The All decade team, 2009-10 through 2018-19, as chosen by the fans.
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Over the long off season I’ve seen a number of outlets release All-Decade teams for the conferences they cover. To the best of my knowledge, no one has released one for the Mountain West, so I took on the challenge. The years in question were the 2009-10 season through the 2018-19 season, as that is what I had seen the other outlets do. I asked the staff at @MWCwire to fill out a google form for their All-Decade Mountain West Team, and I asked as many fans as I could to fill out the google form as well. The results were then weighed 60% for the staff and 40% for the fans if only to help mitigate any bias from Aztec fans (who are most of my following on twitter.)
In the poll, I had a list of 27 players, plus gave the option to write in your own player in case I missed someone. Fans and staff chose 5 first team players, 5 second-team players, and 5 third-team players. If anyone is so offended at the results you feel the need to go change them, the link to the google form will be here: https://forms.gle/HGSaCNVDqnQhVuby7.
With that, let’s get into the results. Players will be listed from least votes to most votes.
Coach of the Decade:
Steve Fisher: 213 Wins, 75.5% Win percentage, 5 regular season championships, 2 conference tournament championships, 6 Postseason appearances, 2 sweet 16s.
This one is really a no brainer. When you consider longevity, success, conference championships, and postseason success, there’s only one choice here. Nevada and New Mexico fans stanning their guys is understandable, but it’s honestly not even a competition. Steve Fisher was the best coach of the decade, and what he was able to accomplish at San Diego State, turning it from an irrelevant school to a national program, is truly impressive. So much so that Fisher himself says that he’s more proud of what he accomplished at San Diego State than he is of winning a National Championship at Michigan.
Third Team All Decade:
Cameron Bairstow, New Mexico: 134 games, 9.2 points, 4.8 Rebs, 0.8 Ast, 13 Win shares.
One of the hardest questions to figure out when finding an all-decade team is, what should the criteria be? Does a player need to play at a high level for multiple seasons, or is one season where you’re the best player around enough to make the team. Bairstow answers that question. His first three seasons at New Mexico were nothing special. He took the classic route of advancing from bench player to starter. In his senior season something clicked, and he exploded for 20.4 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. That single season propelled him to a spot on the all decade team. During that season Bairstow led the Lobos past the Aztecs in the MW championship game, and helped the Lobos achieve a 7 seed in the March Madness tournament. As a senior, Bairstow finished 1st in points, 8th in rebounds, 6th in blocks, and 2nd in win shares. He likely would’ve been the MW player of the year too if it wasn’t for Xavier Thames’ great season.
Josh Adams, Wyoming: 131 G, 13.9 Pts, 3.3 Rebs, 3.0 Ast, 13.94 Wins Added.
Josh Adams never got to experience a large amount of team success, but as an individual player he was consistently pretty good throughout his career. He capped off his collegiate career by scoring 24.7 points a game, to go along with 5.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Adams was rewarded for his stellar play by winning the 2015-16 MW Player of the Year award. Adams currently stands at the 10th all time leading scorer in Mountain West history, after finishing in the top 10 in scoring 3 times, and leading the conference his senior year. He also finished top 5 in both assists and steals twice. His advanced data on Sports Reference is incomplete, so I substituted Wins Added for Win Shares. Adams led all Wyoming players in the decade in career Wins Added, and currently stands at 20th overall dating back to the 2005 season.
Tony Snell, New Mexico: 104 G, 9.2 Pts, 2.4 Rebs, 2 Ast, 8.9 Win Shares.
Tony Snell was an important piece to the dominant New Mexico teams at the beginning of the decade. He played in 104 games over the course of 3 years, and was efficient with an average eFG% of 53.3% over that time. In 2013 he was the second leading scorer on a New Mexico team that won 29 games and received a 3 seed in the tournament, scoring 12.5 points to go along with 2.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists. That campaign propelled Snell to the 20th pick in the 2013 NBA draft.
Skylar Spencer, San Diego State: 144 G, 3.8 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 0.3 Ast, 11.9 Win Shares.
When it comes to Skylar Spencer, it’s all about his defense. Offensively Spencer was pretty limited, with his best offensive season contributing a mere 4.8 points per game. HE was a great offensive rebounder though, and currently has the 7th most offensive rebounds in conference history. As for the defense, Spencer currently stands at 7th in conference history in defensive win shares. Most notably, Spencer collected more blocks over his career than any other Mountain West player and it’s not close. Spencer blocked 303 shots over his four years at San Diego State.
It’s a record that is likely to stand for a while. Neemias Queta will have a chance at breaking the record but is currently on pace to fall 34 blocks short. As for team impact, while Spencer was at SDSU the Aztec’s defense never finished ranked lower than 13th in the nation according to KenPom. That’s not all because of Spencer, but he was the defensive centerpiece. As a reward for his efforts, he took home consecutive Mountain West defensive player of the year awards.
Kendall Williams, New Mexico: 137 G, 13.2 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 4.5 Ast, 20.6 Win Shares.
Kendall WIlliams dropping down to the third team all decade blows my mind. This man is the all time leader in assists in conference history with 617. In addition to being a great passer, Williams also currently stands at 11th place in points scored all time, 8th in career steals, and won the 2013 MW player of the year award. Over the course of four years Williams collected 20.6 win shares, which happens to be the most out of any MW player collected during the decade, and 4th in conference history. One of his best moments was arguably in the MW title game against the Aztecs in 2014 where Williams hit a 3 with under 30 seconds left to ice the game. I suspect his lack of pro success had a factor in Williams falling this far, but finishing with the 11th most points in the voting process is nothing to scoff at.
UP NEXT: Second Team
Second Team:
Derrick Marks, Boise State: 127 G, 15.1 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 2.9 Ast, 15.8 Win Shares.
Derrick Marks served as the lead guard on some of Boise State’s best teams of the decade. He helped the Broncos make the tournament twice in his 4 years at Boise St., and took home the 2015 MW Player of the Year trophy. He currently stands at 8th all time in career points for the Mountain West conference, 21st in assists, and 6th in steals. He led the conference in win shares in the 2015 season, and his 15.8 Win shares are good for 14th best in conference history and 6th in the decade.
Chandler Hutchison, Boise State: 123 G, 12 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 2.1 Ast, 12.3 Win Shares.
Hutchison mostly came off the bench his first two seasons at Boise State, but by the time he graduated he had become one of the most complete players the conference has ever seen. Standing at 6’7” Hutchison could score from all 3 levels, rebound, and create for others. He is the best example of the great development the coaches at Boise State foster. In his freshman season Hutchison had a PIPM of -0.69, which is below average. By the time he was a senior Hutchison had improved dramatically, as shown by his PIPM of 5.36, which was the best in the conference in 2018.
Hutchison finished in the top 10 in the conference in rebounding twice, top 10 in win shares twice, top 5 in points twice, and added a top 10 finish in both steals and assists once. Despite his success, he never won a conference player of the year award, but he was definitely deserving. His senior season line of 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game led to him being drafted 22nd overall in the 2018 draft by the Chicago Bulls.
Cody Martin, Nevada: 70 G, 13.1 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 4.8 Ast, 11 Win Shares
How is this for impact? Nevada made the tournament every season that Cody Martin was on the roster. Nevada hadn’t made the postseason for 9 seasons before Cody and his brother Caleb transferred in. Even when he was stuck on the scout team due to transfer rules, Nevada still made the tournament. Having that high-level competition in practice helps guys get better. Once he was allowed on the court he finished no worse than 3rd in steals, assists, and Win Shares in both of his seasons at Nevada. He also finished 3rd in the conference in blocks his junior year.
In two seasons Cody collected 11 win shares, which puts him at 29th in the decade but is pretty good considering it took only 2 years to do. Perhaps Cody’s best moment was Leading Nevada to it’s second Sweet Sixteen, it’s first in Mountain West history, by scoring 25 points against Cincinnati to lead a historic comeback.
Caleb Martin, Nevada: 70 G, 19.1 Pts, 5.3 Reb, 2.7 Ast, 11.4 Win Shares.
The other half of the Martin twins, Caleb was arguably the better of the two. Interestingly enough, the fans gave Cody slightly more votes, but the MWCwire staff gave Caleb a lot more votes. Caleb took home the conference Player of the Year trophy in 2018 and made first-team all-conference the following year. Caleb finished top 3 in the league in points and win shares both of his years at Nevada, and led the league in steals in 2019. He also managed to finish top 10 in effective field goal percentage despite his high volume of shots.
Caleb’s 11.4 Win shares are good for 26th in the decade, but similar to Cody, it’s a really good number for just two seasons. Most of the players above him had more seasons to pad their stats. The Martin twins both had a major impact on Nevada basketball, bringing Nevada into the national spotlight by getting AP votes as well as the previously mentioned historic comeback against Cincinnati. Caleb was rewarded for his efforts by being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 36th overall pick in the draft.
Jamal Franklin, San Diego State: 85 G, 13.7 Pts, 7.0 Reb, 1.9 Ast, 10.9 Win Shares.
Standing at 6’5”, 205 pounds, Franklin was an absolute beast for the Aztecs over his 3 seasons there. If he had stayed for his senior season Franklin would likely be on the first team. As it stands he was picked 41st in the 2013 nba draft, and has been absolutely dominating the Chinese basketball Association. Some Aztec fans blame Franklin for costing them the Sweet 16 game against eventual champion UConn by running into Kemba Walker during a dead ball situation. Regardless of whether or not that’s fair, Franklin dominated the Mountain West the next two seasons. His sophomore year Franklin led the league in scoring, came in third in total rebounds, and 5th in win shares, which resulted in Franklin taking home the conference player of the year trophy.
He followed up that campaign by finishing 3rd in points, second in total rebounds (7th in the nation in defensive rebounds), and 3rd in win shares, while becoming a better distributor, finishing 7th in assists. Despite his smaller size, Franklin was one of the strongest and most physical players in the conference. In many ways, the values SDSU coaches preach stem directly from Jamaal Franklin and what he was able to accomplish.
UP NEXT: First Team
First Team:
Xavier Thames, San Diego State: 97 G, 12.7 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 3.3 Ast, 12.9 Win Shares.
One could make the argument that Xavier Thames is the best point guard the Mountain West Conference has ever seen. His career stats don’t pop out as he transferred in and played second fiddle to Jamaal Franklin for most of his time at SDSU. Once the team was his, he responded by having a conference finish of 3rd in scoring, 5th in assists, and first in steals.
He finished 3rd in the nation in Win shares that season. He also owns the 2nd best PIPM score the conference saw in the decade (and 4th best in the conference going back to 2005.) His 17.6 points per game his senior season led an offensively limited Aztecs’ team to their second sweet sixteen of the decade, the only Mountain West team to make multiple Sweet 16’s in the decade.
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming: 123 G, 11.3 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 1.4 Ast, 16.8 Win Shares.
Larry Nance never won a player of the year award, he never led his team past the first round of the NCAA tournament, but he was a consistent contributor during his time at Wyoming. A two-time first team all-Mountain West player, and co-defensive player of the year, Larry Nance brought a lot of value to the court. As far as conference records go, Nance ranks 5th in total rebounds (2nd in the decade) and 9th in total win shares (3rd most in the decade.) He also finished in the top 10 in steals twice, and the top 10 in blocks twice during his four years at Wyoming. In his senior season he finished fifth in the conference in total points. As a reward for his efforts, Larry Nance was drafted with the 27th pick in the 2015 draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sam Merrill, Utah State: (decade) 100 G, 15.7 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 3.5 Ast, 15.3 Win Shares
(Career): 132 G, 16.6 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 3.6 Ast, 22.4 Win Shares.
One could Argue that Sam Merrill is the best clutch shooter the Mountain West has ever seen. With the game on the line you put the ball in Merrill’s hands, it’ll find its way to the bucket. Merrill’s senior year technically isn’t supposed to be part of the seasons considered here, but Merrill still has earned a spot on the first team. In the conference Merrill had the 8th most Win Shares of the decade, not counting his senior season.
Counting his senior season, Merrill bumps up to second all-time within the conference. In his Junior season, Merrill led the conference in scoring, came in 3rd in assists, and first in win shares, which led to him winning the conference player of the year award. He is also a two-time first-team all-conference player. His overall efficiency and impact as a scorer, facilitator, and defender make him an easy choice at this spot, even if his senior year isn’t counted. The only blemish on Merrill’s career is that he never led his team on a deep tourney run, losing to Washington in the first round his only time in the big dance.
Jimmer Fredette, BYU: (Decade) 71 G, 25.6 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 4.5 Ast, 16 Win Shares.
(Career): 139 G, 18.7 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 3.7 Ast, 23 Win Shares.
Jimmer received the second most votes in the poll. This is probably due to a couple of reasons. The first of which is most of the people who took the poll were likely Aztec fans, seeing as how most of my followers are Aztec fans. The second is due to recency bias and lack of pro success, neither of which should be taken into account, but alas, here we are. Two of Fredette’s seasons took place outside the given window, but Jimmer still deserves a first team placement even when only counting his final two seasons at BYU.
Jimmer led the league in scoring both those years, as well as leading the nation his senior season. The all time points leader in conference history, with 2,599, about 1,800 of which came in our given window, good for 5th place in the decade. Jimmer also finished in the top 5 in assists both years, and is currently 4th in conference history in total assists. He also finished top 5 in steals in 2011, and was the leading 3 point shooter until Justinian Jessup broke the record for made threes in a career this past season.
He led the conference in Win Shares twice, gaining 16 wins his final two seasons. Jimmer was named a first-team All American and was the only Mountain West player to win a national player of the year award in the decade. For his efforts, Jimmer was drafted 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings. While his NBA career never panned out, Fredette is the most electric player the Mountain West has ever seen, and his hyper-efficient scoring makes him an automatic choice for first-team all decade.
Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State: 70 G, 14.1 Pts, 10.2 Reb, 2.2 Ast, 11.8 Win Shares.
Kawhi is the only player to be unanimously voted as a first-team all-decade player. He is also the only player on this list to average a double-double over the course of his career. In his two seasons at San Diego State, he led the league in overall rebounding twice, finished in the top 5 in steals both seasons, and in his sophomore season, he came in second in both scoring and win shares. Known mostly for his defense, he finished first in the conference in defensive win shares, and second in the nation in defensive win shares in 2011. For a 6’7” player to lead the league in rebounding is impressive, to finish 4th in the nation is even more impressive. Kawhi currently stands at 12th place for career rebounds in Mountain West history and was on pace for over 1,400 had he played a full four years.
The current first place player is Nico Caravacho, at 1,292. Kawhi also led the Aztecs to their first Sweet 16 in program history, losing to eventual national champion UConn. For his efforts, Kawhi was named a consensus second team All-American, one of only two Mountain West players to make a consensus All American team in the decade (the other being Jimmer Fredette.) Kawhi was drafted 15th by the Indiana Pacers in the 2011 draft and traded to San Antonio shortly thereafter. His mark on SDSU, and the conference as a whole, will long be remembered, as Kawhi helped launch SDSU into relevancy, and the Aztecs continue to remain relevant largely due to the legacy he left.
