Syracuse, N.Y. - Le Moyne College men's basketball senior forward Laurence Ekperigin">Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) has been named a second team preseason All-American by The Sporting News in their college basketball preview issue.

Ekperigin, the 2008-09 Northeast-10 Conference and Daktronics East Region Player of the Year, is one of three players from the Northeast-10 Conference named to the First or Second Team. As a junior, Ekperigin was named a First Team All-American by Daktronics and the Division II Bulletin second team after averaging 18.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Ekperigin finished the season third in the conference in scoring, while leading the conference and placing second nationally in rebounds. The national leader in double-doubles with 21, Ekperigin scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games, including each of the last 25 games, while also posting double digits in rebounds on 22 occasions.

Through 89 career games, Ekperigin has 1,360 points and 831 rebounds, to rank 12th and seventh, respectively, in Le Moyne's history. Ekperigin is one of only four players in Le Moyne's 61-season history to record 1,300 points and 800 rebounds.

Le Moyne, which finished the 2008-09 season at 20-11, including wins in 13 of its final 15 games, was one of five schools from the conference selected by The Sporting News as teams that could have a "breakthrough" season. The 20 wins, capped by a 61-55 victory over Southern New Hampshire in the Northeast-10 Semifinals, were the most victories in a season since the 1997-98 campaign.

All-America Team
First
Lucas Alves, BYU-Hawaii
Tyrone Curnell, Valdosta State
Darren Duncan, Merrimack
Matt Rogers, Southwest Baptist
Jason Westrol, Bentley

Second
Brandon Brown, Cal State-San Bernardino
Kendrick Easley, Mount Olive
Laurence Ekperigin, Le Moyne
Aaron Hill, Rockhurst
Ben Madgen, Augusta State