Klay Thompson adds USBWA district honors to accolades

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Washington State University junior Klay Thompson has been named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-District IX Team for the second-straight season, the organization announced.

 

For the fourth time in five years a Cougar has earned the honor, as Thompson picks up his second-straight USBWA all-district honor. Last season Thompson became the first Cougar to earn the honor since Kyle Weaver was named to the USBWA District IX Team in 2008. Derrick Low picked up the accolades as a junior in 2007. The organization divides all Division I schools into nine districts. District IX is made up of all Division I schools in California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Arizona and Alaska and has a 10-man team, along with player and coach of the year.

 

Thompson is one of seven Pacific-10 Conference student-athletes on the team and one of three players from a Washington school. He is joined by fellow Pac-10 members:

 

Also named to the team were:

 

Williams was named the Player of the Year, while San Diego State’s Steve Fisher earned Coach of the Year.

 

A native of Ladera Ranch, Calif., Thompson earned All-Pac-10 First Team honors for the second-straight year this year after being named to the all-freshman team as a rookie in 2008-09.  The Cougars’ leading scorer, Thompson ranks third in WSU’s record books for career scoring with 1,687 points and holds the school record for career 3-pointers made with 237. He holds the WSU single-season scoring record with 664 points this season. He could become the first Coug to lead the league in scoring since Don Collins averaged 23.1 points per game in 1979-80.

 

Thompson, the Cougars’ leading scorer, is first in the conference and eighth in the nation with a team-best 22.1 points per game. He ranks first in the Pac-10 in 3-point field goals made (3.1 mpg), third in free throw percentage (.824), fourth in steals (1.8 spg), seventh in assists (3.9 apg), eighth in blocked shots (1.0 bpg) and ninth in steals (1.8 spg), while playing a league fourth-most 34.6 minutes a game.

 

The USBWA 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.
USBWA District IX (Calif., Ore., Wash., Hawaii, Ariz., Alaska)