LOGAN, Utah - Utah State sophomore center Neemias Queta was recognized as the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, as Queta, senior guard Sam Merrill and sophomore forward Justin Bean were named all-Mountain West by the MW media on Monday. The awards are a precursor to the actually all-conference and individual awards that will be released by the conference offices on Tuesday.
Merrill was named first-team all-Mountain West after leading the Aggies with 18.8 points and 4.0 assists per game. Merrill increased his career point total to 2,114, becoming just the sixth player in league history to surpass 2,000 career points. He is currently ranked fourth in the MW record books and needs 55 more points to pass former Wyoming Cowboy Brandon Ewing (2,168 career points) for third on the all-time list.
Beam was named second-team all-Mountain West after averaging a double-double during the year with 12.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Bean's 15 double-doubles are the most in the league this season. Bean also led the Mountain West on the offensive glass, pulling down 3.65 per game, and ranked second in defensive rebounds per game, averaging 6.65 per contest. Bean was just as active on the defensive side, as his 1.55 steals per game put him second in the MW.
Queta was the key cog in the Utah State defensive machine, as he totaled 27 blocks during conference play to lead the league with 1.69 blocks per game en route to being named the Defensive Player of the Year and second-team all-Mountain West. Queta's numbers continued to improve throughout the year as he came back from an injury during the offseason, averaging 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in January to 15.0 points and 9.9 rebounds in February. Queta's blocking numbers also improved as he recorded eight during the month of January before swatting away 18 during the month of February.
The Mountain West will announce its official list of all-conference and individual awards on Tuesday, March 3. Utah State will return to the court and look for a second straight Mountain West Tournament Championship when the second-seeded Aggies open play in Las Vegas in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 5, at 7 p.m. (MT). USU will face the winner of No. 7 New Mexico and No. 10 San José State.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
