Evergreen junior guard Nathan Menefee, the nation's second-leading scorer, was voted the 2008-09 CCC Player of the Year.
Evergreen's Menefee Named 2008-09 CCC Player of the Year
PORTLAND, Ore. – Nathan Menefee, the No. 2 scorer in NAIA Division II during the regular season, has been voted the 2008-09 Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, the league office announced Monday.
Other major award winners in balloting of the league’s head coaches included junior center Kaylone Riley of Warner Pacific, who was named the Defensive Player of the Year; junior guard Justin Parnell of Oregon Tech, who was voted Newcomer of the Year; and Dave Lipp of Northwest Christian, who was honored as Coach of the Year. Corban and Northwest shared the Team Champion of Character Award, which is based on the ideals of integrity, respect and sportsmanship.
Menefee, a 5-11 junior guard from Tacoma, averaged 24.4 points during the regular season, helping the Geoducks to a fourth-place CCC finish and a berth in the CCC Tournament. Menefee set a single-season school record with eight games of 30 points or more during the regular season. He was joined on the all-league squad by teammate Nick Moore, last year’s CCC Newcomer of the Year. Evergreen earned one of the CCC’s two automatic bids to the national tournament March 11-17 in Branson, Mo.
“Nate has been a vital part of our success this season,” said Evergreen coach Jeff Drinkwine. “Being named the pre-season CCC Player of the Year in October only contributed to Nate’s hard work and ability to lead. Nate along with his cast of veteran teammates demonstrated what it takes to be successful in this conference. He has set the standard for all of his current and future teammates, showing by example the importance of sacrificing one's individual goals in order to better the team. His competitive spirit has inspired all of us during course of the season. Nate is a gifted and talented person, and it has been an honor to have the opportunity to coach him.”
CCC regular season co-champion Eastern Oregon placed a league-high three players on the all-conference team – senior post Paul Carollo, senior wing Neil Fryer, and senior guard Kris Groce. Oregon Tech, which shared the CCC regular season title with Eastern Oregon, had two players selected to the all-conference team – senior guard Jguwon Hogges and Parnell. Warner Pacific also had two players selected – senior forward Adam Moore and Riley. College of Idaho’s Craig McGee, a junior forward, rounded out the 10-person all-conference squad.
Warner Pacific’s Riley, a 6-8, 210-pounder from Las Vegas, Nev., was named the CCC’s Defensive Player of the Year after ranking in the nation’s top five in blocked shots (first, 3.7 bpg), defensive rebounds (third, 7.8 rpg) and total rebounds (fifth, 10.8 rpg) through Feb. 22.
OIT’s Parnell, a 6-4 transfer from Northwest Nazarene University, earned Newcomer of the Year honors after ranking in the top five of five individual statistical categories during league play, including assists (4.1), 3-point field goals made per game (2.4), assist/turnover ratio (2.35), minutes played (38.9) and scoring (16.5).
Lipp, who is in his 23rd season as head coach at Northwest Christian, guided the Beacons to a sixth-place conference finish and a berth in the CCC tournament semifinals. Picked to finish 10th in the 11-team league prior to the season, the Beacons posted an 11-9 CCC record (18-13 overall), including wins over three Top 25 teams in the final weeks of the season.
| 2008-09 All-CCC Team |
| Player of the Year: Nathan Menefee, Evergreen |
| Defensive Player of the Year: Kaylone Riley, Warner Pacific |
| Newcomer of the Year: Justin Parnell, Oregon Tech |
| Coach of the Year: Dave Lipp, Northwest Christian |
| Team Champion of Character: Corban College, Northwest University |
Name |
Institution |
Pos. |
Hgt |
Class |
Hometown |
| Nathan Menefee* |
Evergreen |
G |
5-11 |
Jr. |
Tacoma, Wash. |
| Jguwon Hogges |
Oregon Tech |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Atwater, Calif. |
| Adam Moore |
Warner Pacific |
F |
6-7 |
Sr. |
Everett, Wash. |
| Craig McGee |
College of Idaho |
F |
6-8 |
Jr. |
Boise, Idaho |
| Justin Parnell |
Oregon Tech |
G |
6-4 |
Jr. |
Sutherlin, Ore. |
| Kris Groce |
Eastern Oregon |
G |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Pasco, Wash. |
| Neil Fryer |
Eastern Oregon |
W |
6-4 |
Sr. |
Bremerton, Wash. |
| Kaylone Riley |
Warner Pacific |
C |
6-8 |
Jr. |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Paul Carollo |
Eastern Oregon |
P |
6-5 |
Sr. |
Hermiston, Ore. |
| Nick Moore |
Evergreen |
W |
6-7 |
Sr. |
Graham, Wash. |
| *indicates Player of the Year |
Honorable Mention: Christian Cavanaugh, Oregon Tech; Dylan Perry, Northwest Christian; Jarrad Childs, Southern Oregon; Steven Vaughan, Concordia; Alex Tiefenthaler, Concordia; Greg George, Northwest; Erv Adams, Cascade.
| 2008-09 CCC All-Defensive Team |
| Name |
Institution |
Pos. |
Hgt |
Class |
Hometown |
| Kaylone Riley* |
Warner Pacific |
C |
6-8 |
Jr. |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Bryan Champ |
College of Idaho |
G |
6-0 |
Sr. |
Boise, Idaho |
| Jguwon Hogges |
Oregon Tech |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Atwater, Calif. |
| Jeremy Templeton |
Eastern Oregon |
G |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Spokane, Wash. |
| Jabari McIntosh |
College of Idaho |
F |
6-7 |
Jr. |
Union City, Calif. |
| *indicates Defensive Player of the Year |