UI’s Madison, Otero honored by WAC

This hasn’t been the most successful season for the Idaho women’s basketball team but with the postseason, there’s always hope.

The Vandals play San Jose State today in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference tournament at New Mexico State.

“We’re all excited,” Vandals freshman Katie Madison said. “Everybody is 0-0 and it’s in a neutral site, pretty much. In a tournament, you never know what can happen.”

With Madison, there’s always hope.

The 6-foot post from Washington prep power Prairie High School was named the WAC freshman of the year and second-team all-league after leading the conference in scoring (19.4 points per game) and shooting (.508). She was also fourth in rebounding (9.2) and her 35-point game against Eastern Washington in November was the league high.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Madison said, en route to the league tournament. “Toward the end of the season I thought it might happen.”

UI coach Mike Divilbiss was surprised by Madison’s numbers, but not the awards.

“I told her dad when we were playing golf this summer, Katie had a chance to be freshman of the league,” he said. “I thought she’d be really good, I didn’t know she would have these kinds of numbers.”

The Vandals are optimistic because point guard Charlotte Otero, who lead the league in assists (4.41) per game and had the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18) despite playing a league-high 36.7 minutes a game, joined Madison on the all-freshman team.

Madison said the adjustment to college was harder defensively than offensively, even though, she added, “I think the most I averaged in high school was 15 or 16 points. I don’t even know if it was that much.

“Defensively the girls are stronger here so it’s harder to get around them. It’s a lot quicker so you have to be on your toes a lot more than in high school.”

Filling the dance card

Gonzaga is headed to the NCAA tournament; pairings will be announced Monday night.

Two “Bracketology” websites have the Bulldogs seeded 13th and playing Texas A&M, one putting them in Los Angeles, the other at Stanford. The L.A. bracket would include Middle Tennessee and New Mexico (with Riverside grad Angela Hartill) and the other includes Rutgers vs. Hartford.

However, another forgot to bracket the West Coast Conference champions.

More honors

Shan Moore is the fifth Louisiana Tech player in six years selected as the WAC player of the year. Gordy Presnell of top-seeded Boise State, in his second year after leaving Seattle Pacific, is the coach of the year.

Eastern Washington sophomores Sydney Benson and Phynique Allen are honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference. Montana sophomore guard Mandy Morales is the Player of the Year. She was on the first team with three-time pick Alyssa Wahl of Northern Arizona and two-time picks Andrea Lightfoot of NAU and Natalie Doma of Idaho State. Newcomer of the year is Montana State’s Rebecca Mercer and NAU’s Laura Dinkins is the defensive player of the year.

Area players were honored by the NAIA Frontier League. Montana Tech’s Jessica DePell (Freeman) is the co-freshman of the year. Newcomer of the year is sophomore Rebecca Gimeno (St. George’s). Gimeno and her twin sister Angela were named to the all-league first team.