March 8, 2004

LAS VEGAS - UNLV men's basketball junior Odartey Blankson has been selected to the 2003-04 All-Mountain West Conference First Team as the annual postseason awards, which were selected by the league's eight men's head coaches along with a selected media panel, were announced by the conference on Monday.

Blankson, a 6-7 forward, was named to the first team along with Air Force's Nick Welch, BYU's Rafael Araujo, New Mexico's Danny Granger and Utah's Nick Jacobson.

UNLV had two players named to the third team in 5-10 junior guard Jerel Blassingame and 6-8 senior forward/center J.K. Edwards. 6-7 junior guard/forward Romel Beck earned honorable mention accolades.

Blankson led the league in rebounding with 10.3 per game during conference-only games and was fourth in scoring at 17.4 ppg. He was also third in the league in free throw percentage (.824). Blankson set the Mountain West Conference record for most double-doubles in league play this year with eight. He tallied 18 for the regular season, which set a new MWC mark, and currently ranks second in the nation.

Blassingame led the MWC in assists with 7.43 per game, more than two assists per game better than any other player in the league. He tied for 10th in scoring with 13.1 ppg and was second in three-point field goal percentage (.476).

Edwards led the MWC in field goal percentage (.616), was seventh in rebounding (7.3) and tied for 10th in the league in scoring (13.1). He was also third in the MWC in blocked shots with 1.36 per game.

Beck was eighth in the league in scoring (13.9), was fifth in free throw percentage (.804) and tied for fourth in 3-point field goals made per game (1.93).

Air Force head coach Joe Scott captured Coach of the Year honors, while Welch and Araujo share co-Player of the Year honors. Freshman of the Year went to Utah's Andrew Bogut, while BYU's Mike Hall earned the league's Defensive Player of the Year award.

2003-04 All-Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Team(selected by head coaches & selected media panel)

First Team All-Mountain WestNick Welch, Air Force, 6-8, 215, So., C, Fort Worth, Texas (USAFA Prep School)Rafael Araujo, BYU, 6-11, 280, Sr., C, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Ariz. Western College)Danny Granger, New Mexico, 6-8, 225, Jr., F, Metairie, La. (Bradley)Odartey Blankson, UNLV, 6-7, 220, Jr., F, Chicago, Ill. (Marquette)Nick Jacobson, Utah, 6-4, 206, Sr., Fargo, N.D. (Roseville HS, Minn.)

Second Team All-Mountain WestA.J. Kuhle, Air Force, 6-5, 189, Sr., G, Concord, Calif. (De La Salle HS)Mark Bigelow, BYU, 6-7, 195, Sr., F, Olympia, Wash. (Olympia HS)Aerick Sanders, San Diego State, 6-9, 203, Sr., F/C, Carson, Calif. (Gardena Serra HS)Andrew Bogut, Utah, 6-10, 233, Fr., F/C, Melbourne, Australia (Institute of Sports)Jay Straight, Wyoming, 5-11, 178, Jr., G, Chicago, Ill. (Dunbar HS)

Third Team All-Mountain WestTim Keller, Air Force, 6-3, 185, Jr., G, Austin, Texas (USAFA Prep)Mike Hall, BYU, 6-3, 205, Jr., G, San Bernardino, Calif., (Dixie State College)Matt Nelson, Colorado State, 7-0, 255, Jr., C, Morton Grove, Ill. (Niles North)Jerel Blassingame, UNLV, 5-10, 170, Jr., G, Brooklyn, N.Y. (LA City College)J.K. Edwards, UNLV, 6-8, 250, Sr., C, Clemmons, N.C., (Indian Hills JC)

Honorable Mention: Air Force - Joel Gerlach (Sr., F), Antoine Hood (So., G); BYU - None; Colorado State - Dwight Boatner (Fr., G), Matt Williams (Jr., F); New Mexico - David Chiotti (So., F), Troy DeVries (Jr. G), Javin Tindall (Sr., G); San Diego State - Brandon Heath (Fr., G), Marcus Slaughter (Fr. F), Wesley Stokes (Jr., G); UNLV - Romel Beck (Jr., F); Utah - Tim Frost (Sr., C); Wyoming - Alex Dunn (Jr. F), Joe Ries (Sr., F).

Co-Player of the Year - Nick Welch, Air Force and Rafael Araujo, BYUFreshman of the Year - Andrew Bogut, UtahDefensive Player of the Year -Mike Hall, BYUCoach of the Year - Joe Scott, Air Force