Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Chris McNaughton Named to ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Team
2/8/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell all-star center Chris McNaughton (Leutershausen, Germany/Dientzenhofer Gymnasium), who is also a Dean's List student in the university's electrical engineering program, was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II Team on Wednesday.
McNaughton, who earned a 3.58 grade-point average during the fall 2005 semester and has a 3.27 cumulative GPA, now advances to the national ballot, where he will try to become Bucknell's 111th Academic All-American, a total that ranks fourth nationally. He is the 14th Bucknell men's basketball player to be named to the all-district team and the first since Valter Karavanic in 1999.
The reigning Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, McNaughton is the leading scorer (13.3 points per game) on a Bucknell team that is 18-3 overall and 9-0 in the Patriot League. He ranks sixth in the league in scoring and second in field-goal percentage (.586), and he recently became the 31st player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in his career.
McNaughton, who was named the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year in the fall, has had some of his best games on the biggest stages throughout his career. Most famous was his game-winning jump-hook with 10 seconds left in Bucknell's 64-63 win over Kansas at last year's NCAA Tournament. Two nights later the First Team All-Patriot Leaguer scored 23 points in an NCAA second-round loss to Wisconsin.
Also last season, McNaughton added 17 points in a win at Pittsburgh and 17 against Holy Cross in the Patriot League Championship game. Amazingly, in five postseason games he made 30 of 42 shots from the field (.714), including 16 of 21 (.762) in the NCAA Tournament.
This year, McNaughton has scored in double figures in 18 of 21 games, including a career-high 29 points against fourth-ranked Villanova. He also had 15 points and 10 rebounds in an upset of then-No. 17 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, and he has helped the Bison equal their best 21-game start in school history. It is also the first time in 16 years in the Patriot League they have started 9-0 in conference games.
Joining McNaughton on the All-District II team are Johannes Herber of West Virginia, Tyler Azzarelli of Monmouth, Steve Danley of Penn and Chet Stachitas of St. Joseph's. McNaughton and his countryman Herber played together this summer for Team Germany at the World University Games.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore and have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or better.
Bucknell puts its nine-game winning streak on the line on Wednesday night against American at Sojka Pavilion.
