Erickson Named to AP All-America Team
3/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
in Montana State’s basketball history on Wednesday, when sophomore guard Jason Ericksonwas named Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press.
Erickson, from Eagle River, Alaska, was named the Big Sky Conference’s Most ValuablePlayer last week. He and the Bobcats are currently competing in the NIT. Erickson becomesthe seventh All-America in MSU history, and the first since 1969.
"This is an tremendous and well-deserved honor for Jason, and it’s an outstanding achievement
for our program," said MSU coach Mick Durham. "Jason is a very unselfish, team-oriented
player who always puts the team’s goals ahead of his personal accomplishments. He’s an
extremely talented player at both ends of the floor, and he’s become a leader in this program in
his two years."
Erickson finished third on the team with 10.4 points, second with 2.3 assists, and led the team
by shooting 45% from three-point range and 85% from the free throw line. He finished 11th in
the league in field goal percentage, third in the league in free throw percentage, and second in
three-point percentage.
Most of Erickson’s best work this year came on the defensive end of the floor. He held Weber
State guard Jermaine Boyette, the league’s leading scorer, to eight points in Ogden and 11
points in Bozeman on just 8-for-25 shooting. In 14 Big Sky Conference games this season,
Erickson held the player who he was primarily responsible for to less than their season scoring
average 12 times. He finished the year with 36 steals and eight blocked shots. MSU led the
league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
"A lot of players have good defensive statistics without defending really well," Durham said."Jason defends very well. He is our defensive stopper, he always guards the other team’s bestperimeter player, and his defense has been as important as anything to our success this year."
The last Bobcat sophomore to earn All-America honors was Cat Thompson in 1927.Thompson eventually was named to the Helms Foundation All-Time All-America team.
Erickson and the Bobcats will play Richmond Friday night in the NIT.
Erickson, from Eagle River, Alaska, was named the Big Sky Conference’s Most ValuablePlayer last week. He and the Bobcats are currently competing in the NIT. Erickson becomesthe seventh All-America in MSU history, and the first since 1969.
"This is an tremendous and well-deserved honor for Jason, and it’s an outstanding achievement
for our program," said MSU coach Mick Durham. "Jason is a very unselfish, team-oriented
player who always puts the team’s goals ahead of his personal accomplishments. He’s an
extremely talented player at both ends of the floor, and he’s become a leader in this program in
his two years."
Erickson finished third on the team with 10.4 points, second with 2.3 assists, and led the team
by shooting 45% from three-point range and 85% from the free throw line. He finished 11th in
the league in field goal percentage, third in the league in free throw percentage, and second in
three-point percentage.
Most of Erickson’s best work this year came on the defensive end of the floor. He held Weber
State guard Jermaine Boyette, the league’s leading scorer, to eight points in Ogden and 11
points in Bozeman on just 8-for-25 shooting. In 14 Big Sky Conference games this season,
Erickson held the player who he was primarily responsible for to less than their season scoring
average 12 times. He finished the year with 36 steals and eight blocked shots. MSU led the
league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
"A lot of players have good defensive statistics without defending really well," Durham said."Jason defends very well. He is our defensive stopper, he always guards the other team’s bestperimeter player, and his defense has been as important as anything to our success this year."
The last Bobcat sophomore to earn All-America honors was Cat Thompson in 1927.Thompson eventually was named to the Helms Foundation All-Time All-America team.
Erickson and the Bobcats will play Richmond Friday night in the NIT.
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
