Justin Briggs had long dreamed of being in Evansville, Indiana, this week for the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament Elite Eight. Those dreams ended when the NCAA canceled all Winter and Spring Championships on the eve of the opening round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

The silver lining lay just ahead. Briggs got to celebrate with his parents, Kirk and Lori, the announcement of his selection to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-West District Team because he was home instead of back at school this week.

 

"It was special that we all got to experience it together," Briggs said from his home in West Sacramento Wednesday. "It's been a pretty cool thing to be home and celebrate the season with my family."
 
Briggs, a Second Team selection, is one of only 11 players in the West Region to be honored by the NABC.
 
"I was getting texts and I didn't know much about the award so I looked it up. There's some really good company on that list," Briggs said. "It's really exciting to receive that honor alongside some other great players that I have a lot of respect for."
 
It's a safe bet that the feeling is mutual. Briggs was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-CCAA after leading the Wildcats in blocked shots and rebounds this season. The fifth-year senior shot 60 percent from the floor while averaging 11.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots per game, while helping lead the Wildcats to a record of 23-7, second-place finish in the CCAA, and into the NCAA Tournament.
 

The team's 14-win improvement following a 2018–19 campaign in which the team stumbled to a 9-14 finish after Briggs was injured midway through is the largest improvement in program history and the biggest takeaway for Briggs.
 
 "We set a bunch of goals this season and we accomplished all of them. There's a lot to be proud of," Briggs said. "That's helped me make peace with the way it ended."
 
Briggs, who leaves the program with the most blocked shots in school history (176) and ranks fourth all time in career field-goal percentage (.572) and rebounds (713), is joined on the NABC All-West District team by First-Team selections Tyler Cartaino of Chaminade, William Christmas of Cal Poly Pomona, Selom Mawugbe of Azusa Pacific, Divant'e Moffitt of Seattle Pacific, Tyrell Roberts of UC San Diego, and Shadeed Shabazz of Alaska, along with Second-Team selections Kaden Anderson (Point Loma), Christian Oshita (UCSD), Jeremy Smith (Cal State San Bernardino), and Zafir Williams (Cal State East Bay).
 
"He's just been phenomenal. He's going to go down as one of the greatest players to play here," Chico State Head Coach Greg Clink told Will Denner of the Chico Enterprise-Record. "The things he's accomplished statistically, with his points scored, his blocked shots and his rebounds, and just the amount he's won. He's won an NCAA Regional Championship, he's played in two championships, he's won, I don't know how many games in his career, but he's just accomplished so much.

 

(The Wildcats are 100-44 since Briggs joined the program.)
 
"I'm just so fortunate to have been able to recruit him and coach him. I'm proud of the career he's had, but I'm even more proud of the person he is and the man he is..."
 
Read Denner's full account in the Chico Enterprise-Record.
 
During Briggs' tenure, he's grown from redshirt, to role player, to someone the team relied on to carry it at times this season.  
"Basketball-wise, I've evolved my game from a role player to a leader. Having a connection with each player on our team was probably my main goal this year," Briggs said. "I wanted guys to be able to come to me for advice, to talk about game plans, and stuff like that."
 
One of only two seniors on the team, Briggs was thrust into the role. But he was well prepared by those who came before him.
 
"In our program, when a recruit comes in from high school, the older guys teach the him the culture of the team. That's how everyone learns," Briggs said. "I learned from guys like Rob (Duncan),

Isaiah (Ellis), Corey (Silverstrom) and Jalen (McFerren). The things I was saying this year were the things they were saying to me four or five years ago. I just reiterated it this year and it all worked out."
 
Briggs' first virtual class is Thursday. In May he will graduate with a degree in business administration.
 
"It's exciting. It's been a long time coming," said Briggs. "I'm excited to see where the next chapter of my life takes place."
 
Briggs has spoken to some professional organizations in Europe and plans to continue playing. For now, like so many things, that's on hold. So, he's focusing on finishing his degree.
 
"School was always the priority for me. Being able to play basketball at the same time was icing on the cake," Briggs said. "Especially with these guys and in such a great place."