Garza Named To AP All-American First Team

Junior center is first Hawkeye honored on first team in 68 years.

Iowa center Luka Garza was named to the Associated Press All-American first team on Friday, becoming the first Hawkeye first-teamer in 68 years.

Garza received 63 first-team votes by the 65-person media panel.

The Associated Press is one of four outlets used by the NCAA to determine its consensus All-America teams, along with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, United States Basketball Writers Association, and Sporting News. Garza was named to the first-team All-American team by Sporting News last week, and the USBWA and the NABC are expected to make their announcements next week.

Garza joins Murray Wier (1948) and Charles Darling (1952) as the only Hawkeye players named to the AP first team.

Six news outlets have already named Garza as its national player of the year — Sporting News, Basketball Times, Stadium, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, and ESPN. Garza is the first Iowa men’s basketball player to earn national player of the year distinction.

Garza is a finalist for five national awards — Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Wooden Award, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, and the Lute Olson Award.

Garza had 740 points, a new program single-season record, and had 305 rebounds this season. He averaged 26.2 points in Big Ten play on his way to winning the conference's player of the year award.

He scored 20 points or more in a school-record 16 straight Big Ten games, the longest streak by any player in the Big Ten since Ohio State's Dennis Hopson 16 in 1987.

GARZA'S POSTSEASON HONORS

• Sporting News, Basketball Times, Stadium, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, and ESPN National Player of the Year

• Dick Vitale and Andy Katz’s National Player of the Year

• Sporting News, AP, CBS, NBC, ESPN, Stadium, USA Today First-Team All-America

• Big Ten player of the year

• USBWA District VI Player of the Year

• Naismith Trophy Finalist

• Wooden Award National Ballot

• Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy Semifinalist

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalist

• Lute Olson Award Top 30