Okafor Selected as the CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year; First Team All-America Team

STAMFORD, CT (March 3) – Emeka Okafor of the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team was named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) first team Academic All-America selection for the second straight year and was named the Academic All-America of the Year for the University Division.

"It is an honor to be recognized as the Academic All-American of the Year. My parents always taught me to make the most of my opportunities, whether it is in the classroom, on the court or in anything I do. This is a reflection of what you can achieve through that hard work,” said Okafor. “This award is a tribute to the support that we receive at Connecticut to be the best that we can be. This would not be possible without the help of many people, including my advisor, Dr. Ted Taigen, along with my professors, coaches and teammates.”

A junior with a 3.76 grade point average in Finance, Okafor will graduate in May after three years of studies at Connecticut. Nominated for several Player of the Year awards, Okafor leads the nation in blocked shots (4.57 bpg) and has the nation’s best 19 double-doubles during the 2003-04 season. The 6’10" center leads his team with 19.3 points per game and became the 14th player in NCAA Division I history with more than 400 career blocks.

“Emeka Okafor is everything that college athletics is supposed be about. He is as special a person and player that we have ever been privileged to have at Connecticut,” said University of Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun. “It is an amazing accomplishment for Emeka not only to be honored as the top student-athlete in the nation, but also be widely thought of as the best basketball player in the country. This award is a reward for the effort and dedication that Emeka applies to every part of his life and we could not be prouder of him."

Joining Okafor on the University Division first team is Michigan State’s Chris Hill, who leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goals made per game (2.81) and is second in 3-point field goal percentage (44.5). Hill carries a 3.84 grade point average as a Finance major. Last year, he was a third team Academic All-America selection.

Adam Mark, a three-time Academic All-America from Belmont, William & Mary’s Adam Hess, who leads the CAA in scoring, and Hawaii guard Michael Kuebler round out the University Division first team.

The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000 –member organization consisted of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletics and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

2004 Academic All-America Men’s Basketball Team (University Division)
First Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Adam Hess William & Mary Sr. Grosse Pointe, MI 3.53 Finance
Chris Hill Michigan State Jr. Indianapolis, IN 3.84 Finance
Michael Kuebler Hawaii Sr. Salem, OR 3.67 Business Admin.
Adam Mark Belmont Sr. Bremen, IN 3.96 Computer Science
Emeka Okafor* Connecticut Jr. Houston, TX 3.76 Finance

Second Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Clint Cuffle Evansville Sr. Riverton, IL 3.75 Civil Engineering
Jason Parker Tulsa Sr. Tulsa, OK 3.52 Man. Info. Systems
Brett Starkey Denver Grad. Lakewood, CO 3.96 Biology/Pre-Med
Blake Stepp Gonzaga Sr. Eugene, OR 3.24 Business Admin.
Derek Winans SE Missouri St. Jr. E. Cape Girardeau, IL 4.00 Business Mgmt

Third Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Adam Baumann Youngstown St. Sr. Scottsdale, AZ 3.80 Man. Info. Systems
Brody Deren Creighton Sr. Harlan, IA 3.66 Exercise Science
Craig Forth Syracuse Jr. East Greenbush, NY 3.85 Inclusive Education and Geography
Johannes Herber West Virginia Soph. Darmstadt, Germany 4.00 Political Science
Michael Lindeman Creighton Grad. Iowa Falls, IA 3.94 Finance

Academic All-America Team Member of the Year (University Division)
Emeka Okafor, University of Connecticut