BYU COUGARS
Three BYU Players Earn All-WCC Men’s Basketball Team Honors
PROVO, Utah – Three BYU basketball players earned all-conference recognition from the West Coast Conference.
Sophomore forward Fousseyni Traore earned All-WCC Second Team, guard Spencer Johnson was tabbed to the Honorable Mention squad, with guard Dallin Hall on the freshman team.
All-WCC awards for #BYU basketball players:
– Fousseyni Traore, 2nd Team
– Spencer Johnson, Honorable Mention
– Dallin Hall, Freshman Team#BYUHoops #WCChoops— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 1, 2023
It’s the first time since BYU joined the WCC in 2011 that the Cougars didn’t have a First Team selection. The WCC chooses 10 players for the all-conference first team. BYU finished the regular season with a 17-14 record overall and a 7-9 mark in WCC play.
The 2022-23 season was BYU’s last as a member of the West Coast Conference before they join the Big 12 next year.
No sophomore slump for Fousseyni Traore
Traore was a leader for BYU playing at the center spot for most of the season. The 6-foot-6 big man scored 13.2 points and grabbed 8.0 rebounds per game, shooting 60.4% from the field.
Throughout the season, Traore had eight games with double-doubles.
It’s the second consecutive year that Traore has earned All-WCC honors. Last season, Traore was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team.
The WCC named Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and Santa Clara’s Brandin Podziemski Co-Players of the Year.
Timme completed his fourth season at Gonzaga. Once again, the 6-foot-10 big man was one of the top post players in the country this season.
Podziemski’s arrival as Co-Player of the Year was more unexpected in the league. The former Illinois transfer was in his first season with the Broncos. He led Santa Clara to a 23-8 record and a three-seed in the upcoming tournament. “Podz” had two games in WCC play where he scored more than 30 points, including a 38-point effort against Pacific on January 28.
Meanwhile, Coach of the Year honors went to Saint Mary’s bench boss Randy Bennett. Bennett guided the Gaels to a share of the regular season WCC title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WCC Tournament.
All-WCC honors for BYU basketball
Spencer Johnson became only BYU’s second player in program history to earn All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition. The other was former guard TJ Haws in his junior season. Johnson finished with a career-high 11.1 points per game and shot 50.5% from the field.
Dallin Hall is the ninth BYU freshman to earn WCC All-Freshman team honors. In his first season at point guard after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hall started in 20 games and averaged 7.2 points and 3.4 assists.
2022-23 WCC All-Conference Honors
Coach of the Year: Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s
Co-Players of the Year: Drew Timme, Gonzaga & Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara
Newcomer of the Year: Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara
Defensive Player of the Year: Logan Johnson, Saint Mary’s
Sixth Man of the Year: Malachi Smith, Gonzaga
All-WCC First Team
Logan Johnson, Saint Mary’s
Aidan Mahaney, Saint Mary’s
Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara
Tyrell Roberts, San Francisco
Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary’s
Khalil Shabazz, San Francisco
Cam Shelton, LMU
Carlos Stewart, Santa Clara
Julian Strawther, Gonzaga
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
All-WCC Second Team
Marcellus Earlington, San Diego
Keshawn Justice, Santa Clara
Maxwell Lewis, Pepperdine
Fousseyni Traore, BYU
Moses Wood, Portland
All-WCC Honorable Mention
Keylan Boone, Pacific
Alex Ducas, Saint Mary’s
Spencer Johnson, BYU
Keli Leaupepe, LMU
Tyler Robertson, Portland
Anton Watson, Gonzaga
All-Freshman Team
Juan Sebastian Gorosito, Portland
Dallin Hall, BYU
Aidan Mahaney, Saint Mary’s
Moe Odum, Pacific
Jevon Porter, Pepperdine
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU moving to the Big 12 Conference on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
