When Utah welcomed Arizona into the Huntsman Center two weekends ago, the game was supposed to decide the race for the Pac-12 crown with both teams sitting atop the conference.
However, another race was being decided that night, as many thought whoever performed better between Wildcat T.J. McConnell and Ute Delon Wright would take home the hardware for Pac-12 Player of the Year.
RELATED: RUNNIN’ UTES STUNNED IN SEATTLE, WILL BE THREE-SEED IN VEGAS
Well, the conference awards were released on Monday morning, and neither player’s name was announced. Instead, the Pac-12 coaches decided that Oregon guard Joseph Young, who leads the conference in scoring, was more deserving of the award after leading the Ducks to a surprising 23-8 season.
The Utes didn’t go home empty-handed, though, as a number of players were honored. Wright was named to the All-Pac-12 first teamand also made an appearance on the all-defensive team. Additionally, Brandon Taylor made the All-Pac-12 second team, and center Jakob Poeltl cracked the all-freshman team list.
In another instance and what some are calling a snub, the coaches in the conference voted Oregon’s Dana Altman as Coach of the Year, despite Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak bringing this program to new heights this season.
Other award recipients were Arizona’s Stanley Johnson for Freshman of the Year, Oregon’s Gary Payton II for Defensive Player of the Year and Washington State’s Josh Hawkinson for Most Improved Player of the Year.
@GriffDoug