Los Angeles, CA (U-WIRE) -- Two days after finishing the regular season in the upper half of the Pac-10 standings for the first time since the 2001 season, the UCLA men's basketball team was rewarded for its success.

The conference coaches named guard Jordan Farmar the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year on Monday, and selected senior Dijon Thompson to the All-Pac-10 team for the first time in his career. UCLA guard Arron Afflalo joined Farmar on the conference's All-Freshmen team, while freshman Josh Shipp was named an honorable mention selection.

"A lot of it has to do with us winning basketball games," Farmar said. "Winning equates to a lot of awards like this."

That trend has left the Bruins somewhat empty-handed at the Pac-10 awards banquet recently. Only Jason Kapono earned first-team all conference honors over the past three years for UCLA, which has finished sixth or lower in the Pac-10 in that timespan. Picked to finish in the lower half of the standings again this season, the Bruins (18-9, 11-7) defied the odds, earning a third-place tie with Stanford. That performance, Thompson and Farmar said, is what earned them consideration from the Pac-10 coaches.

"We could have finished in last place, and then none of us would have been honored," Thompson said.

Farmar, who has started since the first game of his UCLA career, led all Pac-10 freshmen in scoring (13.5 ppg) and was second overall in the conference in assists (5.30 apg). He is the fifth Bruin to earn the Freshman of the Year award, and the first since Kapono shared it in 2000.

"Jordan has had an outstanding freshman season," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "Playing the point position is so important and tough to do, and to have the impact he's had ... is truly amazing."

Thompson, an honorable mention selection for All-Pac-10 a year ago, is a more complete player this season. He is third in the conference in scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg).

"I'm happy for Dijon and very proud of him," Howland said.

OTHER AWARDS: Arizona State's Ike Diogu, the conference's leading scorer and rebounder, was named Pac-10 Player of the Year ... Washington's Lorenzo Romar was named the Pac-10's Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to a second-place finish.

(C) 2004 Daily Bruin via U-WIRE