BIG SKY PRESS RELEASE
OGDEN, Utah – In a tight vote from the Big Sky Conference’s media relations staffs and media, Quinton Hooker was picked as the 2016-17 men’s basketball preseason MVP. Hooker joins Weber State’s Jeremy Senglin, Idaho State’s Ethan Telfair, Idaho’s Victor Sanders, Montana State sophomore Tyler Hall and Montana senior Walter Wright in a guard-filled Big Sky Conference preseason All-Conference team.
Hooker, a senior from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was one of the league’s top players last season, averaging 20.1 points per game and 3.5 assists, and was honored with First Team All-Big Sky accolades. He was the top-shooting guard in all of the Big Sky, knocking down 52.3 percent from the floor. He was also second in 3-point percentage at 45.8 percent. Adding to his 2016 accolades, Hooker was named a Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American and was a finalist for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year.
Hooker helped lead the No. 5 seed Fighting Hawks all the way to the Big Sky Conference semifinals last season. He was the leading scorer during the first-ever neutral site Big Sky Championship, averaging 27.0 points per game.
Weber State senior guard Jeremy Senglin/ by Brooks Nuanez
Senglin, a senior from Arlington, Texas, picked up First Team All-Big Sky honors and NABC Second Team All-District honors last season. During the Wildcats’ 2016 Big Sky championship run, Senglin averaged 17.9 points per game and picked up Big Sky Tournament MVP honors after leading WSU to its 16th Big Sky title.
Telfair was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in 2016 after leading the Bengals to a 12-6 conference mark and a first-round bye in last season’s conference championship. The Coney Island, N.Y., native was named a NABC All-District honoree after averaging 20.2 points per game and a Big Sky-best 5.4 assist per contest. The senior scored 30 points or more in seven games last season.
Sanders, a junior from Portland, Oregon, was a second team All-Big Sky and All-Big Sky Tournament team selection. He led the Vandals with 15.9 points per game last season despite missing a brief stretch of the 2015-16 season due to injury.
Tyler Hall had a stellar rookie campaign in Bozeman, averaging 18.6 points per game. The Rock Island, Ill., native earned the Big Sky Freshman of the Year award and second team All-Conference honors last season.
Walter Wright, an All-Big Sky honorable mention from last season will look to improve on a strong showing last season as he returns to Missoula for his senior year. Wright helped lead the Grizzlies to a 21-12 overall record last season including a 14- 4 mark in conference play. Wright, a native of Waterbury, Conn. Is Montana’s top returning scorer after averaging 13.2 points per game last season.
The 2016-16 men’s basketball season begins November 11 and tickets to the 2017 Big Sky Conference basketball championships will go on sale on November 14. Visit RoadToReno.com for more information.
2016-17 Preseason All-Conference Team
| Player | Year | Pos. | School | Hometown |
| MVP – Quinton Hooker | Sr. | G | North Dakota | Brooklyn Park, Minn. |
| Jeremy Senglin | Sr. | G | Weber State | Arlington, Texas |
| Ethan Telfair | Sr. | G | Idaho State | Coney Island, N.Y. |
| Victor Sanders | Jr. | G | Idaho | Portland, Ore. |
| Tyler Hall | So. | G | Montana State | Rock Island, Ill. |
| Walter Wright | Sr. | G | Montana | Waterbury, Conn. |
Press release written by Jason Ashcraft, Big Sky Conference communications. Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
