San Bruno, CA – With the announcement of the 2010 All-West Coast Conference Team on Monday, SMC's Omar Samhan and Mickey McConnell garnered First Team All-WCC selections, while Samhan was named the WCC Defender of the Year. Freshman Matthew Dellavedova was an honorable mention All-WCC honoree, as well as being named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.

For Omar Samhan it marked the third straight season he was named to the all-conference team, and second straight as a first team honoree. During his senior season, he led the conference in scoring (21.5 ppg), rebounds (11.1 rpg), and blocks (2.9 bpg). His 21.5 points per game currently ranks 11th in the country.

He is the first WCC player to lead the conference in the three categories since Bill Cartwright of USF did it during the 1978-79 season.

He was selected as the WCC Defensive Player of the Year after averaging a double-double for the season. His 11.1 rebounds per game were three rebounds better than the next best player in the conference, and ranks seventh in the country. His 2.9 blocks per game was one block per game better than the next player, and ranks 13th in the nation. His selection marks the third straight for SMC, as Diamon Simpson was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008. Anthony Woodards also won the award in 2002.

Mickey McConnell had a stellar junior season, as he finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game, while starting all 29 games. He finished third in the WCC in assists, averaging 5.3 per game, which ranks 42nd in the country. He also did a lot of damage from behind the arc, as he shot 50.8 percent from 3-point land, which was tops in the WCC and fourth in the country.

As a freshman this season, Matthew Dellavedova averaged 12.5 points and 4.6 assists per game for the Gaels. His 12.5 points per game were third best on the team and 15th in the conference. He led the Gaels with 66 made 3-pointers, while shooting 41.8 percent from 3-point land. Dellavedova's 4.6 assists per game ranked second on the team and fourth in the WCC. He finished the season with 132 assists (second on the team) and with 53 turnovers, for a 2.6 assist/turnover ratio. He had the best assist/turnover ratio in the WCC, which ranked 18th in the country.

Samhan and the Gaels will return to action in the semifinals of the 2010 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Championships on Sunday, March 7. The Gaels first game of the tournament will be against either Portland, San Diego, or Santa Clara, and is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The game will also be televised on ESPN2.

2010 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Honors

Individual Honors
WCC Player of the Year Matt Bouldin, GON
WCC Defensive Player of the Year Omar Samhan, SMC
Newcomer of the Year Elias Harris, GON
Coach of the Year Mark Few, GON

2010 All-WCC First Team
Matt Bouldin, GON
T.J. Campbell, POR
Steven Gray, GON
Elias Harris, GON
Dior Lowhorn, USF
Mickey McConnell, SMC
Omar Samhan, SMC
Robin Smeulders, POR
Vernon Teel, LMU
Drew Viney, LMU

Honorable Mention
Keion Bell, PEP
Matthew Dellavedova, SMC
Brandon Johnson, USD
Luke Sikma, POR
Jared Stohl, POR
Mychel Thompson, PEP
Marc Trasolini, SCU

All-Freshman Team
Matthew Dellavedova, SMC
Ashley Hamilton, LMU
Elias Harris, GON
Chris Manresa, USD
Robert Smith, SCU