Wcc Honors Gu Duo Rogers, Dixon All-League; Pauley Selected For Women
Asked how he and roommate Paul Rogers spend most of the time at their apartment, Kyle Dixon quickly reported “studying.”
He even kept a straight face. For a few seconds.
There’s no joking about how the roomies spent the 1995-96 basketball season - leading the 19-7 Gonzaga Bulldogs to a West Coast Conference co-championship.
Their efforts were rewarded Monday with the announcement that the two had been named to the 10-man All-WCC team.
It was the second time for Dixon, a senior point guard who averaged 11 points and 5.6 assists per game, while it was the first such honor for the 7-foot Rogers, a junior who scored 16 points a game and pulled down 8.2 rebounds.
On the women’s side, senior Joy Pauley (14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game) was the lone Bulldog representative on the all-league team.
“They both deserve it,” said GU coach Dan Fitzgerald of Dixon and Rogers, who both arrived on campus two years ago as transfers from junior colleges. “Paul had some unbelievable games. And to go to a JC and pick up a two-time all-conference point guard is pretty good.”
“It’s pretty nice, something you can be proud of,” Rogers said.
The underspoken Dixon called his repeat on the team “just the luck of the draw.”
Bulldog seniors Jon Kinloch and Scott Snider both earned honorable mention.
Santa Clara’s Steve Nash was named the league’s Player of the Year for the second straight season, while Loyola Marymount’s John Olive earned coaching honors and San Diego’s Brock Jacobson was picked as the top freshman.
Portland’s Laura Sale, the league’s leading scorer, was named women’s Player of the Year, and her coach, Jim Sollars, drew coaching honors.
Central Valley grad Kristin Hepton, now at Portland, was included on the league’s all-freshman team.
Other honors
Kinloch and Snider also were named to the GTE District VIII All-Academic team.
Kinloch (3.67 GPA in finance and marketing) and Snider (3.28 in business management and administration) were joined on the team by Santa Clara’s Brendan Graves, Utah State’s Eric Franson and Brigham Young’s Randy Reid.
Junior guard Lorenzo Rollins, a transfer from Tacoma Community College, was named WCC Player of the Month for February.
During that span, Rollins made 21 of 45 3-point baskets and 80 percent of his free throws to average 15.4 points.
Tournament time
The GU men and women will face drastically different routes toward NCAA Tournament berths when the WCC tournaments open this week at Santa Clara University’s Toso Pavilion.
The Gonzaga men will defend their tournament title as the No. 2 seed and face No. 7 Saint Mary’s College Saturday at noon. Gonzaga and host Santa Clara tied for the regular-season title, both at 10-4 in the WCC and 19-7 overall. Saint Mary’s, which lost an 83-82 overtime decision at Gonzaga last Thursday, enters the tournament 12-14 overall, 5-9 in the WCC. Gonzaga swept the season series from the Gaels, taking an 81-71 win in Moraga, Calif.
The GU women, the eighth seed with a 2-12 WCC mark and 4-22 overall record, will face top seed and WCC co-champion University of Portland (21-5, 12-2) in the 6 p.m. game on Thursday. Portland swept the season series, winning 81-62 in at GU, then taking the rematch in Portland 96-56.
, DataTimes