One more time for Axton
It took 17 years for the Eastern Washington men’s basketball team to produce a three-time All-Big Sky Conference player.
It took one year for it to happen again.
Marc Axton, a 6-foot-7 senior forward from Tacoma, completed the three-peat when the 12-man all-conference team was announced Wednesday.
“It feels great,” Axton said. “I’m definitely happy, but right now we’re trying to focus on Montana and get a win. It’s a cool honor.”
Axton, who was also the league Freshman of the Year, set one school record last weekend and will set another on Saturday when the plays in his 119th game, breaking the mark he now shares with Alvin Snow, who earned his third all-conference honor last year when the was the MVP.
The Eagles play at Montana Saturday afternoon in the first round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Montana coach Larry Krystkowiak was also a three-time pick when he was with the Grizzlies, one of 17 three-timers prior to Axton.
A graduate of Foss High School, Axton has never missed a practice or game in his career and has scored 1,307 points, seventh on the EWU all-time list but second behind the 1,396 of Snow among Division I players. Last weekend he set school record for 3-pointers with 173.
Axton, Eastern’s only senior starter, leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points a game, fourth in the Big Sky. He is also among the conference leaders in assists (2.4) and 3-point shooting (72 of 201, 36 percent). For his career he has averaged 11.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
“He deserves it,” EWU coach Mike Burns said. “Just look at the great players who have played in this league for the past 42 years. For Marc to be included with the elite of the elite speaks volumes about the phenomenal basketball career he has had here.”
Seamus Boxley of Big Sky regular-season champion Portland State was a unanimous choice for Most Valuable Player in the voting by the league’s eight coaches and was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. The 6-9 forward from Mountlake Terrace, Wash., led the league in scoring at 20.4 points a game and was second in rebounding at 8.0. He is joined on the team by teammates Blake Walker and Will Funn.
The trio led the Vikings to their first conference title and they will play host to the final four of the tournament next week.
Montana, Montana State and Sacramento State each had two players on the team. Idaho State was the only team that was shut out, but Logan Kinghorn of the Bengals was picked as the Freshman of the Year.
Sacramento State junior Jason Harris was named Newcomer of the Year.