The Long Beach St. 49ers came within one game of completing an undefeated regular season in conference, and they cleaned up at the annual Big West Conference awards on Monday. Point guard Casper Ware won Big West Player of the Year for the second year in a row, and head coach Dan Monson on Big West Coach of the Year for the second year in a row as well.
Ware was fourth in the conference in scoring at 16.9 points per game, fourth in steals (1.5 per game), fifth in assists (3.2 per game). He won the conference player of the week award four times this season.
Monson, in his fifth season as head coach, guided the 49ers to a 22-8 record despite playing the No. 1 toughest non-conference schedule in the country.
All four seniors on Long Beach State were honored, as Ware was joined on the All Big West first team by forward T.J. Robinson and guard Larry Anderson. Forward Eugene Phelps made the second team. It was the third first team for Anderson, and the second each for Ware and Robinson.
All Big West First Team
Guard: Larry Anderson, Long Beach State
Guard: Orlando Johnson, UCSB
Guard: Phil Martin, UC Riverside
Forward: T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State
Guard: D.J. Seeley, Cal State Fullerton
Guard: Casper Ware, Long Beach State
All Big West Second Team
Forward: Omondi Amoke, Cal State Fullerton
Forward: David Hanson, Cal Poly
Guard: James Nunnally, UCSB
Forward: Eugene Phelps, Long Beach State
Guard: Kwame Vaughn, Cal State Fullerton
Forward: Michael Wilder, UC Irvine