University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Ball, Leaf Named NABC All-District Selections
March 22, 2017 | Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – UCLA freshmen Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf have earned NABC All-District 20 honors, as announced Wednesday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Ball has been selected as one of five first-team All-District 20 selections, along with Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Ivan Rabb (California), Markelle Fultz (Washington) and Lauri Markkanen (Arizona). Ball has averaged 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and a nation-leading 7.6 assists per game through 35 contests.
Leaf has secured second-team All-District 20 honors, joining Kyle Kuzma (Utah), Reid Travis (Stanford), Josh Hawkinson (Washington State) and Derrick White (Colorado) on that list. Leaf, a 6-foot-10 freshman forward, has averaged a team-leading 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 34 contests this season.
Ball has already been named one of four finalists for the 2017 Naismith Trophy, annually awarded to the nation's top player by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. He is also one of 15 finalists on the ballot for this season's John R. Wooden Award.
Both Ball and Leaf were selected as two of the Pac-12's 10 first-team all-conference selections at the end of the regular season. The freshman tandem has helped lead UCLA to a 31-4 overall record, entering this Friday night's Sweet 16 matchup against No. 2-seed Kentucky (31-5).
The Bruins defeated Kent State and Cincinnati last weekend in NCAA Tournament first and second-round meetings, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the third time in the last four seasons.
