Sophomore point guard D.J. Augustin has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America University Division men’s basketball first team. Augustin was joined on the five-person University Division first team by Adam Emmenecker (Drake), Justin Hare (Belmont), Jack Leasure (Coastal Carolina) and Brett Winkelman (North Dakota State).
Augustin is just the second men’s basketball player at Texas to earn Academic All-America honors. Jim Krivacs garnered the honor in 1979.
A three-time UT Athletics Director Honor Roll selection (minimum 3.0 GPA), Augustin sports a 3.64 cumulative GPA as an education major. He posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall 2007 semester.
“I’m extremely pleased to receive this honor,” Augustin said. “I know how hard I’ve worked, both in the classroom and on the court, to get better every day. To see the hard work pay off with this honor is very rewarding. I’m also very happy for my parents and my entire family, as they share in this honor with me.”
To be nominated for All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his career. No athlete is eligible until he has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing.
“This is one of the greatest honors in the history of our basketball program,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said. “It speaks volumes on the work and effort that D.J. has put in, both with his studies and on the basketball court. It speaks volumes about the work that Dr. Randa Ryan (UT Senior Associate A.D./Student-Athlete Services) and her staff have done with our program. And it speaks volumes about the Augustin family and the support they have given D.J. throughout his life.”
“I don’t believe as a coaching staff we’ve ever had an individual who defines the term student-athlete more than D.J. Augustin,” Barnes added.
One of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award (nation’s top point guard), Augustin also is one of the top 30 midseason candidates for both the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award as the top player in college basketball. He leads the Big 12 Conference in assists (5.9 apg) and ranks second in the league in scoring (19.3 ppg).
For more on Augustin and the Longhorn basketball team visit TexasSports.com.
