# Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year

The Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an award given to the Western Athletic Conference's (WAC) most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1980–81 season. Keith Van Horn of Utah and Nick Fazekas of Nevada are the only players to have won the award three times. Three other players—Michael Cage, Josh Grant and Melvin Ely—have won the award twice. Danny Ainge, the first ever WAC Player of the Year, was also the John R. Wooden Award winner in 1980–81.
Utah has the most all-time winners with seven. There have been four ties in the award's history, most notably in 1982–83 when there was a three-way tie. Due mainly to major membership turnover from 2010 to 2014 and further turnover in the early 2020s, only three current WAC members (California Baptist, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon) have had a winner.

## Key

| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national player of the year award: UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1954–55 to 1995–96) Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present) John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present) |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the WAC Player of the Year award at that point |

## Winners

| Season | Player | School | Position | Class |
| 1980–81 | Danny Ainge* | BYU | SG | Senior |
| 1981–82 | Bill Garnett | Wyoming | SF | Senior |
| 1982–83$^†$ | Michael Cage | San Diego State | C | Junior |
| 1982–83$^†$ | Devin Durrant | BYU | SF | Junior |
| 1982–83$^†$ | Pace Mannion | Utah | SG | Senior |
| 1983–84 | Michael Cage (2) | San Diego State | C | Senior |
| 1984–85 | Timo Saarelainen | BYU | SF | Senior |
| 1985–86 | Anthony Watson | San Diego State | F | Senior |
| 1986–87 | Fennis Dembo | Wyoming | SF | Senior |
| 1987–88 | Michael Smith | BYU | SF | Junior |
| 1988–89 | Tim Hardaway | UTEP | PG | Senior |
| 1989–90 | Mike Mitchell | Colorado State | F | Senior |
| 1990–91 | Josh Grant | Utah | PF | Junior |
| 1991–92 | Reggie Slater | Wyoming | F | Senior |
| 1992–93 | Josh Grant (2) | Utah | PF | Senior |
| 1993–94 | Greg Brown | New Mexico | PG | Senior |
| 1994–95 | Keith Van Horn | Utah | SG / SF | Sophomore |
| 1995–96 | Keith Van Horn (2) | Utah | SG / SF | Junior |
| 1996–97$^†$ | Anthony Carter | Hawaii | PG | Junior |
| 1996–97$^†$ | Keith Van Horn (3) | Utah | SG / SF | Senior |
| 1997–98$^†$ | Lee Nailon | TCU | PF | Junior |
| 1997–98$^†$ | Clayton Shields | New Mexico | SG / SF | Senior |
| 1998–99$^†$ | Andre Miller | Utah | PG | Senior |
| 1998–99$^†$ | Jeryl Sasser | SMU | SG | Sophomore |
| 1999–00 | Courtney Alexander | Fresno State | SG | Senior |
| 2000–01 | Melvin Ely | Fresno State | C | Junior |
| 2001–02 | Melvin Ely (2) | Fresno State | C | Senior |
| 2002–03 | Quinton Ross | SMU | PF | Senior |
| 2003–04 | Kirk Snyder | Nevada | SG / SF | Junior |
| 2004–05 | Nick Fazekas | Nevada | PF / C | Sophomore |
| 2005–06 | Nick Fazekas (2) | Nevada | PF / C | Junior |
| 2006–07 | Nick Fazekas (3) | Nevada | PF / C | Senior |
| 2007–08 | Jaycee Carroll | Utah State | SG | Senior |
| 2008–09 | Gary Wilkinson | Utah State | F | Senior |
| 2009–10 | Luke Babbitt | Nevada | PF | Sophomore |
| 2010–11 | Tai Wesley | Utah State | PF | Senior |
| 2011–12 | Deonte Burton | Nevada | PG | Sophomore |
| 2012–13 | Kyle Barone | Idaho | C | Senior |
| 2013–14 | Daniel Mullings | New Mexico State | SG | Junior |
| 2014–15 | Martez Harrison | Kansas City | SG / PG | Sophomore |
| 2015–16 | Pascal Siakam | New Mexico State | PF | Sophomore |
| 2016–17 | Ian Baker | New Mexico State | PG | Senior |
| 2017–18 | Jemerrio Jones | New Mexico State | PF | Senior |
| 2018–19 | Jake Toolson | Utah Valley | SG | Junior |
| 2019–20 | Milan Acquaah | California Baptist | SG | Junior |
| 2020–21 | Fardaws Aimaq | Utah Valley | C | Sophomore |
| 2021–22 | Teddy Allen | New Mexico State | SG | Junior |
| 2022–23 | Qua Grant | Sam Houston | PG | Senior |
| 2023–24 | Tyon Grant-Foster | Grand Canyon | SG | Graduate |
| 2024–25 | Dominick Nelson | Utah Valley | PG | Junior |

## Winners by school

| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
| Utah (1962) | 7 | 1983$^†$, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997$^†$, 1999$^†$ |
| Nevada (2000) | 6 | 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012 |
| New Mexico State (2005) | 5 | 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 |
| BYU (1962) | 4 | 1981, 1983$^†$, 1985, 1988 |
| Fresno State (1992) | 3 | 2000, 2001, 2002 |
| San Diego State (1978) | 3 | 1983$^†$, 1984, 1986 |
| Utah State (2005) | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2011 |
| Utah Valley (2013) | 3 | 2019, 2021, 2025 |
| Wyoming (1962) | 3 | 1982, 1987, 1992 |
| New Mexico (1962) | 2 | 1994, 1998$^†$ |
| SMU (1996) | 2 | 1999$^†$, 2003 |
| California Baptist (2018) | 1 | 2020 |
| Colorado State (1967) | 1 | 1990 |
| Grand Canyon (2013) | 1 | 2024 |
| Hawaiʻi (1979) | 1 | 1997 |
| Idaho (2005) | 1 | 2013 |
| Kansas City (2013) | 1 | 2015 |
| Sam Houston (2021) | 1 | 2023 |
| TCU (1996) | 1 | 1998$^†$ |
| UTEP (1967) | 1 | 1989 |
| Abilene Christian (2021) | 0 | — |
| Boise State (2001) | 0 | — |
| Chicago State (2013) | 0 | — |
| CSU Bakersfield (2013) | 0 | — |
| Denver (2012) | 0 | — |
| Lamar (2021) | 0 | — |
| Louisiana Tech (2001) | 0 | — |
| San Jose State (1996) | 0 | — |
| Seattle (2012) | 0 | — |
| Southern Utah (2022) | 0 | — |
| Stephen F. Austin (2021) | 0 | — |
| Tarleton State (2020) | 0 | — |
| Texas State (2012) | 0 | — |
| UT Arlington (2012/2022) | 0 | — |
| Utah Tech (2020) | 0 | — |
| UTRGV (2013) | 0 | — |
| UTSA (2012) | 0 | — |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming all left in 1999 to become charter members of the Mountain West Conference (MW). Of these schools: BYU and Utah are now in the Big 12 Conference. Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, and Wyoming remain in the MW. Colorado State and San Diego State will leave the MW for the Pac-12 Conference in 2026.
* 1 2 Nevada and Fresno State left for the MW in 2012. Fresno State will leave the MW for the Pac-12 in 2026.
* 1 2 New Mexico State and Sam Houston left for Conference USA in 2023.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Seven schools left the WAC for other conferences in 2013: Denver joined The Summit League after only one year in the WAC. Louisiana Tech and UTSA joined Conference USA (CUSA), the latter after spending only one year in the WAC. San Jose State and Utah State joined the MW. Utah State will leave the MW for the Pac-12 in 2026. Texas State and UT Arlington joined the Sun Belt after only one year in the WAC. UT Arlington rejoined the WAC in 2022.
* 1 2 SMU and UTEP both left in 2005 to join CUSA. SMU joined the American Athletic Conference in 2013 and moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. UTEP remains in CUSA, but will join the MW in 2026.
* ↑ Grand Canyon will leave for the MW no later than 2026.
* ↑ Hawaiʻi left for the Big West in 2012, and will join its football team in the MW in 2026.
* ↑ Idaho left the WAC in 2014 for the Big Sky.
* ↑ The University of Missouri–Kansas City, which left the WAC after the 2019–20 season to rejoin its former conference home of the Summit League, changed its athletic brand to "Kansas City" after the 2018–19 season.
* ↑ TCU left in 2001 for CUSA. It is now in the Big 12.
* ↑ Boise State left in 2011 for the MW, and will move to the Pac-12 in 2026.
* ↑ Chicago State left the WAC in 2022, becoming a Division I independent. It joined the Northeast Conference in 2024.
* ↑ CSU Bakersfield, now in the process of an athletic rebranding as Bakersfield, left for the Big West in 2020.
* ↑ Lamar left the WAC in 2022 after only one season, returning to its previous home of the Southland Conference (SLC).
* ↑ Seattle will rejoin the West Coast Conference in 2025.
* ↑ Stephen F. Austin returned to its previous home of the SLC in 2024.
* ↑ Known as Dixie State before the 2022–23 season.
* ↑ UTRGV left the WAC for the SLC after the 2023–24 season.
* ↑ The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) entered into full operation in 2015 with the merger of the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA), which had joined the WAC in 2013, and the University of Texas at Brownsville. Because UTRGV directly inherited the UTPA athletic program. it is credited with all UTPA historic records, and maintains UTPA's WAC membership.