The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
James named finalist for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
02.03.2010 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2010
- Cast your vote for Damion James for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award here
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- University of Texas senior forward Damion James has been named one of 10 finalists for the Division I Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the sport of men's basketball. This marks the second straight year that The University of Texas has had a men's basketball player named as a finalist for the prestigious award, as A.J. Abrams was one of 10 finalists for last year's honor.
James is joined on the list of finalists by: Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga), Da'Sean Butler (West Virginia), Marquis Hall (Lehigh), Luke Harangody (Notre Dame), Adam Koch (Northern Iowa), Chris Kramer (Purdue), Raymar Morgan (Michigan State), Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Josh Young (Drake).
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, character, community and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 men's candidates who were announced in October. Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winner during the 2010 NCAA Men's Final Four in early April. This marks the ninth year for the basketball division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
Nationwide voting will begin today and conclude March 22. Fan balloting is available on the award's official Web site (www.seniorCLASSaward.com) as well as through text messaging. Fans can text MBBALL to 74567 to vote for the men's finalists. These votes will be combined with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.
Through the first 22 contests, James leads the team in scoring (18.0 ppg), rebounding (11.0 rpg) and double-doubles (12). He also leads the team in steals (39) and minutes played (29.5 mpg) and ranks second in blocked shots (22).
A four-year starter who has played in all 130 games during his career, James holds school career records in games started (128) and rebounds (1,211) and ranks second in UT history in career double-doubles (49), seventh in career scoring (1,703 points) and tied for sixth in career blocked shots (145). He also owns Big 12 Conference career marks in rebounds and double-doubles.
No. 9/10 Texas (19-3 overall, 5-2 Big 12) returns to the court when it travels to face Oklahoma in a league contest on Saturday, Feb. 6. Tip is set for 3 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN.