SAN BRUNO, California – The West Coast Conference announced its 2015-16 men’s basketball awards today and BYU senior guard Kyle Collinsworth has been named the Player of the Year.
In addition to being named the Player of the Year, Collinsworth earned All-WCC First Team honors along with fellow senior guard Chase Fischer. Freshman guard Nick Emery was named to the All-WCC Second Team and All-WCC Freshman Team. Conference honors are based on league games only.
Collinsworth’s versatility was on full display throughout the conference season as he averaged 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.0 steals. He led the league in assists and steals and was third in rebounds. The NCAA triple-double season and career record holder posted three triple-doubles and seven double-doubles in WCC action.
A three-time first-team All-WCC honoree, Collinsworth led the Cougars to a third-place finish in the league standings at 13-5 and the No. 3 seed in the WCC Championships.
Collinsworth is the fifth Cougar to earn conference player of the year accolades under Dave Rose. Keena Young was the Mountain West Conference Player of the year in 2007, Lee Cummard was the MWC’s top player in 2008 and Jimmer Fredette was the MWC Player of the Year in 2011. Tyler Haws was BYU’s first WCC Player of the Year in 2014.
First-team All-WCC honoree Fischer was among the top scorers and shooters in the league as he finished fifth in scoring in league play at 18.7 points per game. The Ripley, West Virginia, native was also third in free-throw percentage (84.9 percent) and 3-point field goals per game (2.9) and steals per game (1.1). The senior team captain also averaged 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 rebounds per game. Fischer scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games and had 20-plus points nine times. He also hit a 3 in every league game and had three-plus 3s 10 times.
Emery, a true freshman out of Lone Peak High School, was the only freshman in the conference to earn first or second-team All-WCC honors. During league play he was first among freshmen in scoring (16.2 points per game), steals (1.4) and 3-point field goals per game (2.7) while also averaging 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists. At San Francisco he scored a BYU freshman record 37 points and tied the BYU single-game record with 10 3-pointers. Emery scored in double figures in 15 of 18 games and hit a 3 in 16 of 18 games.
See the West Coast Conference announcement on WCCSports.com.
2015-16 West Coast Conference Major Awards
Player of the Year: Kyle Collinsworth, BYU
Coach of the Year: Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s
Defensive Player of the Year: Eric McClellan, Gonzaga
Newcomer of the Year: Joe Rahon, Saint Mary’s
| Name | Yr. | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jared Brownridge | Jr. | G | Santa Clara |
| Kyle Collinsworth | Sr. | G | BYU |
| Stacy Davis | Sr. | F | Pepperdine |
| Chase Fischer | Sr. | G | BYU |
| Emmett Naar | So. | G | Saint Mary’s |
| Joe Rahon | Jr. | G | Saint Mary’s |
| Domantas Sabonis | So. | F | Gonzaga |
| Devin Watson | So. | G | San Francisco |
| Kyle Wiltjer | Sr. | F | Gonzaga |
| Alec Wintering | Jr. | G | Portland |
| Name | Yr. | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Derksen | Sr. | G | San Francisco |
| Nick Emery | Fr. | G | BYU |
| Adom Jacko | Jr. | F | Loyola Marymount |
| Lamond Murray Jr. | Jr. | G/F | Pepperdine |
| Bryce Pressley | Sr. | G | Portland |
| Brandon Brown, Loyola Marymount; Alec Kobre , Pacific; Jett Raines, Pepperdine; T.J . Wallace, Pacific |
| Name | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|
| Kameron Edwards | F | Pepperdine |
| Nick Emery | G | BYU |
| KJ Feagin | G | Santa Clara |
| Evan Fitzner | C | Saint Mary’s |
| Josh Perkins | G | Gonzaga |