Okafor Grabs Another Postseason Honor Being Named a NABC All-American

OVERLAND PARK, KS (March 9) – Junior Emeka Okafor of the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team earned yet another postseason accolade as he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-American Team. The All-American Team recognizes the country’s best men’s collegiate student-athletes selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC.

Okafor was a 2002-03 NABC National Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-American Third Team. He has been a NABC All-District Team member for three straight years, being first named at the end of his freshman season.

Okafor was most recently named the 2003-04 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and the Aeropostale/BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as being selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team as a unanimous vote. Okafor leads the nation and the league in blocked shots (4.5 bpg) and has the nation’s best 19 double-doubles during the 2003-04 season. The 6’10" center leads his team with 18.7 points per game and became the 14th player in NCAA Division I history with more than 400 career blocks. Okafor finished fifth in the league in scoring with an 18.7 average and first in rebounding with an 11.5 mark.

The Huskies open BIG EAST Tournament play against the winner of the Notre Dame/West Virginia first round match up on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Game time is set for 7:00 pm and will be televised on espn2.

First Team
Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s
Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
Josh Childress, Stanford
Lawrence Roberts, Mississipppi State
Andre Emmett, Texas Tech

Second Team
Blake Stepp, Gonzaga
Ryan Gomes, Providence
Devin Harris, Wisconsin
Julius Hodge, North Carolina State
Chris Duhon, Duke

Third Team
J.J. Redick, Duke
Hakim Warrick, Syracuse
Luke Jackson, Oregon
Matt Freije, Vanderbilt
Delonte West, St. Joseph’s