Okafor Named Academic All-District

STORRS, CONNECTICUT (February 20, 2003)-- University of Connecticut sophomore center Emeka Okafor (Houston, TX) has been named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-District 1 Men’s Basketball team, as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Okafor is joined on the five-member team by Marist College senior guard David Bennett, Wagner College senior guard Dedrick Dye, Syracuse sophomore center Craig Forth and Harvard senior guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman. All five players advance to the national Academic All-America ballot, with results scheduled to be announced on Thursday, March 6, 2003.

Okafor, a finance major at Connecticut, carries a cumulative grade point average of 3.73. He has earned 70 academic credits as a member of the honors program, giving him junior academic status. He has been on the Dean’s List all three semesters at UConn.

Okafor is currently the only player in the BIG EAST Conference averaging a double-double, scoring 15.5 points and grabbing 10.9 rebounds per game. He leads the nation in blocked shots at 4.6 per contest and leads the BIG EAST with 15 double-doubles.