March 4, 2012

DENVER - Louisiana Tech senior Trevor Gaskins and freshman Raheem Appleby garnered honors from the Western Athletic Conference as the postseason awards were announced Monday.

Appleby was selected as the conference's Freshman of the Year, the first Bulldog since Paul Millsap in 2004 to earn the award. Appleby was also named to the second team all-WAC and all-Newcomer teams.

For the season, Appleby averaged 13.8 points per game on 46.0 percent shooting including 38.3 percent from three-point range. He also scored a season-high 30 points at New Mexico State on Feb. 4.

Gaskins was picked to the all-Defensive team and to the honorable mention all-WAC team.

He averaged 11.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 34 steals.

Gaskins' highlight game of the regular season was against Hawaii on Feb. 25 on Senior Day when he tied his season-highs of 22 points and eight rebounds and dished out a career-best eight assists.

Louisiana Tech enters the WAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed after finishing in a tie for fifth with Hawaii. The Bulldogs will take on Utah Sate Thursday night at approximately 10:30 p.m. CT at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

2011-12 WAC Men's Basketball Postseason Award Winners

All-Conference

First Team

Deonte Burton, So, G, Nevada

Vander Joaquim, Jr., C, Hawaii

Olek Czyz, Sr., F, Nevada

Wendell McKines, Sr., F, New Mexico State

Preston Medlin, So, G, Utah State

Second Team

Kevin Olekaibe, So, G, Fresno State

Kyle Barone, Jr., C, Idaho

Raheem Appleby, Fr., G, Louisiana Tech

Dario Hunt, Sr., F, Nevada

Hernst Laroche, Sr., G, New Mexico State

Honorable Mention

Zane Johnson, Sr., G, Hawaii

Deremy Geiger, Sr., G, Idaho

Trevor Gaskins, Sr., G, Louisiana Tech

Malik Story, Jr., G, Nevada

Hamidu Rahman, Sr., C, New Mexico State

Brockeith Pane, Sr., G, Utah State

Player of the Year: Deonte Burton, So., G, Nevada

Freshman of the Year: Raheem Appleby, G, Louisiana Tech

Don Haskins Coach of the Year: David Carter, Nevada

All Defensive Team

Vander Joaquim, Jr., C, Hawaii

Landon Tatum, Sr., G, Idaho

Trevor Gaskins, Sr., G, Louisiana Tech

Jerry Evans Jr., So, G, Nevada

Dario Hunt, Sr., F, Nevada

All-Newcomer Team

Djim Bandoumel, Sr., F, Idaho

Raheem Appleby, Fr., G, Louisiana Tech

Daniel Mullings, Fr., G, New Mexico State

James Kinney, Jr., G, San Jose State

Kyisean Reed, Jr., F, Utah State