They weren't hatin' words. And Jimmer Fredette was plenty gracious Monday afternoon when asked -- after a few hours to digest that he was not selected the Mountain West Conference's best player -- if it might "motivate" him as the junior BYU guard and his team prepare for what they hope is a three-day run in Las Vegas.
"Maybe a little bit," the conference's leading scorer said after not even getting a share of the player of the year honor with New Mexico's Darington Hobson. "You know what I mean? It could definitely motivate you, obviously."
Fredette, though, wasn't in a defensive stance.
"I just wasn't quite deserving for it. Darington had a great year."
Cougar head coach Dave Rose was pleased to see four members get selected among the all-MWC squads.
Fredette made the first team, while fellow junior Jackson Emery was on the second group of five -- along with being pegged on the MWC's all-defense team.
Freshman Tyler Haws joined senior Jonathan Tavernari on the third team, and the latter was also picked as the top sixth man.
It was Tavernari's third consecutive year on the third team.
"That's a funny thing, because last year I think I had better stats," Tavernari said. "I don't think that says anything about development. The team has been successful."
The polling was done with 27 ballots -- all nine coaches plus their respective radio "voices," along with a media representative from each school market (disclosure: The Daily Herald's Jason Franchuk had a vote, though it's unclear if it counted because two BYU-related print reporters were issued ballots; Franchuk's ballot can be viewed on his blog).
Tavernari called it "tough" that Fredette didn't get to at least get a share of the POY.
Rose, who has said publicly he thought Fredette deserved it, said again: "Jimmer had an outstanding year and he could have easily been player of the year."
Tavernari was on the first team, like Fredette, for October's preseason poll.
But two big surprises came out of Albuquerque.
Junior point guard Dairese Gary showed marked statistical improvement, and was viewed by some league followers as arguably the most pivotal Lobo on a squad that is currently ranked No. 8 nationally.
Hobson was a junior-college transfer, from College of Eastern Utah who once committed to UNM to play for Steve Alford but failed to immediately qualify academically. He averaged around 16 points and 10 rebounds and became the first player in 11 MWC seasons to win the newcomer award and POY in the same year.
Maybe the biggest differences between Hobson and Fredette? UNM's standout played in all 31 games, while Fredette -- the league's leading scorer -- had some time ruined because of a bout of mononucleosis that apparently has lingered. Hobson's Lobos won both meetings with BYU, the latter of which when Fredette fell ill again and saw just 16 minutes.
UNLV's Tre'Von Willis rounded out the first team with the pair of Lobos and Fredette, along with San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard.
There have been a few occasions when the POY has been turned into a shared honor.
It came in 2008 when BYU's Lee Cummard did it with UNM's J.R. Giddens.
The MWC does not release ballot counts.
• No go for NYC: Looks like the Cougars won't be getting that hoped-for November trip to the Big Apple. The Coaches Vs. Cancer Web site announced that Pittsburgh, Maryland, Texas and Illnois are the marquee teams.
BYU, of course, had hopes to tell its story on a national stage after Rose's bout with pancreatic cancer last summer.
The Cougars are slated to attend a Thanksgiving weekend tournament at South Padre Island, Texas.
• Women's team honored: BYU was pegged to finish sixth in the preseason rankings and wound up second.
That brought home a few honors, as Mindy Bonham was placed on the second team. Haley Hall, Coriann Wood, Kristen Riley and Jazmine Foreman were all honorable mention.
Wood, a junior forward, won a sixth-man award like Tavernari.
"That's why I brought her off the bench," head coach Jeff Judkins said. "I felt like her intensity could really help this team in that way."
