Fredette and Emery Earn All-District Honors

PROVO -- BYU’s backcourt of Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery were named All-District by the United States Basketball Writers Association with Fredette receiving top honors as player of the year.

BYU is a member of District VIII, which includes all NCAA Division I institutions from Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Montana. Nine districts are represented from coast to coast and a player and coach of the year are selected in each.

Fredette — a repeat all-district honoree — has emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the nation, averaging 20.6 points and 4.7 assists while shooting .465 from the field, .472 from three-point range and .881 from the free throw line.

The Glens Falls, N.Y., native has scored 33-plus points five times and 20-plus points 18 times. He burst onto the national scene when he posted BYU records of 49 points and nine threes at Arizona while adding nine assists and seven boards in leading the Cougars to a 99-69 win against the Wildcats. Fredette also scored 36 points at home against rival Utah, a BYU record for points against the Utes.

In addition to all-district honors, Fredette has been named third-team All-American by Sporting News, first-team All-MWC and the MWC Player of the Week five times. He is a national player of the year candidate, having been named a Naismith Trophy Midseason Candidate, a Wooden Trophy Candidate and an Oscar Robertson Trophy finalist.

Past Cougars who have earned USBWA District Player of the Year honors include Danny Ainge (1981), Devin Durrant (1984) and Michael Smith (1987).

Emery — also named to the All-MWC Second Team and MWC All-Defensive Team — is one of the top perimeter defenders in the nation and a threat from the outside. He is currently fifth in the nation in steals per game at 2.7 and has shattered the BYU record for steals in a season with 85. He is six from tying the MWC single-season record.

A native of Alpine, Utah, Emery is averaging 12.6 points and 2.8 assists — both second on the team — while adding 4.4 rebounds. He is shooting .420 from three and has made a team-best 74 treys.

Joining Fredette and Emery on the District VIII Team are fellow-MWC members Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez of New Mexico and Tre’Von Willis of UNLV. Luke Babbitt of Nevada, Corey Higgins of Colorado, Damian Lillard of Weber State, Jared Quayle of Utah State and Jahman Young of New Mexico State round out the team. New Mexico’s Steve Alford received coach of the year honors.

With the selection of Fredette and Emery, BYU has had 10 USBWA all-district honorees in the last eight years. Fredette and Lee Cummard earned honors in 2009 while Cummard and Trent Plaisted earned honors in 2008. Keena Young was honored in 2007. Plaisted was also selected in 2006, Rafael Araujo was honored in 2004 and swingman Travis Hansen was named to the team in 2003.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. Today, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball.

Click here to view the 2009-10 USBWA All-District Teams.