The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced the NABC Division I All-District teams for 2011, recognizing the nation’s best men’s collegiate basketball student-athletes. Seven players from the WAC received NABC all-district honors.
Utah State's Tai Wesley, New Mexico State's Troy Gillenwater, San Jose State's Adrian Oliver, Louisiana Tech's Olu Ashaolu, Fresno State's Greg Smith, Nevada's Dario Hunt and Boise State's La'Shard Anderson each received a place on the all-district squad.
For Wesley, it is the third year in a row he has been recognized by the NABC as he was named to the District 6 second-team as both a sophomore and junior. Wesley earned first team honors after averaging 14.5 points and 7.9 rebounds this year, while shooting 59.4 percent from the field and 72.0 percent at the free throw line. He currently ranks second in the WAC and 12th in the nation in shooting, and also ranks fourth in the WAC in rebounding, sixth in blocked shots (1.06) and seventh in scoring.
Gillenwater earned first team honors after leading the Aggies with a team-high 19.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. This is Gillenwater first career all-district honor, and the fifth consecutive season an Aggie has garnered the award.
For the second year in a row, Oliver was named a first team selection. The 6-foot-4 senior heads into the March 10 Western Athletic Conference quarterfinal round game third nationally in scoring at 24.5 points a game after a 29-point performance in a 75-74 win over Hawaii in an opening round game.
Ashaolu ranked second in the conference with 14.2 points per game and second with 9.4 rebounds per game. In Western Athletic Conference games only, he ranked fifth with 12.9 points per game and second with 9.4 rebounds per game.
Fresno State's Smith led his team in both scoring 11.7 points per game and rebounding at 8.1 rebounds per contest. Smith was also named to second team all-WAC.
Hunt, a 6-7 forward, averages 12.6 points and a WAC best 9.7 rebounds per game. He also tops the conference in blocks, averaging 1.71 per game. Hunt has posted career highs in points (390), rebounds (302) and free throws made (110).
Boise State's Anderson averaged 15.4 points during the regular season, a mark that led Boise State and ranked fifth in the WAC. He also averaged a league-best 2.47 steals per game, and ranked second in the conference with 4.67 assists per game.