Senior guard Chris Hill of Michigan State and senior J.D. Byers of Lebanon Valley College head the 2005 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America® Men’s Basketball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Hill was named the Academic All-America of the Year for the university division while Byers received the same honor for the college division. Hill is making his third appearance on the national team, having also earned first team honors last year and third team accolades in 2003. Byers is making his second appearance on the national team, having also earned third team honors in 2004.
A product of Indianapolis, Hill has played in 121 career games and earned second team All-Big Ten recognition the past two years. He has helped the Spartans to a 20-5 record with two games left in the regular season. He is averaging 9.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds this season.
Hill ranks among the Michigan State and Big Ten leaders in career three-point field goals made (299) and attempted (703), having made at least one three-pointer in 115 of 121 career contests. He ranks second in MSU history and fifth in Big Ten annals in career treys made. Hill ranks 11th in MSU career scoring (1,493 points) and seventh in career assists (424). He leads the Big Ten in assist to turnover ratio (3.05-to-1) and fourth overall in the league in assists (4.5 apg) this season.
“Being named Academic All-American of the Year is an unbelievable honor,” said Hill. “I probably won’t be able to fully appreciate what it means until years later when I look back at my college career. When I came to Michigan State, my goal was to become an Academic All-America. It wasn’t until last year that I even knew that there was a single person honored. Even still, my goal going into this season was just to become an Academic All-America.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my parents for instilling the work ethic and discipline in me, both academically and athletically. They taught me the importance of setting goals and keeping sight on them through ups and downs. Michigan State has been a great place for me to excel academically and athletically. With the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, we have an unbelievable facility for our student-athletes, and a great support staff to help us with all of our academic needs. In addition, Coach Izzo pushes all of his players to excel in every aspect of college life, including academics.”
In addition to Hill, three others on the university division team are repeat members from last year: senior Derek Winans of Southeast Missouri State University (first team), junior Johannes Herber of West Virginia University (first team) and senior Craig Forth of Syracuse University (second team).
Byers has helped Lebanon Valley to a 19-6 record this season and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The native of Westminster, Md., is averaging 22.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 1.6 steals for the Flying Dutchmen. Byers is one of 18 finalists for the Bob Cousy Outstanding Collegiate Point Guard Award. The two-time Commonwealth Player of the Year is one of only three Division III players among the finalists for the award. He owns the school record for three-point field goals (293), second in assists (460) and is fifth in scoring (1,849). He was also named to the Academic All-America Men’s College Division At-Large third team in 2004.
“It is a tremendous honor to receive this award,” said Byers. “I’ve always taken a lot of pride in academics, because sports aren’t the most important thing. It’s what you do in the classroom that counts the most.”
In addition to Byers, two others on the college division team are repeat members from last year: senior Matt Schlingman of the College of Wooster (first team) and senior Tommy Stolhandske of Texas Lutheran University (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 athletic 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.
ESPN the Magazine is in its first year as the exclusive corporate sponsor of the Academic All-America program.
ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.
For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com or email rlipe@bentley.edu.
2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Men’s Basketball Team (University Division)
as selected by CoSIDA
First Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Eric Castro Southern Methodist Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla. 3.80 Sociology/Accounting
Will Emerson Mercer Jr. Saint Mary’s, Ga. 4.00 Biology
Johannes Herber West Virginia Jr. Darmstadt, Germany 4.00 Political Science
Chris Hill Michigan State Sr. Indianapolis, Ind. 3.75 Finance
Derek Winans Southeast Missouri St. Sr. East Cape Girardeau, Ill. 3.97 Business
Second Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Turner Battle University at Buffalo Sr. Cornersville, N.C. 3.56 Communications
Erik Benzel Denver Sr. Spokane, Wash. 3.69 Finance
Craig Forth Syracuse Sr. East Greenbush, N.Y. 3.85 Inclusive Education and Geography
Dan Grunfeld Stanford Jr. River Hills, Wis. 3.66 American Studies
Neil Plank Illinois State Jr. Mount Zion, Ill. 4.00 Finance
Third Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
David Erbes North Dakota State Sr. Barney, N.D. 3.88 Agricultural Economics
Christian Maraker Pacific Sr. Varberg, Sweden 3.46 Sports Sciences
Dan Oppland Valparaiso Jr. St. Louis, Mo. 3.49 Physical Education/
Sports Management
Chris Paul Wake Forest So. Lewisville, N.C. 3.21 Undecided
Dennis Trammel Ball State Sr. Chicago, Ill. 3.42 Business Management
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR: Chris Hill, Michigan State
2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Men’s Basketball Team (College Division)
as selected by CoSIDA
First Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
J.D. Byers Lebanon Valley Sr. Westminster, Md. 3.84 Business Administration
& Accounting
Chase Fawsett Emory Sr. Orlando, Fla. 3.66 Biology (Pre-Med)
Matt Schlingman Wooster Sr. Ashland, Ohio 3.99 Mathematics
Tommy Stolhandske Texas Lutheran Sr. San Antonio, Texas 3.67 Kinesiology
Jeff VerSteeg Northwestern (Minn.) Sr. Willmar, Minn. 3.85 Management Information
Systems
Second Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Keelan Amelianovich Illinois Wesleyan Jr. Naperville, Ill. 3.76 Accounting
Russ Churchwell Oglethorpe Sr. Loganville, Ga. 3.56 Biology (Pre-Med) &
Studio Art
Seth Hauben Rochester Sr. Newton, Mass. 3.25 Political Science
Adam McCoy Aurora Sr. Decatur, Ill. 3.71 Biology
Zach Wheatley Chapman Jr. Fountain Valley, Calif. 3.95 Mathematics, Business
Administration
Third Team
Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Alan Bock Mount Vernon Nazarene Jr. Tallmadge, Ohio 3.99 Biology (Pre-Med)
Brandon Bushey York (Pa.) Jr. Littlestown, Pa. 3.86 Criminal Justice
Scott Jamison Lake Superior State Sr. Port Huron, Mich. 3.89 Computer Engineering
Jon Nielson Wheaton Sr. Lookout Mountain, Ga. 3.82 English
Andrew St. Clair Colby-Sawyer Jr. Pittsfield, Maine 3.68 Sports Management
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR: J.D. Byers, Lebanon Valley