[ RAINBOW BASKETBALL ]
Kuebler receives
national honorThe UH senior is named
a first-team Academic
All-American
Michael Kuebler has continued the trend of Hawaii shooting guards who have racked up high point totals on the court while scoring lofty marks in the classroom.
For his efforts, Kuebler has been named to the Academic All-America University Division Men's Basketball Team, making him the first member of the Rainbow Warrior program to earn a place on the first team.
"It's a real honor and it's something that surprised me when they announced it," Kuebler said. "It means a lot. To know that people pay attention to that and are aware of it makes a big difference."
Kuebler, who owns a 3.67 grade-point average in Business Administration, was named to the All-District VIII first team earlier this season, making him eligible for the All-America team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Kuebler is joined on the first team by Adam Hess of William and Mary, Chris Hill of Michigan State, Adam Mark of Belmont and Emeka Okafor of Connecticut. Okafor (3.74, Finance) was also named the Academic All-American of the Year.
"I don't know if it was so much a goal as much as an expectation," Kuebler said of his focus in the classroom. "It's a goal to get good grades, but at the same time it's something my family and everyone that's around me kind of expects."
Tulsa guard Jason Parker (3.52, Management Information Systems) was named to the second team and is the only other player from a Western Athletic Conference school recognized on the list.
Kuebler follows the trend set by the previous two players to play shooting guard for the Rainbows, as Predrag Savovic (2002) and Carl English (2003) both led the team in scoring while being named to the Academic All-America third team.
A.C. represents UH on All-WAC team
Guard Anthony Carter is Hawaii's only representative on the 25-Year All-WAC Fan Teams. Carter, the WAC Player of the Year in 1997, was chosen to the second team.The first team is comprised of Texas-El Paso guard Tim Hardaway, Brigham Young guard Danny Ainge, Fresno State center Melvin Ely, UTEP forward Brandon Wolfram and Utah forward Keith Van Horn.
The rest of the second team is UTEP guard Antoine Gillespie, New Mexico center Luc Longley, San Diego State forward Michael Cage and Wyoming forward Fennis Dembo.
Nearly 5,000 votes were received by the WAC via its Web site.
Kuebler, an Academic All-WAC pick last year, credited his instructors and the academic staff in the athletic department for assisting him in keeping up in school despite the team being on the road for extended stretches during the conference season. He hopes to graduate with a degree in marketing in December.
"A lot of recognition has to go to the teachers," Kuebler said. "They understand that it's tough when someone's away from class so long. So far, every teacher I've had at UH has been real accommodating to set time out to come in outside of class and help me with stuff."
Kuebler's numbers on the court have been just as impressive this season. He leads the Rainbows (19-8, 11-5 WAC) and ranks second in the conference in scoring with 18.4 points per game entering today's contest at Nevada. He leads the conference with 78 3-pointers, the third highest total in school history.
Kuebler has already been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 13 second team.
The All-WAC teams, selected by the conference coaches, will be announced Sunday.
'Bows on the tube: Hawaii's regular-season finale against Fresno State on Saturday will be televised in Hawaii on KFVE. The game will be produced by SportsWest and is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. (Hawaii time).
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2004 Academic All-America
First Team
Men's Basketball Team
Adam Hess, William and Mary, Sr., 3.53, Finance; Chris Hill, Michigan State, Jr., 3.84, Finance; Michael Kuebler, Hawaii, Sr., 3.67, Business Administration; Adam Mark, Belmont, Sr., 3.96, Computer Science; Emeka Okafor, Connecticut, Jr., 3.74, Finance.Second Team
Clint Cuffle, Evansville, Sr., 3.75, Civil Engineering; Jason Parker, Tulsa, Sr., 3.52, Management Information Systems; Brett Starkey, Denver, Grad., 3.96, Biology/Pre-medicine; Blake Stepp, Gonzaga, Sr., 3.24, Business Administration; Derek Winans, Southeast Missouri State, Jr., 4.00, Business Management.Third Team
Adam Baumann, Youngstown State, Sr., 3.80, Management Information Systems; Brody Deren, Creighton, Sr., 3.66, Exercise Science; Craig Forth Syracuse, Jr., 3.85, Inclusive Education and Geography; Johannes Herber, West Virginia, Soph., 4.00, Political Science; Michael Lindeman, Creighton, Grad., 3.94, Finance.Academic All-American of the Year
Emeka Okafor, Connecticut.