DECATUR - Decatur sophomore Mario Urquidi was named all-conference, all-state and NWA Media Player of the Year for his accomplishments on the basketball court.

Urquidi was one of 20 players chosen from 60 schools across Arkansas to be named a 2-A conference all-state player, according to head coach and athletic director John Unger.

He is the first Decatur basketball player to be chosen for the honor in recent memory, Unger said. Probably no Decatur player has received the all-state award since the 1960s or 1970s, he said.

Urquidi was also one of 13 local students to receive the NWA Media Player of the Year award, Unger said.

The Bulldogs made it to the state playoffs with a record of 13-1 in conference and 21-7 overall. Urquidi led the Bulldogs in all the major categories, scoring an average of 13 points, nine rebounds and four blocks a game.

“That’s pretty good for a sophomore,” Unger said.

Unger said that Urquidi is a really good team player and does a good job of helping his teammates score instead of making all the shots himself.

“It’s a team award. He got all-state because he’s a really good player, but he’s got really good playerswith him,” Unger said.

Seniors Evan Owens, Andrew Harris and Dakota Pitcher and sophomore Victor Urquidi were named all-conference players.

Urquidi has shown a lot of improvement since last year, especially in his shooting, according to Unger. Urquidi said he feels he has improved the most at looking at better shots and passing the ball.

Urquidi said he was excited when he found out he received the all-state award.

“It means a lot,” he said.

“He’s got big things ahead of him if he keeps working at it,” Unger said.

Sports, Pages 9 on 04/17/2013