Jemerrio Jones named WAC Player of the Year; Chris Jans is top coach

New Mexico State is home to both the WAC Player of the Year and the Don Haskins WAC Coach of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.

Senior forward Jemerrio Jones was named the league’s top player after averaging a double-double during the regular season, while Chris Jans was named the league’s top coach after guiding his team to a WAC regular season title and a 25-5 overall record.

Jones is averaging 10.9 points per game to go along with 12.7 rebounds per contest. His 12.7 boards per game are good for second in the nation. Jones also leads the nation in defensive rebounds per game (9.0).

An Aggie has now won WAC Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons. Guard Ian Baker won the award last season, while forward Pascal Siakam was an obvious choice two years ago.

Chris Jans made a bit of history by being named the WAC’s most outstanding coach in his first year with the Aggies. It had been 13 years since a WAC coach had been named the league’s best in his first season at the helm. Nevada’s Mark Fox was the last coach to pull off the feat when he was named the top coach after the 2004-05 season.

Meanwhile, guard Zach Lofton joined Jones on the WAC First Team after averaging 19.3 points per game this season.

Lofton and point guard A.J. Harris were also both named to the WAC All-Newcomer Team, which honors outstanding players in their first season with a school.

NMSU enters the WAC Tournament as the top seed after posting a 12-2 record in the WAC.

They will meet Chicago State in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 7 p.m. That game will be shown online at ESPN3.com.