Simon Fraser University men's basketball guard Justin Brown was named to the 2011-12 Great Northwest Athletic Conference second team, becoming the first SFU player to be named to an NCAA all-conference team.
"This is a huge accomplishment for men's basketball at SFU and is a huge credit to him as a player," said Clan head coach James Blake. "Justin is even more impressive as a person and a student than he is as a basketball player. He's a good student who understands how important a degree is."
Brown, who recently completed his second year with the Clan, led SFU this season with an average of 17.6 points per game - fourth in the conference. He also led the Clan in steals with 41, assists with 92 and free throws made with 154.
"It feels good to be recognized and to know that my hard work on and off the court paid off," said Brown. "I certainly couldn't have had success without the coaches and my teammates, so I'm just really happy for my whole team and the school. My parents raised me to be respectful and humble, so knowing that this came from the other coaches in the league makes it a little more special."
Over his two seasons with the Clan, Brown accumulated 902 points, 165 assists, and 72 steals.
"We're really lucky to have a former Division I player from California here at Simon Fraser, so I'm happy that he received an individual honour and that the other coaches in the league recognize that he's a talented individual," added Blake.
Brown transferred to SFU from California Polytechnic State University.
2011-12 GNAC all-conference first team:
*+Taylor Rohde, Alaska Anchorage (C, 6-9, Sr., Phoenix, AZ)
+Rory Blanche, Western Washington (F, 6-6, Sr., Ashland, OR)
Blair Wheadon, Western Oregon (G, 6-3, Sr., Junction City, OR)
Antoine Proctor, Montana State Billings (G, 6-3, Sr., Washington, DC)
David Downs, Seattle Pacific (G, 6-2, So., Kirkland, WA)
Andy Poling, Seattle Pacific (C, 6-11, Jr., Portland, OR)
+Unanimous *Repeater
Second team:
John Allen, Western Washington (G, 6-0, Jr., Mountlake Terrace, WA)
Lacy Haddock, Central Washington (G, 6-1, So., Las Vegas, NV)
Travis Thompson, Alaska Anchorage (G, 6-1, So., Anchorage, AK)
Justin Brown, Simon Fraser (G, 5-11, Sr., Vallejo, CA)
Jeremy Green, Saint Martin's (F, 6-6, Sr., Kent, WA)
Honorable mention:
Nico Matthews, Alaska Fairbanks (G, 6-1, Sr., Twenty Nine Palms, CA)
Jody Johnson, Central Washington (F, 6-4, Sr., Seattle, WA)
Jaxon Myaer, Montana State Billings (G, 5-10, Sr., Salt Lake City, UT)
Anthony Golden, Northwest Nazarene (G, 6-1, Sr., Portland, OR)
Jonathan Hawkins, Northwest Nazarene (G, 6-3, Jr., Phoenix, AZ)
JB Pillard, Northwest Nazarene (F, 6-7, Jr., Kirkland, WA)
Brok Pendleton, Saint Martin's (F, 6-6, Sr., Auburn, WA)
Kyle Long, Western Oregon (G, 6-3, Sr., McMinnville, OR)
Richard Woodworth, Western Washington (G, 6-3, So., Bellevue, WA).
Special awards:
Player of the year - Taylor Rohde, Alaska Anchorage
Newcomer of the year - Antoine Proctor, Montana State Billings
Freshman of the year -Cory Hutsen, Seattle Pacific
Coach of the year - Brad Jackson, Western Washington.
