Posted: 03/09/2011
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh sophomore guard C.J. McCollum was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) First Team All-District honoree on Wednesday, receiving the honor for the second straight season. McCollum recently wrapped up a stellar sophomore campaign, which saw him average 21.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.
McCollum is now eligible for the State Farm Coaches’ Division I All-America teams, to be announced on Saturday, Apr. 2 at 9:30 a.m. at the Americas Hotel in Houston during the NABC Convention and NCAA® Final Four®.
McCollum is one of three Patriot League players named to the District 13 First Team, joining American’s Vlad Moldoveanu and Bucknell’s Mike Muscala. Keith Wright of Harvard and Ian Hummer of Princeton also cracked the first team. Greg Mangano (Yale), Noruwa Agho (Columbia), Kareem Maddox (Princeton), Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania) and Jack Eggleston (Pennsylvania) were on the second team.
A First Team All-Patriot League selection for the second straight season, McCollum’s play jumped greatly from his freshman campaign, when he was named Patriot League Player and Rookie of the Year. He easily led the league in scoring via 21.8 points per game, while his 7.8 rebounds per contest ranked third best. As of Monday, he stood ninth in the nation in scoring average and 12th in steals.
The Canton, Ohio native put together one of the best seasons Lehigh (and the Patriot League) has ever seen. McCollum finished with 677 points, good for third in single-season school history and sixth most in league history. He also finished fifth in program history in scoring average (21.8), fourth in made field goals (214), third in field goal attempts (537), second in made free throws (197) and fourth in free throw attempts (233). He wraps up his sophomore season with 1,308 career points, already good for 14th in school history and 39th in Patriot League history.
The nation’s first active sophomore to eclipse 1,000 points this season, McCollum is only 916 points behind the Patriot League’s all-time career leader; Holy Cross’ Rob Feaster is currently atop the list with 2,224 points from 1991-95. McCollum is also almost halfway to the Lehigh career scoring record, currently 2,703 held by Daren Queenan.
McCollum’s highlight game came on Nov. 26 at Kent State when he scored 42 points on 15-of-25 shooting. That marked the highest single-game scoring outburst by a Patriot League player this season while tying for the third largest single-game point total in school history.
McCollum finished the season with 10 double-doubles, including one stretch of four in a row. He topped 30 points on five occasions while scoring in double figures in all but two games. He also set a Patriot League record with six player of the week awards while twice garnering ECAC Player of the Week.