First-Teamer Thorns Leads TCU All-MW Honorees
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Senior guard Hank Thorns was selected to the All-Mountain West First Team in a vote of the league’s coaches and media released by the MW office Monday, leading a group of four Horned Frogs listed among the conference’s award winners.
Joining Thorns in receiving notice were senior guard J.R. Cadot, who was named third-team All-MW, freshman guard Kyan Anderson, the league’s Freshman of the Year, and sophomore forward Amric Fields, who was named MW Sixth Man of theYear.
Thorns, who was a third-team All-MW selection as a junior in 2011, became the first Frog in 12 years to earn first-team all-conference notice since Marquise Gainous was named to the All-WAC First Team in 2000. Thorns led the league this season during the 14-game conference season in 3-pointers (3.00 3pg) and minutes played (36.1 mpg), while he also ranked No. 3 in assists (4.6 apg), 3-pointers (2.3 3pg) and 3-point percentage (39.8%); No. 6 in assist/turnover ratio (1.59); and No. 7 in scoring (13.4 ppg).
Thorns, a native of Las Vegas, Nev., became the 44th different TCU player ever to be named first-team all-conference. The 44 players have combined for 60 different first-team honors.
Cadot received his first all-conference nod by being selected to the All-MW Third Team. A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Cadot leads TCU in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and field-goal percentage (51.4%) and is No. 2 in scoring (11.3 ppg). He ranked No. 6 in the MW in rebounding and No. 14 in scoring during league action and also was No. 3 in offensive rebounding and 10th in steals. Cadot was named MW Player of the Week on Feb. 27.
When accounting for Thorns and Cadot, TCU now has featured five different all-league players in its seven-year stint in
the Mountain West. Previous Frog honorees include Ronnie Moss (2009-10 second team), Kevin Langford (2008-09 second team, 2007-08 third team) and Nile Murray (2005-06 third team).
Anderson capped an outstanding debut regular season by becoming only the fourth TCU player ever to be named league Freshman of the Year, joining the likes of former Frogs Damion Walker (1996 Southwest Conference), Juan Bragg (1995 SWC) and Jeff Jacobs (1994 SWC). A product of Fort Worth’s North Crowley High School, Anderson led all MW freshmen in scoring average (9.8 ppg), assists (3.1 apg), assist/turnover ratio (1.48) and minutes played (34.6 mpg) during league action.
Fields, who hails from Oklahoma City, Okla., became TCU’s first-ever conference Sixth Man of the Year after leading all MW bench players (five starts or fewer duringleague play) in scoring (9.6 ppg). He was the only bench player among the MW’s top-20 scorers, tying for 20th. Like Cadot, Fields was named MW Player of the Week once this season back on Jan. 9.
TCU tips off March Madness this weekend when it travels to Las Vegas, Nev., for the 2012 Conoco Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship. The Frogs, the tournament’s No. 5 seed, begin play in the quarterfinal round Thursday when they face No. 4 seed Colorado State at 4:30 p.m. CST. The game will be televised live by both The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.) and CBS Sports Network.
