Weber State guard Ruben Nembhard has been named the Big Sky Conference basketball player of the year and to an all-Big Sky first-team that includes Northern Arizona's Brad Snyder, who died Feb. 19.
Big Sky Commissioner Ron Stephenson announced the honors Wednesday.Nembhard and Snyder were among 11 players named by the league's eight coaches to the 1995 all-Big Sky team.
Nembhard, a 6-foot-3 senior from the Bronx, N.Y., made the team for the second straight year and was listed on every ballot. He was joined as a unanimous first-team selection by Snyder, a junior forward who was killed in an automobile accident last month after the Lumberjacks defeated Idaho State.
Jim Potter of Idaho State, a 6-9 forward/center from Boise, also was a unanimous selection and became only the 13th player in conference history to earn all-Big Sky honors three times.
Eastern Washington junior center Melvin Lewis was named the Big Sky's top newcomer and Northern Arizona's Jermone Riley was picked as the league's outstanding freshman.
Boise State senior center John Coker and Montana State junior forward Nico Harrison were named to the all-Big Sky first-team for the second straight year. The rest of the team included Montana senior center Matt Kempfert, Idaho senior guard Mark Leslie, Weber State senior forward Kirk Smith, Montana junior forward Shawn Samuelson, Montana senior guard Jeremy Lake. and Weber State junior forward Jimmy DeGraffenried.
Nembhard led the Big Sky in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game, and averaged 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game - second best in the league. He helped the Wildcats to a share of the Big Sky regular-season title and the right to host this week's conference tournament in Ogden.
Snyder averaged 14.1 points per game and led the Big Sky in free throw shooting at better than 88 percent before his accident. He also was among the top 3-point shooters in the Big Sky averaging, 1.7 per game in 22 games.