Podziemski shares Player of the Year honor with Timme
Back in mid-January, St. Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett said of Santa Clara guard Brandin Podziemski, “He didn’t play at Illinois, and all of the sudden, he’s one of the best players in our league.” On Wednesday, Bennett’s words rang even truer.
Podziemski, a 6-foot-5 sophomore who spent his freshman season riding the bench at Illinois, was named the WCC Co-Player of the Year along with Gonzaga forward Drew Timme. Podziemski also was named Newcomer of the Year.
Podziemski is third in the WCC in points per game at 19.9 and leads the conference in rebounds at 8.8 per game. His 12 double-doubles top the WCC.
“Brandin has been every bit as advertised and then some throughout the entire season,” Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek said in a statement. “He is such a special talent and you’d be hard-pressed to find a player that works harder on the court than him.
“He is obviously a tremendous scorer, but watching a guard of his size average nearly nine rebounds and run a complete and total floor game shows just how complete of a player that he is.”
Podziemski has helped the Broncos (23-8, 11-5) put together a seven-game winning streak. They finished third in the WCC and will play a conference tournament quarterfinal in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Bennett repeated as WCC Coach of the Year, earning his fifth nod in 22 seasons in Moraga after his Gaels (25-6, 14-2) tied with the Zags for the regular-season title.
St. Mary’s senior guard Logan Johnson earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. The St. Francis High alum averaged 1.5 steals per game and anchored a defense that, as of Wednesday morning, ranked fifth in the nation in points allowed per game at 59.3.
All three Bay Area schools’ starting backcourts were named to the 10-man All-WCC first team: Johnson (14.7 points and 3.7 assists per game) and Aidan Mahaney (14.6 points) of St. Mary’s; Podziemski (3.4 assists) and Carlos Stewart (15.1 points) of Santa Clara; and USF’s Khalil Shabazz (17.2 points, WCC-leading 2.2 steals) and Tyrell Roberts (15.9 points).
Mahaney was the lone freshman to make the team.
St. Mary’s center Mitchell Saxen, who’s averaging 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds (third in the WCC) and leads the conference in blocked shots with 37, also was a first-team All-WCC selection. Joining him were Timme, the WCC’s Player of the Year last seajunior son, and Loyola Marymount’s Cam Shelton, who are tied for the conference lead in scoring at 21.2 points per game.
Gonzaga guard Julian Strawther rounded out the All-WCC first team.
Santa Clara forward Keshawn Justice was a member of the five-man All-WCC second team for the second straight season. Women: Santa Clara guard Tess Heal was named the WCC’s Newcomer of the Year. The freshman from Melbourne, Australia, is third in the conference in scoring at 17.2 points per game.
Heal has been named the WCC’s Freshman of the Week 12 times, including the past six. She scored a season-high 39 points — one shy of the program record — in a loss to BYU on Feb. 16.
Heal was joined on the 10-woman All-WCC first team by USF junior guard Ioanna Krimili (17.3 points per game) and St. Mary’s center Ali Bamberger (14.0 points, 8.4 rebounds).
The Dons’ Jasmine Gayles (10.3 points) was named the Sixth Woman of the Year. Gonzaga’s Kaylynne Truong and Lisa Fortier were named the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively.