LAS VEGAS—One day after being selected as Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, UNLV men’s basketball head coach Lon Kruger was named the 2007-08 United States Basketball Writers Association District VIII Coach of the Year.
UNLV junior guard Wink Adams, who won a first team spot on the All-Mountain West Conference men’s basketball roster, was named to the USBWA All-District VIII team.
Rebels senior point guard Curtis Terry was voted to the all-MWC third team, and juniors Joe Darger and Rene Rougeau earned honorable mention.
Adams was joined on the Mountain West Conference’s first team by New Mexico senior guard J.R. Giddens, San Diego State junior forward Lorrenzo Wade and BYU guard/forward Lee Cummard and center Trent Plaisted, both juniors.
Cummard and Giddens shared player of the year honors, while San Diego State’s Billy White was named freshman of the year and an all-conference third team selection. Air Force’s Tim Anderson was named defensive player of the year, and Colorado State’s Marcus Walker was tabbed as newcomer of the year.
Adams, UNLV’s only returning starter, leads the Rebels in scoring at 15.9 points per game, up from 13.9 last season. In conference games this season, he ranked third with a scoring average of 17.0.
Kruger, UNLV coach since 2004, has guided UNLV to back-to-back 20-win seasons including a 23-7 record in 2007-08, and a second-place finish in the MWC at 12-4. Last year, the Rebels went 30-7 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16.
Other district coaches of the year, announced Tuesday, were Jim Calhoun from Connecticut, Steve Donahue from Cornell, Mike Krzyzewski from Duke, Bruce Pearl from Tennessee, Matt Painter from Purdue, Keno Davis from Drake, Scott Drew from Baylor and Herb Sendek from Arizona State.
The Mountain West selections, by the conference’s nine men’s head coaches and selected media voters, were announced Monday.
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