Fresno State Athletics
Legans Named Second-Team All-WAC
3/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 7, 2004
DENVER - The Western Athletic Conference men's basketball postseason award winners as selected by the league's 10 head coaches were announced today.
Shantay Legans was one of two Bulldogs honored on the team. The senior point guard was named second-team All-WAC and to the WAC All-Newcomer Team.
Also honored was junior Mustafa Al-Sayyad, who was a member of the All-Defensive Team.
Conference-only statistics are used when determining all-league selections, and in those stats Legans finished first in assists (5.33), minutes per game (39.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.67), second in three-pointers (3.06 per game) and fourth in three-point percentage (.379).
The numbers of Legans were also notably superior to those of the only point guard on the first team, Filiberto Rivera of UTEP.
The first team is led by Nevada junior guard/forward Kirk Snyder who was also voted the WAC's Player of the Year. In 18 conference games, Snyder averaged a WAC-best 20.2 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest. It is the second year in a row that Snyder has been named to the first team. Boise State's Aaron Haynes, Hawai'i's Michael Kuebler, Rice's Michael Harris and UTEP's Filiberto Rivera were also first team selections. Harris was a second-team selection last season.
The All-WAC second-teamers this year were Legans, Fresno State; Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech; Jason McKrieth, Rice; Omar Thomas, UTEP; and Jason Parker, Tulsa. Parker earned second team honors last year as well.
Louisiana Tech forward Paul Millsap was named the WAC's Freshman of the Year. In conference games only, Millsap averaged 16.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and shot .559 from the field. In all games, Millsap leads the nation in rebounding with 12.3 boards per game. UTEP head coach Billy Gillispie was named the Don Haskins Coach of the Year after leading the Miners to a share of the WAC's regular season title with a 13-5 record and a 22-6 mark overall. UTEP has improved 17 games since a 6-24 record last year, tied for the best improvement in the country since 1974, the year the NCAA began keeping this record.
The 2004 McCaffrey WAC Basketball Tournament is this week at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. The men's teams will compete March 9, 11-13, with the women's competition March 9-10 and 12-13. SportsWest and ESPN Full Court will carry the men's quarterfinal and semifinal games while ESPN2 will show the men's championship game on Saturday, March 13 at 6:00 p.m. (PT).
2004 WAC Men's Basketball Postseason Award Winners
First-team All-WAC
Aaron Haynes, Boise State, F, 6-7, 180, Sr., Fresno, Calif. (Sacramento City College)
Michael Kuebler, Hawaii, G, 6-5, 185, Sr., Salem, Ore. (Clackamas CC)
Kirk Snyder, Nevada, G/F, 6-6, 225, Jr., Upland, Calif. (Upland HS)
Michael Harris, Rice, F, 6-6, 225, Jr., Hillsboro, Texas (Hillsboro HS)
Filiberto Rivera, UTEP, G, 6-1, 165, Jr., Carolina, Puerto Rice (Southeastern CC)
Second Team
Shantay Legans, Fresno State, G, 5-10, 165, Sr., Goleta, Calif. (California)
Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech, F, 6-8, 200, Fr., Grambling, La. (Grambling HS)
Jason McKrieth, Rice, G, 6-4, 210, Jr., Schenectady, N.Y. (Schenectady HS)
Omar Thomas, UTEP, F, 6-5, 205, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa. (Panola College)
Jason Parker, Tulsa, G, 6-2, 180, Sr., Tulsa, Okla. (Memorial HS)
Player of the Year: Kirk Snyder, Nevada
Freshman of the Year: Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech
Don Haskins Coach of the Year: Billy Gillispie, UTEP
All-Newcomer Team
Shantay Legans, Fresno State, G, 5-10, 165, Sr., Goleta, Calif. (California)
Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech, F, 6-8, 200, Fr., Grambling, La. (Grambling HS)
Nick Fazekas, Nevada, F, 6-11, 215, Fr., Arvada, Colo. (Ralston Valley HS)
Filiberto Rivera, UTEP, G, 6-1, 165, Jr., Carolina, Puerto Rice (Southeastern CC)
Omar Thomas, UTEP, F, 6-5, 205, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa. (Panola College)
All-Defensive Team
Jason Ellis, Boise State, F, 6-7, 216, Jr., Kent, Wash. (Kentridge HS)
Mustafa Al-Sayyad, Fresno State, F/C, 6-9, 225, Jr., Khartoum, Sudan (Washington Academy)
Garry Hill-Thomas, Nevada, G, 6-4, 200, Sr., Oakland, Calif. (Bishop O'Dowd HS)
Filiberto Rivera, UTEP, G, 6-1, 165, Jr., Carolina, Puerto Rice (Southeastern CC)
Jarius Glenn, Tulsa, F, 6-6, 220, Jr., Decatur, Ga. (Avondale HS)
