JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Three members of the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team received All-Region 16 honors and Head Coach Chris Popp was named Region 16 Coach of the Year following Saturday’s Region 16 Championship game in Jefferson City.

Sophomore point guard Ricky Torres, Pinellas Park, Florida; redshirt freshman guard Radshad Davis, Nassau, Bahamas; and sophomore forward Yannis Mendy, Paris, France, all were named first team all-region.

Torres received the most votes among the honorees and will be considered for NJCAA All-American status. In the past, the top vote getter was named the region’s Player of the Year.

“These three sophomores are really special to me. They came here a couple of years ago and trusted the process and trusted me when we started from scratch with a program that was on probation, had no post-season play their freshman year and with a first-time head coach,” said Popp of his first recruits as the Grizzlies’ head coach.

“They have been huge for this program. They’ve been great citizens for the campus and our community. I can’t say how happy I am to see them get the recognition they deserve,” he added.

THEIR STATS

To date, Torres has averaged 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game against all opponents this season. Against region opponents, he averaged 16.9 points, four rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game. His assist counts lead Region 16 and currently place him third in the country in total assists and assists per game.

Davis has averaged 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game against all opponents. Against region opponents, however, he has averaged 20.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He finished second in the region in both scoring and rebounding.

Mendy has averaged 12. 5 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game against all opponents and 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game against region opponents this season. His rebounding average was good enough to lead Region 16 this season.

COACH OF THE YEAR

As for his own honor, Popp said, “that’s a team award. I received that based on my team’s performance. I don’t get to go out there and play anymore. It was earned by my team and my staff. That’s how I see Coach of the Year awards.”

Other region players earning first-team honors include Alonzo Verge, Jr., Randy Miller, Jr., and Billy Thomas, all of Moberly Area Community College in Moberly; AJ Walker and Tyreek Scott-Grayson, both of State Fair Community College in Sedalia; Aidan Saunders of Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff; and Bobby Parker of Mineral Area College in Park Hills.

Verge, Walker, Miller and Thomas will join Torres for consideration for all-American status as the top five vote getters in the region.

Honorable mention all-region honorees included Roman Young, Jamie Ahale, Lance Singh and Zach Cameron, all of Mineral Area; JaQualis Matlock and Tyree White, both of Moberly; and Jeffery Porter of Three Rivers.

Stay up to date with Grizzly Athletics and Grizzly Booster Club news by signing up for text alerts at http://remind.com/join/wpgrizz or text “@WPGrizz to 81010.