KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 13, 2018) – The Big Sky Conference was represented by seven student-athletes on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 6 Team on Tuesday.
Idaho led the way with two selections in seniors Victor Sanders and Brayon Blake being named second team honorees.
Weber State sophomore Jerrick Harding, Eastern Washington senior Bogdan Bliznyuk, Montana junior Ahmaad Rorie and Northern Colorado senior Andre Spight collected first team nods. Sacramento State senior Justin Strings joined Sanders and Blake on the second team.
New Mexico State’s Jemerrio Jones (1st) and Zach Lofton (2nd), and UT Rio Grande Valley’s Nick Dixon (2nd) rounded out the all-district team to represent the Western Athletic Conference.
The Big Sky’s all-time leading scorer (2,142 points) and the 2017-18 Most Valuable Player, Bliznyuk was the lone player to rank in the top five in the league in scoring, rebounding and assists during conference play. Bliznyuk leads the Eagles into the College Basketball Invitational (CBI)Tuesday night at Utah Valley averaging 21.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
Weber State All-Big Sky sophomore Jerrick Harding
Bliznyuk broke the Big Sky tournament career and single-season scoring records last week in a runner-up finish for the Eagles with 193 and 82 points, respectively. The senior also gained national attention by breaking the NCAA Division I single-season consecutive free throws made streak with 77 from Dec. 31 to Mar. 8.
Harding and Spight joined Bliznyuk as unanimous All-Big Sky First Team selections this season. Harding paced the league with 22.0 points per game in his second season with the Wildcats, ranking third in the nation in scoring among freshmen and sophomores. Harding notched a league-best 46-point performance in the regular season finale at Montana State, breaking a 41-year-old school record and notching the 10th-best scoring performance in league history.
Spight ranked second in the league in scoring at 21.9 points per game while leading the conference with 106 three-pointers on the season to tie for the eighth-most in a single season in Big Sky history.
Rorie also earned All-Big Sky First Team honors while leading the Grizzlies with 17.2 points and 3.7 assists per game to guide Montana to regular season and tournament titles for an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Blake rounded out the All-Big Sky First Team honorees this season, averaging 17.0 points and a league-high 9.6 rebounds per game to finish with 12 double-doubles on the season.
Sanders and Strings were second team all-conference picks with Sanders leading the Vandals with 19.0 points per game for fourth in the league and Strings averaging 17.9 points for the fifth-highest average in the Big Sky.
Andre Spight
2017-18 NABC ALL-DISTRICT 6 TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Name Position Class School
Jerrick Harding Guard Sophomore Weber State
Bogdan Bliznyuk Guard/Forward Senior Eastern Washington
Ahmaad Rorie Guard Junior Montana
Andre Spight Guard Senior Northern Colorado
Jemerrio Jones Forward Senior New Mexico State
SECOND TEAM
Name Position Class School
Zach Lofton Guard Graduate New Mexico State
Victor Sanders Guard Senior Idaho
Nick Dixon Guard Senior UT Rio Grande Valley
Brayon Blake Forward Senior Idaho
Justin Strings Forward Senior Sacramento State
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
