March 23, 2009
MBB: LAURENCE EKPERIGIN NAMED DAKTRONICS FIRST TEAM
ALL-AMERICAN
Edinboro, Pa. - Le Moyne College junior forward Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) has been
named to the 2008-09 Daktronics NCAA Division II men's basketball
All-America First Team, as voted upon by the Sports Information
Directors throughout Division II and announced on Monday
afternoon.
Ekperigin, previously selected to the Northeast-10 Conference,
Daktronics All-East Region and NABC All-District East First Teams,
also received 2009 Northeast-10 Conference and Daktronics East
Region Player of the Year honors. Ekperigin, a seven-time
Northeast-10 player of the week, became the first Le Moyne player
to receive NE-10 Player of the Year accolades while also becoming
the first junior to pick up East Region Player of the Year laurels
since UMass Lowell's Stacy Moragne received the honor in 2005.
Joining Ekperigin on the first team are Wisconsin-Parkside senior
forward LaVontay Fenderson, Findlay senior forward Josh Bostic,
Christian Brothers University senior forward Nick Kohs and 2009
Daktronics Men's Basketball Player of the Year BYU-Hawaii junior
forward Lucas Alves.
Le Moyne's scoring leader for the second consecutive season,
Ekperigin ranks third in the conference at 18.3 points per contest.
Ekperigin led the conference in rebounding at 11.4 per game and was
second among Division II players nationally, while also leading the
league with a 68.4-percent field goal percentage (4th nationally)
and 81 blocked shots (10th nationally). 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.
On December 13, Ekperigin poured in a career-best 40 points, one
point shy of the College's single game record. In Le Moyne's 77-68
win at The College of Saint Rose on February 10, Ekperigin posted
the second-highest scoring output of his career with 30 points,
grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds and tied the school record with
seven blocked shots. Through 89 career games, Ekperigin has 1,360
points and 831 rebounds, to rank 11th 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.
With eight rebounds and four blocks against Assumption in the
Northeast-10 Championship game, Ekperigin set the program's
single-season record in each category. Ekperigin passed Jene Grey
'79 for most rebounds in a season with 354, eclipsing Grey's
total of 351 in 1977-78 and topped John Tomsich's mark of 78 blocks
in 1995-96 with 81 this season. Ekperigin scored 567 points in 31
games, the most points by a junior and the fourth-most in a season
by a Dolphin, while also posting the highest total since Adam
Stockwell '96 recorded 633 in the 1995-96 season.
Le Moyne finished the season at 20-11, including wins in 13 of its
final 15 games, to record the most victories in a season since the
1997-98 campaign.
The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world
leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for
virtually every sport at every level of competition. The team is
voted on by the members of the College Sports Information Directors
of America (CoSIDA).
2008-09 Daktronics NCAA Division II Men's Basketball
All-America Teams
| First Team
|
|
|
|
|
| Lucas Alves (BYU-Hawaii) #
| Junior
| Forward
| 6-9
| Casa Branca, Brazil
|
| Laurence Ekperigin (Le Moyne)
| Junior
| Forward
| 6-7
| Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
|
| LaVontay Fenderson (Wisconsin-Parkside)
| Senior
| Forward
| 6-4
| Racine, Wisc.
|
| Josh Bostic (Findlay)
| Senior
| Forward
| 6-5
| Columbus, Ohio
|
| Nick Kohs (Christian Brothers)
| Senior
| Center
| 6-8
| Cincinnati, Ohio
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team
|
|
|
|
|
| Matt Rogers (Southwest Baptist)
| Junior
| Forward/Center
| 6-11
| Doniphan, Mo.
|
| Ted Scott (West Virginia State)
| Senior
| Guard
| 6-2
| Columbus, Ohio
|
| Thad McFadden (Fairmont State)
| Senior
| Guard
| 6-2
| Flint, Mich.
|
| Stan Hall (Alderson & Broaddus)
| Senior
| Guard
| 6-3
| Canton, Ohio
|
| Kevin Ratzsch (Northern State)
| Senior
| Forward
| 6-7
| Bloomington, Ill.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Third Team
|
|
|
|
|
| Ben Madgen (Augusta State)
| Junior
| Guard
| 6-4
| Williamstown, Australia
|
| Darren Duncan (Merrimack)
| Junior
| Guard
| 5-10
| Briarwood, N.Y.
|
| Chris Commons (USC-Aiken)
| Senior
| Forward
| 6-8
| Toledo, Ohio
|
| Jesse Wagstaff (Metropolitan State)
| Senior
| Forward
| 6-8
| Canberra, Australia
|
| Anthony Hilliard (Elizabeth City State)
| Senior
| Guard/Forward
| 6-4
| Fayetteville, N.C.
|
#-2008-09 Daktronics Player of the Year
