J.J. Avila is enjoying a good week. That’s putting it lightly.
First and foremost, Avila was named Mountain West Player of the Week for his two great games, leading his Colorado State Rams to two victories over the Nevada Wolfpack and Utah State Aggies. In those two wins, Avila scored 27 and 29 points respectfully. His regular season finale performance in Logan, Utah was a sight to behold, tying a season-high with 29 points, setting a new season-best with 13 rebounds, along with five steals and four assists.
But the recognition didn’t end there for the senior forward. Avila was named first-team All-MW by the conference on Tuesday, while fellow senior guard/forward Daniel Bejarano was named to the second-team. Each was an elevation from the previous season, when Avila was second and Bejarano third-team. Avila’s 16.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game were team-bests and landed him second and fourth in those categories among his peers in the conference. Derrick Marks, the MW’s best scorer from Boise State, was named Player of the Year.
Colorado State’s sophomore point guard John Gillon, who’s like lightning on the hardwood, earned Sixth Man of the Year as the most valuable backup in the conference while senior forward Stanton Kidd was an Honorable Mention.
The Rams turn their attention from regular season awards and their program-best 26-5 record to the postseason. This Thursday night No. 3 seed Colorado State plays the No. 6 Fresno State Bulldogs. Tip off is scheduled for 9:30 pm MT on CBS Sports Network. In the regular season, the Rams romped the Bulldogs twice, winning 80-57 and 81-73.
If Colorado State can win, they’ll advance to the third round of the Mountain West Tournament.
