Richardson Named Second Team AP All-American
3/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State sophomore Jason Richardson (Saginaw, Mich.) earned Second-Team All-America honors from the Associated Press, it was announced on Tuesday. Senior teammate Charlie Bell (Flint, Mich.) earned third-team honors. This is the second-straight season that two Spartans have been honored. Last year, Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson earned Second-Team All-America honors from the Associated Press.
"It's exciting for me because the more All-Americans we can get in this program the more it says for the program," said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. "I'm really excited to see these guys earn some individual honors after everything they've done for this program."
Entering the NCAA Tournament, Richardson is averaging a team-best 15.5 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per contest, third best on the team. A First-Team All-Big Ten honoree, he is shooting 52.9% from the field and leads the Spartans with 24 blocked shots. Richardson is a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards and has earned NABC and USBWA All-District first-team honors.
"It really lets me know that all the hard work I did this summer and staying in the gym late at night working hard really pays off," said Richardson. "I think it will probably inspire a lot of players."
Bell ranks second on the Spartans with a 13.9 points per game scoring average. A well-rounded guard, he leads the Big Ten at 5.4 assists per game while also grabbing 4.4 rebounds per contest. A First-Team All-Big Ten honoree as selected by the league's media, Bell currently ranks 11th on the MSU career scoring chart, seventh on the career assists list and will set the Big Ten record for career starts with his next game started. Like Richardson, Bell is a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards and has earned NABC and USBWA All-District first-team honors.
"It's a great honor to be considered among the top 15 players in America," said Bell. "I set out to make a name for myself during my senior year and I'm pleased that I've had some success."
Duke's Shane Battier and Jason Williams, North Carolina's Joseph Forte, Notre Dame's Troy Murphy and Stanford's Casey Jacobsen were named to the Associated Press All-America First Team.
Joining Richardson on the second team is Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley, Villanova's Michael Bradley, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince and Boston College's Troy Bell. The third team is made up of Bell, Arizona's Michael Wright, Florida's Udonis Haslem, Indiana's Kirk Haston and Illinois' Frank Williams.
FIRST TEAM Shane Battier, Duke, 6-8, 220, senior, 19.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 steals(70 first-place votes, 353 total points) Jason Williams, Duke, 6-2, 196, sophomore, 20.8, ppg, 6.2 apg, 1.9steals (61, 335) Joseph Forte, North Carolina, 6-4, 185, sophomore, 21.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg,3.6 apg, 2.0 steals (61, 332) Troy Murphy, Notre Dame, 6-10, 237, junior, 22.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 36.1minutes (55, 312) Casey Jacobsen, Stanford, 6-6, 210, sophomore, 18.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .504fg pct., .466 3-pt pct., .804 ft pct. (35, 259)
SECOND TEAM Jamaal Tinsley, Iowa State, 6-3, 195, senior, 14.5 ppg, 6.0 apg, 2.5steals (27, 246) Troy Bell, Boston College, 6-1, 171, sophomore, 20.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.2apg, 2.7 steals, .858 ft pct. (8, 150) Jason Richardson, Michigan State, 6-6, 220, sophomore, 15.5 ppg, 5.9rpg, .529 fg pct. (7, 133) Michael Bradley, Villanova, 6-10, 245, junior, 21.4 ppg, 10.1 rpg, .693fg pct, 1.9 blocks (6, 120) Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky, 6-9, 215, junior, 16.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, .832 ftpct. (5, 117)
THIRD TEAM Frank Williams, Illinois, 6-3, 205, sophomore, 14.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.3apg, 2.0 steals (4, 89) Michael Wright, Arizona, 6-7, 238, junior, 16.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg, .591 fgpct. (1, 72) Charlie Bell, Michigan State, 6-3, 200, senior, 13.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.4apg (1, 59) Udonis Haslem, Florida, 6-7, 260, junior, 16.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, .598 fgpct. (1, 56) Kirk Haston, Indiana, 6-10, 230, junior, 18.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg (1, 53)
HONORABLE MENTION
Gilbert Arenas, Arizona, Craig Austin, Columbia, Cory Bradford, Illinois, Tarise Bryson, Illinois State, Torrey Butler, Coastal Carolina, Casey Calvary, Gonzaga, Jarron Collins, Stanford, Jason Collins, Stanford, Juan Dixon, Maryland, Teddy Dupay, Florida, Marvin Ely, Fresno State, George Evans, George Mason, Reggie Evans, Iowa, Jason Gardner, Arizona, Kenny Gregory, Kansas, Jerry Green, UC Irvine, Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall, Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay, Brendan Haywood, North Carolina, Brian Heinle, Cal State-Northridge, Dewayne Jefferson, Mississippi Valley State, Joe Johnson, Arkansas, Ken Johnson, Ohio State, Rahsaan Johnson, Monmouth, Jason Kapono, UCLA, Sean Lampley, California, Steve Logan, Cincinnati, Shernard Long, Georgia State, Jody Lumpkin, College of Charleston, Demond Mallet, McNeese State, Chris Marcus, Western Kentucky, Ronnie McCollum, Centenary, Jeff Monaco, Southern Utah, Terence Morris, Maryland, Brett Nelson, Florida, Rashad Phillips, Detroit, Norman Richardson, Hofstra, Kareem Rush, Missouri, Preston Shumpert, Syracuse, Demond Stewart, Niagara, Tim Szatko, Holy Cross, David Webber, Central Michigan, Mekeli Wesley, Brigham Young, David West, Xavier, Rodney White, Charlotte, Tarvis Williams, Hampton, Loren Woods, Arizona.
