3/1 - ALL-CONFERENCE: Gayman and Sundquist Get Top NWC Awards; Schmick, Heu-Weller Also Honored
NEWBERG, Ore. - Four members of the surprising George Fox University men's basketball team have been honored by the Northwest Conference, including the league's top two honors, in balloting for the 2004-05 All-Conference Men's Basketball Team as voted on by the league's nine coaches.
Coach Mark Sundquist was accorded NWC Coach of the Year by his peers, while senior Mark Gayman earned the league's Player of the Year award. Junior Aaron Schmick was named First Team All-Conference, while sophomore Philip Heu-Weller received Honorable Mention for All-NWC status.
Sundquist, a native of Hillsboro, Ore., was cited for the remarkable turnaround his Bruins achieved during his 5th year with the program, as they jumped from 7-18 to 18-7, an 11-game swing. George Fox was picked to finish 6th in the pre-season coaches poll, but posted its best record in 10 years as a member of the Northwest Conference, going 13-3 to finish 2nd behind the University of Puget Sound. The Bruins were the only team to knock off 8th-ranked UPS in league play. The Bruins posted their most wins in 13 years, and had their best winning percentage in 14 seasons.
Gayman, a 6-4 forward from Hillsboro, Ore., provided the senior leadership on and off the court the young Bruins needed to improve, earning three first-place votes in balloting for Player of the Year. He led the league in rebounding (8.3) and was 2nd in scoring (18.0) while ranking 13th in field goal percentage (.484). He scored in double figures in 22 games, with 20 or more points 10 times, including a career-high 32 vs. California-Santa Cruz in the Surf's Up Invitational. He had double-figure rebounds 10 times, with 9 double-doubles on the season and 24 in his career. He tied his career high in assists with 6 vs. Lewis & Clark. He was named NWC Player of the Week for Jan. 3-9, the third time he was so honored in his career. Gayman, an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection as a sophomore and a First Team All-NWC honoree last year, concluded his George Fox career 8th on the all-time scoring list with 1,457 points.
Schmick, a 5-11 guard from Hillsboro, Ore., flourished in critical moments for the Bruins, highlighted by a game-winning layup with three seconds left for a two-point win at Lewis & Clark. He averaged 15.8 points a game, 6th in the league, and was the NWC leader in three-point field goal percentage (.524). He also ranked 4th in field goal percentage (.561) and assists (3.00), 7th in three-point field goals (2.20), 9th in free throw percentage (.827), 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.09), and 11th in steals (1.16). He reached double figures in points 22 times, with 20 or more 6 times, including a season-high 28 at Puget Sound. He had career highs of 11 rebounds and 5 steals vs. Northwest Christian in the Concordia Holiday Tournament, and tied his high in assists with 6 in each game against Pacific Lutheran. He was NWC Player of the Week for Jan. 24-30.
Heu-Weller, a 6-1 wing from Olympia, Wash., made an immediate impact on the Bruins with his outside shooting and leaping ability after transferring from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. Moving into the starting lineup four games into the season, he averaged 10.8 points a game, 23rd in the league, and was 4th in three-point field goal percentage (.433), 5th in free throw percentage (.868, 29th nationally), and 14th in three-pointers per game (1.80). He reached double figures in points 11 times, hitting 20 or more four times, with a high of 22 in each Whitworth game. He also had season highs of 8 rebounds vs. Whitworth, 3 steals at Puget Sound, and 3 assists vs. California-Santa Cruz in the Surf's Up Invitational, at Concordia, and at Whitworth.
Other First Team members include Blake Shelton of Linfield College, Zack McVey and Chase Curtiss of Puget Sound, and Lance Pecht of Whitworth. The complete All-Conference list, including Second Team and Honorable Mention players, is available at the NWC web site at http://www.nwcsports.com/sports/basketball_men/All-NWC.htm.