Childs and Pope earn USBWA All-District honors

ST. LOUIS – BYU senior forward Yoeli Childs and head coach Mark Pope received all-district honors Tuesday as Childs was named to the USBWA All-District VIII Team and Pope was named the District VIII Coach of the Year.

This marks the third-straight season Childs has been named to the USBWA District VIII Team and it is the first USBWA District Coach of the Year honor for Pope. Childs joins Jimmer Fredette and Tyler Haws as Cougars who have garnered three USBWA All-District VIII honors (complete records date back to 2003-04).

Childs, also an All-WCC First Team honoree for the third-straight season, is averaging 22.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 48.9 percent from 3-point range. In 19 games played this season, Childs has posted eight double-doubles and 12 20-point games. In the BYU record book, the South Jordan, Utah, native is sixth all-time in scoring and first in rebounds, fifth in blocks and second in double-doubles.

In his first season as BYU’s head coach, Pope has led the Cougars to a record of 24-8 overall and a national ranking of No. 14. BYU entered the AP Poll for the first time on Feb. 17 and the USA Today Coaches Poll on Feb. 24. It marks the first time the program is ranked since the 2010-11 season.

Pope guided the Cougars to a WCC record of 13-3, a program-best win percentage (.813) and tied for the most league wins since BYU joined the conference in 2011-12. The conference season was highlighted by a nine-game win streak and home win over No. 2 Gonzaga.

All-District Teams are based on voting from the USBWA’s national membership of 900-plus. The USBWA has selected All-District Teams since the 1956-57 season, its founding year. For each of the nine geographic districts, 10 players are selected (11 in the case of ties in the voting) as well as a player and coach of the year.

2019-20 USBWA All-District Teams

District VIII Honors (WY, UT, ID, NM, CO, NV, MT)
Player of the Year: Sam Merrill, Utah State
Coach of the Year: Mark Pope, BYU

All-District VIII Team (10)
Timmy Allen, Utah
Trevon Allen, Idaho
Yoeli Childs, BYU
Bryce Hamilton, UNLV
Jerrick Harding, Weber State
Jalen Harris, Nevada
Sam Merrill, Utah State
Sayeed Pridgett, Montana
Trevelin Queen, New Mexico State
McKinley Wright IV, Colorado