Feb. 19, 2004

LAS VEGAS - UNLV men's basketball junior forward Odartey Blankson has been selected as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division I All-District Teams, announced Thursday by the NABC.

Blankson was honored by being named to the District 15 Second Team along with Cal State Fullerton's Pape Sow, Arizona's Andre Iguodala and Salim Stoudamire and Pepperdine's Glen McGowan.

Blankson, 6-7, transferred to UNLV from Marquette before the 2002-03 season and had to sit out last year because of NCAA transfer rules. This season, Blankson is second in the Mountain West Conference in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.2 rpg), leading the Runnin' Rebels in both categories. He has recorded 14 double-doubles on the year and has scored in double figures in 21 of UNLV's 22 games this season.

The District 15 First Team consists of Arizona State's Ike Diogu, Arizona's Channing Frye and Hassan Adams, USC's Desmond Farmer and UCLA's Dijon Thompson.

The NABC Division I All-District Teams recognize the country's best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes and are selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC. The 150 student-athletes, from 15 districts, are now eligible for the NABC Division I All-American team to be announced at the conclusion of the 2003-04 NCAA men's basketball season.