IRVINE, Calif. —The Big West Conference announced its men's basketball all-conference selections Monday as picked by the league coaches with four Rainbow Warriors gaining recognition. Senior frontcourt players
Casdon Jardine and
James Jean-Marie, junior guard
Junior Madut, and sophomore guard
Justin Webster all earned honorable mention.
The quartet has carried the load the for the team all season, leading in nearly every statistical category and spearheading one of the most balanced attacks in the Big West.
Jardine, a graduate transfer and co-captain, has made his mark with his veteran leadership and crafty play. A native of Twin Falls, Idaho, he is the only UH player to start all 20 games. He's been amongst the league's most accurate three-point shooters (.431), while leading the team in rebounding (5.4). The 6-7 forward has three 20-point games, including a 26 point-performance at UC Riverside, the highest total by a Rainbow Warrior this season.
Like Jardine, Jean-Maire has also enjoyed an impactful season as a Division I transfer. A bruising inside player with a feathery touch from the outside, the 6-8 post player lead the team and ranks third in the Big West in field goal percentage (.554). He's had a team-best four games with 20 or more points and has recorded a pair of double-doubles, including 20 points and 12 rebounds in a key win over Long Beach State late in the season.
After redshirting last year, Madut, has been one of UH's most versatile players. The 6-6 guard from Sydney, Australia is a tireless two-way player who's made his presence known on both ends of the court. Madut, who averaged 10.8 ppg in Big West play, leads the team in steals (20) and total minutes play (595). His signature performance came in UH's thrilling, come-from-behind overtime win over UC Irvine when he scored 22 points, nabbed five steals, and provided the clutch plays down the stretch to secure one of UH's most memorable wins in recent years.
In a team full of newcomers, Webster stood out as UH's top returning player with a sophomore campaign that surpassed the promise of his freshman season. The native of Dallas, Texas leads the team in scoring (12.7) and three-pointers (34) and shot an outstanding 51 percent clip in Big West play, including 43 percent from long-distance. Earlier this season he was named Big West Player of the Week after a weekend in which he went 13-of-15 from the floor and 8-of-9 on three-pointers in a pair of wins over Cal Poly.
Regular-season champion UC Santa Barbara took home the top awards with Gaucho guard Jaquori McLaughlin named the Big West Player of the Year and Joe Pasternack tabbed as Coach of the Year.
UH is currently gearing up for the Big West Championship, March 11-13, at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. The No. 6 seed Rainbow Warriors will open against No. 3 seed UC Riverside in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 11 at 8:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. HT.
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