March 20, 2008

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa . . . The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced today the NABC Division III All-District teams and coaches, recognizing the best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes and coaches in the division. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, these student-athletes represent the finest basketball players across America. Loras College senior forward Kyle White (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) and Buena Vista University junior guard Andre Wagner (Omaha, Neb./Northwest) were each named to the All-West District First Team, while Buena Vista University coach Brian Van Haaften was recognized by his peers as West District Coach of the Year. The 88 student-athletes, from eight districts, are now eligible for the State Farm Division III All-America teams, selected by the NABC.

2008 NABC DIVISION III ALL-WEST DISTRICT TEAMS

First Team		Second Team
Matt Goodwin, UW-Whitewater		Luke Linz, Concordia-M'head
Kyle White, Loras		Connor Whitman, Occidental
Jeff Skemp, UW-Platteville		Zach Johnson, Carleton
Dan Beyer, UW-Eau Claire		Steve Hicklin, UW-Stevens Point
Andre Wagner, Buena Vista		Jason Foster, Puget Sound
Ryan Symes, Whitworth
Tom Conboy, Macalester
Coach of the Year: Brian Van Haaften, Buena Vista
Player of the Year: Matt Goodwin, UW-Whitewater

White, a two-time Iowa Conference MVP, led a balanced Loras attack in scoring and rebounding with 17.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 29 contests, leading Loras in scoring 15 times and rebounding 17 times. He ranked second in the Conference in scoring and rebounding, and third in field goal percentage (55.1 percent, 189-of-343). In 16 Conference games, White recorded six double-doubles, most in the IIAC. He averaged 17.9 points (1st in IIAC) and 8.5 rebounds (2nd) per game and ranked third in field goal percentage (55.7 percent). He ranked fourth in the league with 34 offensive rebounds. White is the eighth two-time IIAC Most Valuable Player, the first since Buena Vista's Adam Jones (2000, 2002), and the first to win the honor in back-to-back seasons since Dave Crawford of Dubuque in 1990 and 1991.

Wagner, a two-time All-Iowa Conference selection, led Buena Vista in scoring this season with a career-best 14.7ppg (7th in IIAC). In addition, he shot 45.6 percent from the field, including 39.4 percent from three-point land, while making a career-best 74 three-point shots. Wagner was the Beavers' leading scorer in 17 of their 30 games this season. Defensively, he chalked up 56 steals, moving him up to third-place on the all-time career list with 138.

Van Haaften, who earlier this week received West Region Coach of the Year honors from D3hoops.com, led the Beavers to their ninth Iowa Conference title (their sixth since 1996-97) with a 14-2 Conference record. Buena Vista advanced to its eighth NCAA Division III Tournament, reaching the Sweet 16 for the third time in school history before bowing out with a 23-7 overall record. This is the seventh time in 12 years under Van Haaften that BVU has won 20 games or more.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, MO, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.

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