20 occasions, tying his career-high twice with 41-point efforts at Hawai'i and versus Cal State Bakersfield. In addition, Akognon is No. 1 in the Big West in free throw percentage (.887) and minutes played (35.5 mpg). Akognon also was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 9 First Team.
Anderson becomes the first Long Beach State player since James Cotton in 1994, and the third 49er overall, to earn Freshman of the Year plaudits. A native of Long Beach, Anderson especially came on strong during the second half of the season, averaging 14.4 points over the final 14 games. During that stretch, he scored in double figures 12 times and posted three 20-point performances. For the season, Anderson had 17 double figure scoring efforts. The 6-6 guard ranked No. 13 in scoring with 12.3 points per game in conference games only. In overall games, Anderson ranked second league-wide in field goal percentage (.550) and seventh in assists (2.7 apg). He scored a career-high 25 points on 10 of 17 shooting at UC Riverside on Feb. 11.
Braswell earns his second straight Coach of the Year award in a season characterized by ups and downs. The Matadors overcame an early season six-game losing streak and the loss of two of their top players in Deon Tresvant and Josh Jenkins, winning nine of their last 12 games. The regular season culminated with the Matadors winning their first outright Big West championship at 11-5. It marked back-to-back championships for Braswell, who led CSUN to a share of the crown with Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara last season. Braswell also reached a personal milestone by claiming career win No. 200 against UC Riverside on Feb. 14. In his 13th season as CSUN head coach, Braswell owns a career record of 203-180 (.530).
All six members of the Big West All-First Team earned that distinction for the first time in their careers. In addition to Akognon, the list features UC Riverside sophomore
Kyle Austin, UC Santa Barbara senior
Chris Devine, UC Davis senior
Vince Oliver, Cal State Northridge senior
Tremaine Townsend and Long Beach State freshman
Larry Anderson. Anderson is only the second freshman all-time, and the first in 35 years, to claim Big West first team accolades. Long Beach State's Clifton Pondexter was the first to do so in 1974 when the Big West was formally known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.
2008-09 BIG WEST MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
| FIRST TEAM |
| Player |
School |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Josh Akognon |
Cal State Fullerton |
5-11 |
Sr. |
G |
Petaluma, Calif. |
| Larry Anderson |
Long Beach State |
6-6 |
Fr. |
G |
Long Beach, Calif. |
| Kyle Austin |
UC Riverside |
6-7 |
So. |
F |
Pasadena, Calif. |
| Chris Devine |
UC Santa Barbara |
6-8 |
Sr. |
F |
Eagle River, Alaska |
| Vince Oliver |
UC Davis |
6-3 |
Sr. |
G |
Inglewood, Calif. |
| Tremaine Townsend |
Cal State Northridge |
6-9 |
Sr. |
F |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| SECOND TEAM |
| Player |
School |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Joe Harden |
UC Davis |
6-8 |
So. |
G |
Acampo, Calif. |
| Michael Kirby |
Pacific |
5-11 |
Sr. |
G |
North Highlands, Calif. |
| Mark Payne |
UC Davis |
6-7 |
So. |
G |
Stockton, Calif. |
| Titus Shelton |
Cal Poly |
6-7 |
Sr. |
F |
Fresno, Calif. |
| Eric Wise |
UC Irvine |
6-5 |
Fr. |
F |
Riverside, Calif. |
| HONORABLE MENTION |
| Player |
School |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Gerard Anderson |
Cal State Fullerton |
6-6 |
Jr. |
F |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Anthony Brown |
Pacific |
6-7 |
Sr. |
F |
Sacramento, Calif. |
| Stephan Gilling |
Long Beach State |
6-2 |
Jr. |
G |
Chino Hills, Calif. |
| Rob Haynes |
Cal State Northridge |
6-4 |
Sr. |
G |
Cerritos, Calif. |
| Michael Hunter |
UC Irvine |
5-10 |
Jr. |
G |
Aurora, Colo. |
| Josh Jenkins |
Cal State Northridge |
5-10 |
Sr. |
G |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Lorenzo Keeler |
Cal Poly |
6-2 |
Jr. |
G |
Escondido, Calif. |
| Bryan LeDuc |
Pacific |
6-8 |
Sr. |
F |
Corona, Calif. |
| Donovan Morris |
Long Beach State |
6-3 |
Sr. |
G |
San Bernardino, Calif. |
| T.J. Robinson |
Long Beach State |
6-7 |
Fr. |
F |
West Haven, Conn. |
| Chad Troyer |
Pacific |
6-4 |
Sr. |
G |
Seattle, Wash. |
| ALL FRESHMAN TEAM |
| Player |
School |
Ht. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
|
| Larry Anderson |
Long Beach State |
6-6 |
G |
Long Beach, Calif. |
|
| T.J. Robinson |
Long Beach State |
6-7 |
F |
West Haven, Conn. |
|
| Jacques Streeter |
Cal State Fullerton |
6-0 |
G |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
|
| Casper Ware |
Long Beach State |
5-9 |
G |
Cerritos, Calif. |
|
| Eric Wise |
UC Irvine |
6-5 |
F |
Riverside, Calif. |
|
2008-09 BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Josh Akognon, Cal State Fullerton
2008-09 BIG WEST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Larry Anderson, Long Beach State
2008-09 BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
Bobby Braswell, Cal State Northridge