Archive for Tuesday, March 11, 2008
UCLA’s Love is Pac-10’s top player
Bruins center is only the second freshman to win the award. Westbrook is named the defensive player of the year. USC’s Mayo is also named to the all-conference first team.
UCLA’s Kevin Love was named Pacific 10 Conference player of the year by a vote of conference coaches, it was announced today. He is only the second freshman in league history to win the award.
Bruins sophomore Russell Westbrook was chosen defensive player of the year, becoming the first UCLA player to be so honored since 1986.
Love was also freshman of the year. Shareef Abdul-Rahim of California is the only other freshman to receive the Pac-10’s top award for basketball. He won in 1996.
Love, who is averaging 17.4 points and 10.9 rebounds – 18.2 and 11.5 in conference play – is the seventh Bruins player to win the conference’s top individual award. Arron Afflalo won it last season.
Three freshmen were among the Pac-10’s top five players, according to the coaches. Joining Love on the all-conference first team were USC’s O.J. Mayo and Arizona State’s James Harden. Sophomores Brook Lopez of Stanford and Ryan Anderson of Cal rounded out the top group.
UCLA’s Darren Collison was selected to the second team, and Westbrook and USC’s Taj Gibson made the third team.
Joining Love, Mayo and Harden on the all-freshman team were Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless and USC’s Davon Jefferson.
Stanford’s Trent Johnson was coach of the year.
Love is the third UCLA player in four years to be freshman of the year. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute won in 2006 and Jordan Farmar in 2005.
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