RENO, Nev. Nevada freshman forward Luke Babbitt has been named to the all-district first teams by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the United States Basketball Writers Association, while sophomore guard Armon Johnson has earned NABC first-team all-district honors.
Babbitt and Johnson are two of five players on the NABC’s District 6 team, joining Western Athletic Conference honorees Gary Wilkinson of Utah State, Mac Hopson of Idaho and Jahmar Young of New Mexico State on the first team. Babbitt was also one of 10 selections by the USBWA in District VIII, which encompasses the states of Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Montana. Hopson and Wilkinson were the other WAC honorees on the District VIII team. A total of 240 players from 24 districts were honored by the NABC’s member coaches, and the all-district honorees are now eligible for the State Farm Coaches' Division I All-America teams to be announced on Saturday, April 4 as part of the 2009 NABC Convention in Detroit, Mich. The USBWA selected a Player and Coach of the Year as well as a 10-team all-district team from nine regions.
The 2009 WAC Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-WAC selection, Babbitt leads the Wolf Pack and ranks fourth among the nation’s freshmen in scoring at 16.4 points per game. He has set the Nevada freshman single-season scoring record with 492 points and is also leading the team and ranked third in the WAC with 7.5 rebounds per game.
Johnson earned first-team All-WAC honors this season and is second on the team and eighth in the conference with 15.0 points per contest. Last year’s WAC Freshman of the Year, he is leading the team in assists for the second consecutive season and ranks among the WAC’s leaders in assists per game (4.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.90).
Babbitt, Johnson and the Wolf Pack open play in the 2009 WAC Tournament on Thursday, March 12 at Lawlor Events Center. Second-seeded Nevada will take on seventh-seeded San Jose State in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
Tickets for the 2009 WAC Tournament are still available at the Lawlor Events Center Box Office, online at www.tickets.com or by calling (775) 348-PACK (7225).
