By Tim Gudmundson
Three BYU basketball players were named to the academic All-Mountain West Conference team on Wednesday, June 27. Nathan Cooper, Eric Nielsen and Trent Whiting were among 15 players named to the team.
“It”s pretty shocking to tell you the truth,” Whiting said.
Whiting and his teammates earned the honors by finishing at least one semester at BYU, maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 or better and starting or contributing significantly to the team.
Only Utah had more selections than BYU, according to the Mountain West Conference.
Cooper, who was a senior last season, was a repeat selection to the team. Cooper joined three others in the conference in receiving the honor more than once.
Last year, Cooper started 20 of 33 games and averaged 21.5 minutes per game and 4.4 points per game. He shot .478 from the field and was .367 on three point attempts. He was a 73 percent free throw shooter and he also averaged 3.8 rebounds per game.
Whiting, another senior from last season, plans to continue his basketball career. “I”ll probably play in the Jazz summer camp and then if I do well, I”ll probably be able to play in the review,” he said.
He also has a chance to play in the Los Angeles Clippers” and the Cleveland Cavaliers” summer camps. He hopes his time in the camp will get him exposure and will cause NBA scouts to take notice.
Whiting is also thinking about playing professional basketball in Europe.
“I”ve talked to teams from France, Sweden, Lithuania, Italy and Spain,” he said.
Last year, Whiting started 25 of the 26 games he played. He averaged 35 minutes per game and shot .432 from the field. He was a 39 percent three-point shooter and was an impressive 82 percent free throw shooter. Overall, he averaged 14.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Eric Nielsen is the lone returning player from this year”s academic All-Conference team.
Last year, he started 27 games, averaged 22.5 minutes per game and led the team with a .606 field goal percentage. He was a 77 percent free throw shooter. He also averaged 3.8 rebounds per game.
