DENVER – Former New Mexico State men's basketball All-American Jemerrio Jones was honored with the 2017-18 Western Athletic Conference Sportsmanship Award the league announced Tuesday afternoon.
 
The WAC Sportsmanship Award is awarded on an annual basis and given to one WAC member institution that has demonstrated the most distinguishable act of sportsmanship throughout the academic year.
 
The conference received two commendations on behalf of Jones from fans for his display of sportsmanship throughout the 2017-18 athletic season. The first instance occurred in the heart of conference play on the road when the Aggies were upset by Utah Valley via Twitter.
 
"I'm not sure if the WAC awards or recognizes an athlete for their sportsmanship, but as a Utah Valley fan I would strongly nominate Jemerrio Jones of New Mexico State," Heath Garner said. "I witnessed first-hand multiple occasions throughout the game his good sportsmanship. He plays his heart out and demonstrates the perfect balance of playing hard, being respectful to his teammates, his opponents, the officials and the fans. He is graceful in winning and he was certainly graceful in the loss last night. Hopefully he continues the fine example of sportsmanship we need in sports and in life."
 
The second instance came in the NCAA Tournament game against No. 12 Clemson in San Diego, Calif., when a Tiger fan reached out to NM State Director of Athletics Mario Moccia with the following email titled "Thank You for the Sportsmanship."
 
"…and am a high school football official for the past 20 years," said Tom Zwilling. "I just wanted to let you know I was not able to watch all of the basketball game that just finished, but one thing stood out to me that I must thank you, your coaching staff and players for. In the little bit I saw on TV, there were three times where one of your players [Jones] helped a Clemson player off the floor. I am not sure if I have ever seen this in a game more than once. My guess is there were other times as well. This is not something that occurs very much anymore, and it must begin with the leadership of the athletic department. I just want to let you know your school has a new fan here in South Carolina. I work hard in my football games to promote sportsmanship, I wish all teams were as classy as what I saw tonight. If there would be a way to congratulate your team on a successful season from me, but let them know how excited I am to see what becomes of these great young men. Because of their respect shown during competition, it encourages me for the future."