PHOENIX, AZ – Brigham Young University Hawaii junior guard Tsung-Hsein (Jet) Chang (Yilan, Taiwan/Sing Rong) has been selected as the 2010-11 Pacific West Conference Preseason Player of the Year, while his Seasiders have been picked to win the PacWest Championship in one of the closest preseason votes in league history.
The PacWest Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team and predicted order of finish were announced during the league’s media day on Wednesday, Nov. 3, in Honolulu.
The PacWest season begins on Nov. 12 when Dixie State battles Alaska Anchorage in the opening round of the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim, Calif. Chaminade and Hawai‘i Hilo travel to Saint Martin’s (WA) to take on the host Saints and Western Oregon also on that day.
Notre Dame de Namur and Hawai‘i Hilo tip off the conference schedule on Jan. 4 in Hawai‘i.
BYU-Hawaii, last year’s co-champion and NCAA II West Region finalist for the third straight year, totaled 73 points on five first-place votes, while Grand Canyon, Dixie State and Chaminade all received at least one first-place nod.
Dixie State shared the PacWest crown with the Seasiders last year and made its first trip to the NCAA II post-season, while Grand Canyon’s late-season surge saw its season end with a six-game winning streak. Chaminade has reloaded after a sub-.500 season in 2009-10.
The 2010-11 PacWest Preseason All-Conference Team features seven players representing six different teams, including two from BYU-Hawaii. In addition to Chang, senior guard Marques Whippy (Bua, Fiji/LDS) was selected for the honor.
The preseason list also includes Chaminade senior guard Steven Bennett (Los Angeles, CA/Dorsey), Dominican (CA) sophomore guard Austin Bryan (Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee), Grand Canyon sophomore guard Brad Carroll (Chandler, AZ/Corona del Sol), Hawai‘i Hilo senior forward Justin Smith (Los Angeles, CA/Reseda), and Dixie State senior forward Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie).
Chang, the 2008-09 PacWest Freshman of the Year, did not appear on the NCAA or PacWest stat charts last year because he played in just 17 games due to injury; however, his impact was undeniable after averaging 19.2 points per contest. He shot 53.1% (121 for 228) from the field and was an All-PacWest Second Team selection.
Whippy, who finished fourth in the player of the year voting last season, was a major contributor to the BYU-Hawaii success in 2009-10. He finished the year ranked 15th in the conference in scoring and second in rebounding.
He also averaged 11.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 57.5% (126 for 219) from the floor – third best in the PacWest for the year. Whippy also wound up 13th in handing out assists per game (2.6) and second in steals per contest (2.6).
An All-PacWest Second Team choice two seasons ago, Whippy made the jump to the First Team last year with his outstanding play.
Bryan was the lone representative on the All-PacWest Team for the Penguins last year, but the First Team honoree and Freshman of the Year award winner was outstanding before seeing his season end with an injury after 23 games.
Bryan led Dominican to a solid debut in the PacWest by winning the league’s scoring title after he averaged 19.3 points per game. He finished second in foul shooting for the year, making 85.5% (118 for 138) of his attempts, and ranked third in steals per game with a 1.9 average.
He also made himself known around the defensive end of the court by rejecting 1.0 shots per game – good enough to rank fifth in the league for the season.
The Penguin guard was deadly from beyond the arc, shooting 42.1% (48 for 114) to place third in the conference. His 2.1 three-pointers-made-per-game average left him fourth in the league for the season.
Whitehead earned All-PacWest First Team honors last year and helped lead Dixie State to the NCAA’s and a share of the PacWest title. He topped the conference in three-point shooting (45.2%) and ranked second in three-pointers made per game (2.2). He connected on 56 of 124 shots from beyond the arc.
Whitehead’s long-distance shooting elevated him to fourth in the conference in scoring thanks to his 16.6 points-per-game average, while his 5.1 rebounds per game ranked him 16th. He shot 52.2% (127 for 242) from the floor, good enough for eighth in the league, while he finished the year fourth in foul shooting after making 82.5% (104 for 126) of his attempts. Whitehead also ranked third in blocks per game (1.2) in the PacWest.
Smith was Hawai‘i Hilo’s lone selection on the preseason squad. Last season he was named All-PacWest First Team after becoming the league’s field goal shooting champion. Smith shot 62.7% (208 for 332) from the field, and he ranked fifth in both points per game (16.5) and rebounds per outing (7.0). He also ranked sixth in blocked shot average after posting 1.0 per contest.
Bennett earned Second Team accolades last year for Chaminade thanks to a strong season that landed him third in scoring and second in assist average in the conference. He averaged 17.0 points and 5.0 assists per game, while his 1.7 assist/turnover ratio ranked him third in the league for the year. He also shot 34.5% (48 for 139) from beyond the arc (11th) and ranked fifth in three-pointers made per game (1.9). His steal average of 1.4 thefts per game left him in 12th place overall.
Carroll helped Grand Canyon reach the .500 mark at the end of the season thanks to a six-game winning streak for the Antelopes to close out the 2009-10 campaign. He averaged 9.0 points and 2.7 assists per game, finishing 26th in scoring and 12th in assist average for the year. He stepped up his game in conference play by averaging 11.4 points per contest.
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