MWCConnection 2023-24 Basketball: Our postseason award selections

Even though Tuesday marks the start of the First Four (I’m still registering how Boise State and Colorado State got those nods, but alas.....), it’s time for postseason Mountain West awards—which include the player of the year, coach of the year, freshman of the year and more!

We had seven voters for this award—including myself—so let’s hop into it!

Player of the Year: Jaedon LeDee, F, San Diego State

Who I voted for: Ledee

This was a two-horse race between LeDee and Utah State’s Great Osobor. LeDee, who was officially named a third-team All-American Tuesday, was the conference’s only 20-point-per-game scorer. He averaged 21.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals on 55.7 percent shooting and 62.4 percent true shooting in 33 contests this season; across 18 MW games, his numbers weren’t as drastic, but he still posted 19.8 points, 7.6 boards and 1.2 steals on 61.2 percent true shooting, while being one of the conference’s most prestige two-way best interior presences.

Other players to receive votes: Great Osobor, F, Utah State

Defensive Player of the Year: Lamont Butler, G, San Diego State

Who I voted for: Butler

Butler is San Diego State’s straw that stirs their drink defensively; he’s the head of the snake—the most physically bruising one in the conference defensively. Typically, this award goes to the conference’s leading shot-blocker (JT Toppin, New Mexico)—even though that’s not directly correlated to impact on a basketball court. Nevertheless, Butler’s oftentimes the most impactful defender on the court—defending multiple positions, including the opposing team’s best guard or wing. He anchors the best defense in the conference; full disclosure, even though he garnered just one of our seven votes, I strongly considered New Mexico’s Jaelen House—another very feisty point-of-attack defender—for this award, but I’m gave the slight nod to Butler due to his versatility and physicality.

Other players to receive votes: O’Mar Stanley, F, Boise State; Jaelen House, G, New Mexico

Freshman of the Year: Dedan Thomas Jr., G, UNLV

Who I voted for: Thomas

This one was remarkably difficult for me, with Toppin being the other player to consider; I can see why both players earned a share of this award. Thomas averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 assists, shooting 44.5 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from 3-point range. He was the biggest individual catalyst to UNLV’s remarkable 10-3 stretch over their final 13 games, averaging 17.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 56.7 percent true shooting over that stretch. Oh, and he’s technically supposed to be a senior in high school; Thomas’ leadership and on-court acumen with the ball in his hands are one to behold. He—and Toppin—both have very bright futures ahead.

Other players to receive votes: JT Toppin, F, New Mexico

Newcomer of the Year: Great Osobor, F, Utah State

Who I voted for: Osobor

Osobor took six of our seven votes, with the other going to teammate Darius Brown II. Osobor averaged 18.0 points and 9.2 rebounds on 58.3 percent shooting, though the 6-foot-8 big led the conference in rebounding in Mountain West play, averaging 8.9 in 18 conference contests. Osobor is an excellent low-post presence while being a dynamic passer/playmaker in delay sets or when he’s being doubled. You could argue that Brown was their best player down the stretch, but I think Osobor’s full body of work gives him the slight edge here, though you couldn’t really go wrong with any answer.

Other players to receive votes: Darius Brown II, G, Utah State

Sixth Man of the Year: Mustapha Amzil, F, New Mexico (Unanimous)

This award was (surprisingly) a sweep, even though you could make a strong case for Utah State’s Josh Uduje. Amzil provided amicable minutes behind Nelly Junior Joseph and Toppin all season, averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in just 18.9 minutes—equating to 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per 30 minutes. He also dramatically improved his 3-point shooting in Mountain West play, knocking down 39.0 percent of his 3.3 triple tries (11.1 percent on 2.3 3PA in non-con).

Coach of the Year: Danny Sprinkle, Utah State (Unanimous)

This one was a no-brainer. By now, you’re probably aware that Sprinkle, replacing Ryan Odom (who left for VCU), did not inherit a single point from last year’s squad that finished 26-9. Projected to finish No. 9 out of 11, Sprinkle brought in a slew of freshmen and transfers—including Osobor and Brown—and won the first outright regular-season MW Title in program history in arguably the toughest year in the conference’s history. I’m not sure if any MW coach has done a better job in just one season; even if he won’t, he absolutely should be receiving national coach of the year honors.

Best offense: Utah State

Who I voted for: Utah State

In MW play alone, Utah State’s offense was the most efficient, per Barttorvik, and the second-most efficient, per KenPom. Even though they shot 3s at the second-lowest rate, they still had the highest effective field goal percentage, 2-point percentage while owning the second-highest free-throw rate and fourth-highest 3-point percentage. This was a top-40 offense that’s capable of playing fast or slow with multiple threats in Osobor, Brown, Ian Martinez and Mason Falslev.

Other teams to receive consideration: New Mexico

Best Defense: San Diego State (Unanimous)

This was a top-10 unit nationally and the most staunch in the Mountain West, even with UNLV’s surge up the leaderboard in the last six weeks. They allowed nearly five points per 100 possessions fewer than the next-highest team (Boise State) in MW play, forcing turnovers at an 18.5 percent rate with a 47.8 opposing effective field goal percentage. They have several physical defenders—including Butler and LeDee, mentioned above—plus elite-level comradery and connectivity on that end.

Best Bench: New Mexico (Unanimous)

New Mexico’s the most talented team in the Mountain West, led by Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. Though they have an exceptional bench, led by Amzil, Tru Washington and Jemarl Baker. They were arguably the deepest team in the conference and scored 25.8 bench points per 100 possessions, a big reason why it was able to catapult itself without House or Mashburn, who missed time at different points of the season.