April 1, 2003
FAIRFAX, Va. - Jon Larranaga of George Mason University has been selected to the inaugural Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Scholar-Athlete team, the association announced Tuesday. A special Review Committee of Division I-AAA Athletics Directors selected twenty winners - 10 male and 10 female.
"All of the nominees, and particularly the winners represent the talent and dedication of the student-athletes at Division I-AAA institutions," said Ken Kavanagh, coordinator of the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team Selection Committee and Athletics Director at Bradley.
Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the nominees were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials. He/she must have reached sophomore athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. He/she must also have participated in 50 percent of the games played at his/her designated position.
The award is one of several academic honors that have been bestowed upon the senior forward throughout his career. The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) named Larranaga to the 2002-03 Verizon University Division Academic All-District III Men's Basketball team. He is a two-time honoree to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Academic team, and has been named to the CAA Scholar-Athlete team three times. The 6-7, Oakton, VA native has been selected to the George Mason Dean's List three times, and has made the Athletic Director's Honor Roll seven straight semesters and eight overall dating back to his freshman season of 1998-99.
A 2002-03 team captain on the Patriots men's basketball team, Larranaga holds a 3.38 grade point average in his first year of graduate school at Mason, as he seeks a master's degree in public administration. Red-shirting his freshman year, he graduated from George Mason as an undergraduate in May of 2002 with a bachelor's degree in communication.
Larranaga's on the court resume is just as impressive. A two-time selection to the CAA All-Defensive team, he started all 28 games last season, playing every position from point guard to power forward. He concluded the year ranked second on the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game, third in rebounding (4.6 rpg), first in assists at 3.8 per game (career-best 11 versus Niagara on Dec. 7, 2002), third in steals (1.3 spg), and first in free throw percentage (.797), ranking in the top 20 in the CAA in each category. He totaled 20 more points three times last year, including a career-high 29 points at East Carolina, Dec. 19, 2002, and scored in double figures 21 times.
For his career, Larranaga ranks 25th on Mason's all-time list in points (980), 13th in rebounding (502), tied for 12th in assists (253), and is seventh in steals (137). He is one of three Mason men's players in history with over 800 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, and 100 steals for his career.
The DI-AAA ADA and its members (the 90 Division I institutions that do not sponsor football) is administered by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA). For more information on the NACDA, the DI-AAA AAA and the Scholar-Athlete team, please visit their website at www.nacda.com.
