Nielsen Named to 2002 Verizon Academic All-District VIII Team
EUGENE -- BYU senior forward Eric Nielsen was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District VIII men's basketball team, released Thursday.
Two-time honorees Dan Dickau of Gonzaga and Predrag Savovic of Hawaii join Nielsen on the five-man team along with Jason Humbert of Eastern Washington and Michael Preston of Pacific. Four of this year's five honorees play on teams currently in the top three of their respective conferences. BYU, 16-8 overall, is currently tied for third in the Mountain West Conference at 6-5.
The District VIII team was voted on by CoSIDA members from within the District VIII states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington, and the province of British Columbia. The all-district first-team selections advance to the national ballot for consideration. The 2002 Verizon Academic All-America team will be announced March 7.
An All-MWC Academic member and a Cougar Club Scholar Athlete, Nielsen has a 3.26 GPA in Civil Engineering. On the court, he is BYU's third-leading scorer (10.0) and second-leading rebounder (5.0). He leads the team in blocked shots and has recorded 14 double-digit point games, including career-high 29 points in BYU's victory of nationally ranked Stanford. He shoots 52.7 percent from the floor, including 58.8 percent on threes, and 72.9 percent from the line. A four-year starter, Nielsen ranks fifth all-time at BYU in career field goal percentage at 55.2 percent.
Pos. Player, Institution, Class, Hometown GPA, MajorPG *Dan Dickau, Gonzaga, SR, Vancouver, Wash. 3.40, Broadcasting
C Jason Humbert, Eastern Washington, SR, Salem, Ore. 3.52, Computer Info. Systems
F Eric Nielsen, Brigham Young, SR, Fremont, Calif. 3.26, Civil Engineering
C Michael Preston, Pacific, SR, Omaha, Neb. 3.81, Business Administration
G *Predrag Savovic, Hawaii, SR, Herceg Novi, Yugoslavia 3.25, International Business & Finance
*Two-time Verizon District VIII All-Academic team member
