By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University men's basketball team placed seven players on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court for the 2022-23 season as a result of their successful efforts in the classroom. WU players who qualified for the award were Jack Boydell (Sr., F, Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS), Mason Hoffman (Jr., F, Sammamish, WA/Seattle Preparatory School), Paul McSlarrow (Jr., W, Sandy, UT/The Waterford School), Jordan Pearce (Jr. F, Meridian, ID/Meridian HS), Joshua Perez (Sr., W, Los Angeles, CA/John Marshall HS), Gavin Rippere (Jr., F, Vancouver, WA/Salinas HS/Clark College), and Jonathan Watts (Grad., W, San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS).
It was the ninth year in a row that the Bearcats had one or more players receive recognition on the Honors Court. In addition, Willamette received the Team Academic Award for 2022-23 from the NABC due to the Bearcats' overall academic accomplishments.
Student-athletes qualified for the NABC Honors Court by achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or higher through the end of the 2022-23 academic year. Each person selected also had to be a varsity player who recently finished his junior or senior season. Every Honors Court athlete was at his current college or university for at least one full academic year.
NABC Honors Court for 2022-23
Jack Boydell (Sr., F) was named to the Honors Court for the second year in a row. This season, he also earned NCAA Division III Second Team Academic All-America recognition and was named First Team Academic All-District. He led the Bearcats and ranked second in the Northwest Conference in scoring with 18.7 points per game. He also topped the Bearcats with 5.1 rebounds per game.
Boydell connected on 50.3% of his field goals (153 of 304), converted 40.4% of his 3-point shots (57 of 141), set a Willamette record by hitting 87.6% of his free throws (85 of 97), and was chosen Honorable Mention All-NWC. He ranked 21st in NCAA Division III in free throw percentage and was 76th in points per game. During one stretch, he scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games. He recorded a career-high 34 points at Multnomah University (Ore.) on Nov. 15, 2022.
In his career, Boydell has scored 1,070 points while providing 322 rebounds, 147 assists, 71 steals, and 18 blocked shots. He recently received bachelor's degrees from Willamette in Economics and Data Science. He is participating in Willamette's 3+2 BA/MBA program, and plans to compete in basketball next season while finishing his MBA degree.
Mason Hoffman (Jr., F) saw action in 19 games and made six starts this season. He averaged 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. He connected on 10 three-point shots.
In three seasons with the Bearcats, Hoffman averaged 2.2 points per game and 1.5 rebounds per contest. He played in 40 games at Willamette. Hoffman majored in Economics.
Paul McSlarrow (Jr., Wing) averaged 4.0 points per game for the Bearcats in 2022-23. He also provided WU with 1.5 rebounds per game. He shot 47.1% from the field and was 15 for 38 (39.5%) on 3-point shots. He scored 21 points and hit seven 3-pointers against Douglas College (Canada) on Dec. 30.
McSlarrow has played in 51 games with four starts at Willamette. He has supplied the Bearcats with 23 three-point baskets and 68 rebounds. He is majoring in Computer Science.
Jordan Pearce (Jr., F) played for Willamette in 16 games this season, including five starts. He earned 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per night.
As a Bearcat, Pearce played in 41 games with seven starts. He contributed 1.6 points and 1.9 boards per contest. He was a Biology major.
Joshua Perez (Sr., Wing) was limited by an injury to just 12 games played and three starts in 2022-23. He provided the team with 3.0 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. He graduated from Willamette this spring with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Health Science.
Perez achieved career averages of 3.8 points and 0.9 rebounds per game. He competed in 44 games and made 10 starts.
Gavin Rippere (Jr., F) was in his first season with the Bearcats in 2022-23 after transferring from Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. He averaged 4.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game for Willamette while playing in 19 games. He grabbed a season-high seven rebounds against Hardin-Simmons University (Texas) on Dec. 20 and versus the University of Puget Sound on Jan. 7.
Rippere is majoring in Exercise and Health Science at Willamette. Prior to attending Clark College, he graduated from Salinas High School in California.
Jonathan Watts (Grad., Wing) qualified for the Honors Court for the third season in a row. He graduated from Willamette in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Exercise and Health Science. This spring, he earned an MBA degree from Willamette's Atkinson Graduate School of Management. In 2022-23, he saw action in just seven games due to an injury and did not play after December 3. He averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He shot 25 for 47 (53.2%) from the field and converted 19 of 20 free throws (95.0%).
Throughout his Willamette career, Watts' playing time was limited by injuries. Even so, he competed in 54 games while making 49 starts for the Bearcats. he scored 686 points, while connecting on 88 of 195 three-pointers (45.1%) and 128 of 152 free throws (84.2%). He grabbed 253 career rebounds.
Note: Academic year listed for each player is for the 2022-23 season.
