SPOKANE, Wash. – Junior forward Kyle Wiltjer and senior guard Kevin Pangos were Second and Third Team All-Americans by the Associated Press and National Association of Basketball Coaches announced this week.
Both Wiltjer and Pangos were named to the Third Team by the Associated Press panel, which is the same group that votes on the AP weekly Top 25 poll. For the NABC teams, Wiltjer was placed on the Second Team and Pangos on the Third Team. The 15 student-athletes that make up the three teams were selected and voted on by NABC member coaches.
Pangos, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year and a four-time All-WCC First Team selection, led the record-breaking Zags to a 35-3 record and Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. From the point guard spot, he ranked second in the NCAA an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.55 and averaged 11.6 points while leading the team with 81 three-pointers. Additionally, he led the team in assists (4.8 apg), steals (1.3 spg) and free throw percentage (.824). Earlier this year, Pangos broke the GU all-time threes record of 288 and ended his career with 322.
A 6-10 forward, Wiltjer burst onto the scene this season after transferring from Kentucky and sitting out last season as a redshirt. He led the team 16.8 points per game and shot a team-best .466 from behind the arc while making 68 three-pointers. He led the team in scoring 18 times and had a team-high 30 games with double-digit points, including 11 with more than 20. He also had a team season-high of 45 at Pacific on Feb. 19. Wiltjer became the seventh Zag to earn the WCC Newcomer of the Year Award.
Pangos and Wiltjer join Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns as the only set of teammates on the 15-member AP list. Those two pairs along with Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon and Justin Anderson were the only sets of teammates on the 15-member NABC list.
Both Pangos and Wiltjer were also named to the Lute Olson Award All-America Team and finalists for the Lute Olson Player of the Year award.
Last week, both Pangos and Wiltjer were named to the five-person NABC All-District 9 Team, while Mark Few was named the NABC District 9 Coach of the Year.
Gonzaga set a school record with 35 wins, three more than the previous record of 32 set in 2012-13, while making a return trip to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1999. The Zags (35-3, 17-1) swept the WCC regular season and tournament titles for the third straight season.
Associated Press All-America Teams
First Team
Willie Cauley-Stein, F, Kentucky
Jerian Grant, G, Notre Dame
Frank Kaminsky, F, Wisconsin*
Jahlil Okafor, F, Duke
D'Angelo Russell, G, Ohio State
Second Team
Malcolm Brogdon, G, Virginia
Karl-Anthony Towns, F, Kentucky
Seth Tuttle, F, Northern Iowa
Bobby Portis, F, Arkansas
Delon Wright, G, Utah
Third Team
Kyle Wiltjer, F, Gonzaga
Buddy Hield, G, Oklahoma
Rakeem Christmas, F, Syracuse
Georges Niang, F, Iowa State
Kevin Pangos, G, Gonzaga
