March 1, 2011
MALIBU, Calif. -- Senior forward Mychel Thompson and junior guard Lorne Jackson of the Pepperdine men's basketball team were named All-West Coast Conference honorable mention, the league office announced today.
Though the duo ranked fifth and third, respectively, among the WCC's scorers during league play, neither was able to crack the 10-member first team. While both boasted excellent resumes, there wasn't a clear-cut favorite between Thompson and Jackson and it's conceivable that the coaches' vote was split between the two.
Thompson was selected to the honorable mention team for the second time, also being selected for the honor in 2010. This is Jackson's first conference postseason award.
Thompson (Portland, Ore./Santa Margarita Catholic HS/Stoneridge Prep) ranks fifth in the league in scoring, both overall (14.4) and in league play (15.5). In league games only, he was sixth in rebounding (6.4) and tied for fourth in blocked shots (1.0).
Jackson (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) averaged 9.5 points in non-conference play, then improved to 16.6 points in league play, good for third in the conference. His overall scoring average of 12.7 points ranks 13th overall. Also in league games only, he ranked second in steals (2.0) and eighth in assists (3.4).
The major conference awards went to Mickey McConnell of Saint Mary's (Player of the Year), Randy Bennett of Saint Mary's (Coach of the Year), Troy Payne of Santa Clara (Defensive Player of the Year) and Marquise Carter of Gonzaga (Newcomer of the Year).
The All-WCC first team consisted of Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's), Kevin Foster (Santa Clara), Steven Gray (Gonzaga), Rashad Green (San Francisco), Rob Jones (Saint Mary's), Mickey McConnell (Saint Mary's), Nemanja Mitrovic (Portland), Robert Sacre (Gonzaga), Luke Sikma (Portland) and Michael Williams (San Francisco).
In addition to Jackson and Thompson, honorable mention notice went to Perris Blackwell (San Francisco), Elias Harris (Gonzaga), Jared Stohl (Portland), Vernon Teel (Loyola Marymount) and Drew Viney (Loyola Marymount).
The All-Freshman team was made up of Cody Doolin (San Francisco), Sam Dower (Gonzaga), Stephen Holt (Saint Mary's), Anthony Ireland (Loyola Marymount) and Evan Roquemore (Santa Clara).
Sixth-seeded Pepperdine (11-20, 5-9) meets seventh-seeded San Diego (6-23, 2-12) in a first-round Zappos.com WCC Championship game this Friday (March 4) at 8:30 p.m. in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena. On the internet, fans can listen to Al Epstein's broadcast as well as join an interactive live game blog at www.pepperdinesports.com.
