LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego earned three major awards Tuesday as The Big West announced its postseason awards voted on by the conference's 11 head coaches. Junior guard/forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is The Big West Newcomer of the Year, Triton head coach Eric Olen is Coach of the Year, and guard/forward Tyler McGhie garnered the conference's Best Sixth Player award. In addition, senior guard Bryce Pope was named All-Big West First Team and McGhie, junior forward Francis Nwaokorie and Tait-Jones were all recognized as Honorable Mention All-Big West. The Tritons are the only Big West program to win multiple major awards.
 
Playing in their fourth Division I season, UC San Diego posted a 21-11 record and earned a second-place finish in The Big West with a 15-5 conference mark. On Sunday, UC San Diego announced it has accepted an invitation to participate in the Ro College Basketball Invitational tournament later this month. The Tritons led The Big West in three-pointers per game, fewest turnovers per game, and assist-turnover ratio, among other statistics. UC San Diego utilized the same starting lineup in all 32 games – one of just two Division I programs to do so.
 
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones captured Big West Newcomer of the Year honors – the first Triton to win this award. In his first year at UC San Diego, Tait-Jones was tenth in the conference in scoring at 15.2 points per game against Big West foes. The New Zealand native was remarkably efficient, connecting on 59% of his shot attempts over 20 Big West games. Tait-Jones was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
 
The conference's Coach of the Year honor is the third such award for Eric Olen, and his first in Division I. In 11 years as UC San Diego's head man, Olen has also garnered a pair of CCAA Coach of the Year honors and an NABC West Region Coach of the Year accolade from his time in Division II. Under his leadership, the Tritons have won 20 or more games six times. His 210 victories are more than any other coach in program history.
 
Tyler McGhie was named the conference's Best Sixth Player – the first UC San Diego scholar-athlete to win the award. After making his season debut on Dec. 18, McGhie averaged 13.8 points per game in 28 minutes off the bench, tying for the top spot in the conference at three 3-pointers per game. The sharpshooter was second in The Big West in three-point field goal percentage at 40.7%. McGhie was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
 
Bryce Pope becomes the first Triton to be named All-Big West First Team. During conference play, Pope ranked third in The Big West in scoring at 19.3 points per contest while leading the league at 36.5 minutes per game. Pope has started 103 career games and currently sits fourth all-time in scoring in UC San Diego history with 1,611 career points.  
 
Francis Nwaokorie is Honorable Mention All-Big West for the second year in a row. In 2023-24, the versatile forward averaged more than ten points and six rebounds per game during Big West action, leading the Tritons with three double-doubles.
 
All four Triton scholar-athletes honored have scored more than 1,000 career points.
 
UC San Diego season tickets for the 2024-25 season are now on-sale through Triton Box Office. Season ticket holders receive priority for postseason events including The Big West championship as well as NCAA tournament. Current season ticket holders will received renewal information earlier this week.
 
For a complete list of 2024 Big West award-winners, visit bigwest.org.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.