Aztecs, Isaiah Stevens, and more get preseason awards from the Mountain West

San Diego State was the clear frontrunner of the preseason voting, with four out of five voters picking them to win the conference. Former USC 6th man Reese Waters was named preseason Newcomer of the Year. Boise State were next in line, receiving a handful of votes. New Mexico and Nevada both got one first place vote, but the Lobos got a decent amount more votes than the Wolf Pack did. Colorado State narrowly beat out UNLV for the fifth spot, powered by the return of preseason Player of the Year Isaiah Stevens, but the Rebels also got an award with Dedan Thomas Jr getting tabbed as preseason Freshman of the Year. The 34th ranked recruit in the 2024 class reclassed to join the team for this year, and he could be one of the better players in the conference as soon as he steps on the court. San Jose State, Fresno State, and Utah State made up the next tier of voting. The Spartans and Aggies are coming off great seasons, but will need to replace many of their top players, while the Bulldogs needs to rebound after taking a step back last season. Air Force and Wyoming were the clear cut bottom of the barrel, voting wise.

Full award list and standings are below:

Player of the Year - Isaiah Stevens (Graduate), PG, Colorado State, 6’0”, 185 pounds, 3 star from Texas

• 1st team All-MW ‘22-‘23, 2x 2nd team All-MW, 3rd team All-MW and MW ROY ‘19-‘20
• Career highs in points (17.9, 3rd in MW), assists (6.7, led MW), minutes (36.8, led MW), and blocks per game (0.3)
• Has the chance to set school records in points, field goals, 3 pointers, and games played by postponing his NBA career for another year

Newcomer of the Year - Reese Waters (Junior), SG, San Diego State (USC), 6’6”, 212 pounds, 4 star from Long Beach

• PAC 12 6th Man of the Year ‘22-’23
• Career highs in points (9.8), rebounds (3.2), assists (1.1), steals (0.7), and minutes per game (25.4)

Freshman of the Year - Dedan Thomas Jr, PG, UNLV, 6’1”, 170 pounds, 4 star from Las Vegas, #34 ranked player nationally

• ‘22-’23 Gatorade Player of the Year for Nevada
• Averaged 22.8 points and 5.1 assists as a junior, reclassified to graduate HS early to join UNLV this year
• Son of Rebels legend Dedan Thomas, who played from 91-94 and was an All-American honorable mention

1st team All-Mountain West

Isaiah Stevens (Graduate), PG, Colorado State, 6’0”, 185 pounds, 3 star from Texas

Jaelen House (Graduate), PG, New Mexico, 6’0”, 170 pounds, 4 star from Phoenix

• 1st team All-MW, MW All-Defensive Team ‘22-’23, 3rd team All-MW ‘21-’22
• Set school record for steals in a season (86, 2.69 per game), had career highs in FG% (43.4, 6th in MW), 3P% (37.7), rebounds (3.9), and assists per game (4.7, 3rd in MW), and tied his career high in points per game (16.9, 6th in MW)
• 1st Lobo to have back-to-back 500 point, 125 assist seasons, 3rd MW player ever

Jamal Mashburn Jr (Senior), CG, New Mexico, 6’2”, 195 pounds, 4 star from Miami

• 1st team All-MW ‘22-’23, 3rd team All-MW ‘21-’22
• Career highs in points (19.1, led MW), rebounds (3.2), FT% (81.7, 7th in MW), tied career high in assists and FG% (8th in MW)

Lamont Butler (Senior), SG, San Diego State, 6’2”, 205 pounds, 3 star from California

• NCAA All-Tourney Team, All-South Region ‘23, MW DPOY, 3rd team All-MW, MW All-Defensive Team ‘22-’23, MW All-Defensive Team ‘21-’22
• Career highs in points (8.8), assists (3.2, 12th in MW), rebounds (2.7), 3P% (34.2), FG% (42.1, 9th in MW), and minutes per game (25.9)
• Hit game winning buzzer beating mid range jumper in the Final Four vs FAU to send Aztecs to 1st ever national championship appearance

Tyson Degenhart (Junior), SF/PF, Boise State, 6’8”, 235 pounds, 3 star from Washington

• 1st team All-MW ‘22-’23, MW FOTY, All-MW HM ‘21-’22
• Career high in points (14.1, 12th in MW), assists (1.8), rebounds (5.3, 16th in MW), FG% (53.7, 2nd in MW), and minutes played per game (34.3, 6th in MW)

Standings (1st place votes)

1 San Diego State (80.6%, 25) (32-7, 15-3)

2 Boise State (12.9%, 4) (24-10, 13-5)

3 New Mexico (3.2%, 1) (22-12, 8-10)

4 Nevada (3.2%, 1) (22-11, 12-6)

5 Colorado State (15-18, 6-12)

6 UNLV (19-13, 7-11)

7 San Jose State (21-14, 10-8)

8 Fresno State (11-20, 6-12)

9 Utah State (26-9, 13-5)

10 Wyoming (9-22, 4-14)

11 Air Force (14-18, 5-13)