GU enjoys thrill of victory; 2 Zags honored

Somehow, someway Gonzaga won another WCC regular season title, another tournament crown and will advance to another NCAA tournament (13 years and counting). That’s an accomplishment to be savored by the coaches and players, John Blanchette writes.

Meanwhile, senior guard Steven Gray (pictured above) and junior center Robert Sacre have been selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 9 team announced Wednesday.

Gray was a first-team selection while Sacre garnered second-team honors. It is the first NABC All-District honor for both players.

More below.

Gray is averaging a team-leading 13.8 ppg and 3.9 assists/game as the Bulldogs prepare for their 13 ^th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. His 1,398 career points rank 16 ^th .The Zags also wrapped up an 11 ^th straight West Coast Conference regular-season title this year. Gray also averages 3.8 rpg and 1.7 steals/game. He is a two-time All-WCC first-team selection.

Sacre is averaging 12.5 ppg and a team-high 6.2 rpg. He became the fourth Bulldog to block 100 career shots, entering the NCAA Tournament with 135 to rank third. His 62 blocks this season rank third on the Gonzaga single-season charts.

Joining Gray on the first team are two familiar foes, Mickey McConnell of Saint Mary’s College and Kevin Foster of Santa Clara University. Orlando Johnson of UC Santa Barbara and Casper Wade of Long Beach State University round out the first team. In addition to Sacre the second team consists of Rob Jones of Saint Mary’s, Michael Williams of the University of San Francisco, Sam Willard of the University of the Pacific and Larry Anderson of Long Beach State.

The NABC All-District teams are selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC. The 245 student-athletes from 24 districts are eligible for the State Farm Coaches’ Division I All-America teams to be announced April 2 at 9:30 a.m. EDT at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston during the NABC Convention and NCAA Final Four.