Aztecs’ Dakarai Allen named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year
Aztecs’ Dakarai Allen named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year
Though San Diego State’s men’s basketball team hasn’t lived up to expectations this season, senior guard Dakarai Allen still managed to separate himself from all other Mountain West defenders across the league.
Allen was named the MW Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s head coaches on Tuesday, making it now three consecutive years that an Aztec has received such the honor. Before Allen’s defensive reign in 2017, former Aztec forward Skylar Spencer received the award in 2015 and 2016.
Additionally, Allen is now the seventh SDSU player since 2014 to earn a spot on the MW all-defensive squad.
Though he is often pitted against his opposition’s best offensive player, Allen still shares the team lead in steals with junior guard Trey Kell at 39 this season. He also ranks second on the team in blocks (29), third in total rebounds (124) and fourth in defensive rebounds (85).
Allen has helped SDSU climb to the top of nearly all defensive rankings in the MW, as his Aztecs currently sit atop the conference in scoring defense (63.2), field-goal percentage defense (.385) and blocked shorts (4.8). The Aztecs also rank second in three-point field-goal percentage defense (.315) and in steals (6.8).
The Aztecs’ top defender will have an opportunity to continue to pad both his and the team’s stats against UNLV on Wednesday in the first round of the MW Tournament in Las Vegas.
