Sports Editor
The Western Athletic Conference named CSU Bakersfield men’s basketball coach Rod Barnes coach of they year for the second straight season.
CSUB coach Rod Barnes becomes the first coach in the program’s history to be named the Don Haskins WAC Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
Barnes led the Roadrunners to a WAC championship last season, and this year he led them to a 21-8 record and the program’s first outright regular season WAC title.
Redshirt-senior forward Jaylin Airington also received honor as he was named to the first team All-WAC. Airington led the Roadrunners in scoring with 14.5 points per game while pulling down 4.9 rebounds per contest.
Senior guard Dedrick Basile and redshirt-senior forward Matt Smith have been selected to the second team All-WAC. Both players averaged in double figures in scoring as Basile scored 11.7 points per game while Smith chipped in with 10.2 points per game to go along with a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per contest.
Airington, Smith and junior center Moataz Aly were named to the All-Defensive team. The Roadrunners led the WAC in scoring defense as they only allowed their opponents to score 62.2 points per game.
Aly was also named to the All-Newcomer team as he was second in the WAC in total blocked shots with 43. Aly transferred from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
CSUB begins its quest to defend the WAC Tournament title on Friday, March 10 in Las Vegas at 6 p.m. and will face the winner of the matchup between Seattle University and Utah Valley University.
On the women’s side, redshirt-junior forward Jazmyne Bartee was selected to the second-team All-WAC. She was also selected to the All-Defensive team as well as the All-Newcomer team. Bartee led the conference in blocked shots per game with 2.4. She also averaged 8.1 points per game and 7 rebounds per game.
Junior Aja Williams was also named to the second team as she averaged 11.3 points per game along with 4 rebounds per contest.
The Roadrunners will open the WAC Tournament when they take on Seattle U on Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m. in Las Vegas.
