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Junior Dwight Powell was named an All-Pac-12 First Team selection and recognized as the conference's Most Improved Player of the Year, highlighting Stanford's honorees among this year's men's all-conference basketball award winners, as announced Monday.

Meanwhile, Josh Huestis earned a spot on the five-member All-Defensive Team, one year after receiving Honorable Mention status in the same category.

Powell, who was named to the All-Freshman Team two years ago, is the first Stanford player named to the 10-member First Team since Jeremy Green in 2011. Powell also becomes the first Cardinal to earn the Pac-12's Most Improved Player of the Year, since the inception of the award four years ago.

Fully healthy and contributing consistently, Powell is showcasing the type of dynamic all-around game many expected when he first arrived on The Farm. The only Pac-12 player ranked among the league's top-10 in both scoring and rebounding, Powell is averaging a team-best 15.1 points while ranking second on the squad with 8.2 rebounds.

In addition to compiling nine double-doubles, Powell is shooting 47.4 percent overall and 79.9 percent from the foul line while totaling 64 assists, 33 blocks and 22 steals. He has produced eight 20-point games while reaching double figures in 18 consecutive games and 25 overall.

Powell's current totals represent a significant improvement from last season's averages of 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds and six double-figure scoring games. Powell joins Landry Fields (2009-10), Brook Lopez (2007-08) and Matt Haryasz (2005-06) as the only Cardinal players who have averaged at least 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds over the past decade.

Huestis has continued his development into one of the Pac-12's premier defensive performers. Huestis is averaging 10.5 points and a team-best 9.3 boards per game, looking to become the first Cardinal player to average a double-double since Curtis Borchardt (16.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg) in 2001-02. Huestis, who tallied 10 blocks in a game against Seattle back on Nov. 28, leads the team in that category with 62 and his 2.0 swats per game rank fourth in the Pac-12. Huestis has registered 112 career blocks, good for sixth all-time in school history.

Huestis, who also has put together nine double-doubles, is one of three players in school history to record at least 500 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks for his career, joining Tim Young (1994-99) and Howard Wright (1985-89).

Stanford has performed at its best this season when both Powell and Huestis have contributed big numbers at the same time.

Prior to Feb. 27, the Cardinal had received at least one double-double from either Powell or Huestis in eight straight games. Additionally, Powell and Huestis are one of five duos nationally to have notched at least nine double-doubles apiece, joining NC State's Richard Howell (16) and C.J. Leslie (9), Hawai'i's Vander Joaquim (12) and Christian Standhardinger (9), Baylor's Isaiah Austin (10) and Cory Jefferson (9) and Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams (9) and C.J. Fair (9).

The postseason gets underway on Wednesday at noon as Stanford (18-13) squares off against Arizona State (20-11) in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. The winner draws No. 1 seed UCLA on Thursday at noon in the quarterfinals.

— Stanford Athletics

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