Mayernik, Beacons highlight CCC men's postseason awards

3/1/2017 7:48:36 AM

LA GRANDE, Ore. – Jay Mayernik's steady work inside has led Northwest Christian to another banner season, and the senior forward was rewarded Wednesday with the Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Year award on a vote by the league's coaches.

The 12-person All-CCC team included two of Mayernik's teammates for the regular-season champion Beacons – senior sharpshooter Jack Hackman and sophomore point guard Kenny Blackwell. NCU coach Luke Jackson was named Coach of the Year for the second season in a row.

Mitchell Fink, a dynamic freshman point guard who helped Oregon Tech to a tie for second in the standings and an appearance in the CCC Tournament championship game, was dubbed Newcomer of the Year, and College of Idaho senior point guard Emanuel Morgan received Defensive Player of the Year kudos and landed on the All-CCC squad after leading the circuit in steals (2.2) and ranking third in assists (5.4).

Consistency was key for Mayernik, whose 16 points per game ranked seventh in the CCC and 12.7 rebounds were tops in the country. He was also among the league leaders in shooting percentage (59.4) and blocked shots (1.1), and he recorded 11 of his league-high 17 double-double during a stretch in which NCU won 15 games in a row and clinched its second consecutive title. He got plenty of help from Blackwell, who contributed 13.3 points and 5.3 assists per night, and Hackman, who averaged 12.9 points and hit 81 3-pointers on 48-percent accuracy – the seventh-highest in the country.

Along with Fink's accolade, OIT had an All-CCC member in senior Joel Yellow Owl. The do-it-all senior wing ranked second in points at 20.4 per game – he averaged 27 in the CCC Tournament – and was seventh in assists (4.2) and ninth in steals (1.3). Fink did his best work in conference play, where he posted 12.5 points and 5.5 assists.

C of I – which was part of the three-way tie for second place with OIT and Eastern Oregon – had a repeat selection in Joey Nebeker, who ranked 14th in points (14.2), second in steals (1.7) and ninth in blocks (0.9).

Senior forward Bryan McGriff, the CCC's leading scorer at 21 points per game and second-leading rebounder at 9.4, represented EOU along with senior guard Kentrell Washington, who became a two-time honoree after posting top-10 clips of 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Southern Oregon was the other team with two selections: junior wing Ben DeSaulnier for the second year in a row after he was fourth in scoring (17.8), eighth in shooting percentage (52.8) and 10th in steals (1.3), and sophomore point guard Tristen Holmes for his averages of 14.6 points, 4.8 assists and 53-percent shooting.

Warner Pacific was represented by sophomore Collin Malcolm, another double-double machine at 15.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Another point guard, Northwest senior Michael Dupree (17.4 points, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals), rounded out the list.

Corban, the first No. 8 seed to ever win the CCC Tournament title, highlighted the honorable mention list with junior guard AJ Monterossi and sophomore forward Joel Johnson.

Player of the Year – Jay Mayernik, Sr., Northwest Christian
Defensive Player of the Year – Emanuel Morgan, Sr., College of Idaho
Newcomer of the Year – Mitchell Fink, Fr., Oregon Tech
Coach of the Year – Luke Jackson, Northwest Christian

All-Cascade Collegiate Conference

 
Honorable Mention – Taylor Drey, TESC; Mitchell Fink, OIT; Brandon Halter, OIT; Joel Johnson, CRB; AJ Monterossi, CRB; Darius Redrick, MU; De’Corrius Sampson-Young, WPC; Dak Shagren, NU; Ben Tucakovic, NU; Aitor Zubizarreta, C of I.