Taylor Rohde, the UAA men's basketball team's beast on the block and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's leading scorer, on Monday was named the circuit's Player of the Year and also repeated as a unanimous first-team selection.
The 6-foot-9, 225- pound senior center proved almost impossible for opponents to contain and sparked the Seawolves (21-5) to a second-place finish in the GNAC and a No. 20 ranking nationally in Division II.
Also, UAA sophomore guard Travis Thompson, a deadly shooter from distance, earned second-team All-GNAC honors.
Voting was done by the GNAC's 10 head coaches.
Rohde averages 20.2 points per game and makes a league-leading 62.7 percent of his shots - he has shot higher than 50 percent in 13 straight games and 21 of his last 22. He also finished third in the league in rebounding with 8.0 per game.
Rohde, a transfer from Division I Arizona State, is the second Seawolves player to be named the GNAC's Player of the Year. Point guard Luke Cooper copped that award in 2008.
Thompson became the second sophomore in program history to make an all-conference first- or second-team -- center Hansi Gnad was a first-teamer in the now-defunct Great Northwest Conference in 1984.
Thompson ranks second among UAA scorers with 11.3 points per game. The former Alaska Player of the Year at Dimond High also makes 45.2 percent of his 3-point attempts and drains 87.5 percent of his free throws.
UAA's second-place finish in the GNAC earned it a first-round bye in the league tournament this week in Lacey, Wash. The Seawolves on Friday at 11 a.m. AST play the winner of Wednesday's first-round clash between Seattle Pacific and Central Washington.
2012 All-GNAC 2012 All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Team Player of the Year -- Taylor Rohde, Sr. C, UAA. Newcomer of the Year -- Antoine Proctor, Sr. G, Montana State-Billings. Freshman of the Year -- Cory Hutsen, Seattle Pacific. Coach of the Year -- Brad Jackson, Western Washington. First Team --Taylor Rohde, Sr. C, UAA; Rory Blanche, Sr. F, Western Washington; Blair Wheadon, Sr. G, Western Oregon; Antoine Proctor, Sr. G, Montana State-Billings; David Downs, Soph. G, Seattle Pacific; Andy Poling, Jr. C, Seattle Pacific. Second Team -- John Allen, Jr. G, Western Washington; Lacy Haddock, Soph. G, Central Washington; Travis Thompson, Soph. G, UAA; Justin Brown, Sr. G, Simon Fraser; Jeremy Green, Sr. F, Saint Martin's.
Anchorage Daily News