Green Is Big West Player of the Year

Guard Jerry Green of UC Irvine has been selected men’s basketball player of the year in the Big West Conference after leading the Anteaters to the most victories in school history and their first regular season conference title.

Irvine Coach Pat Douglass was named conference coach of the year, and Adam Parada and Stanislav Zuzak were named to the all-freshman team.

Senior Ben Jones was named second-team all-conference and senior Sean Jackson was named honorable mention.

Green, a 6-3 junior, led the Big West in scoring (19 points) and ranked second in free throw percentage (82.4%). He is the third Anteater to be named conference player of the year. Kevin Magee won back to back Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. awards in the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons and Raimonds Miglinieks was the Big West choice in 1996.

Joining Green on the 2001 all-conference team were Shawn Daniels (Utah State), Abe Jackson (Boise State), Ramel Lloyd (Long Beach State), Travis Reed (Long Beach State) and Bernard Rock (Utah State).

Douglass has a four-year record of 52-55. He led Irvine (24-5) to to its first Big West regular-season title. The Anteaters open the post-season conference tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center at 6 p.m. Thursday against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Junior forward Cindy Oparah was a first team all-conference selection for the Irvine women’s team, which begins the post-season tournament at 8 p.m. Wednesday against Boise State.

Cal State Fullerton guard Tamara Quinn was chosen to the women’s all-freshman team. Fullerton opens the conference tournament at 6 p.m. Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara.

Center Jackie Moore of Long Beach State was the women’s player of the year and Mark French of Santa Barbara was coach of the year. Others selected to the women’s first team included Kayte Christensen (UC Santa Barbara), Selena Ho (Pacific), Crista Peterson (Boise State) and Reta Sula (Long Beach State).

Long Beach State’s Tamara Inoue, from Laguna Hills High, was named honorable mention.