March 12, 2013

USBWA All-District Team

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - One day before he plays for a second Patriot League Championship, Bucknell senior center Mike Muscala earned a significant honor as he was named to the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-District Team on Tuesday.

Muscala was named to the District II squad which includes all of the schools in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. In addition to Muscala, the 10-man squad also includes Michael Carter-Williams of Syracuse and C.J. Fair of Syracuse, Ramon Galloway of La Salle, Ian Hummer of Princeton, Lamont Jones of Iona, Otto Porter of Georgetown, Devon Saddler of Delaware, Tray Woodall of Pittsburgh and Khalif Wyatt of Temple. Porter was named District II Player of the Year.

Muscala is just the second Patriot Leaguer to earn USBWA All-District honors, joining Lehigh's C.J. McCollum who made the list in 2011.

Muscala has already received a truckload of awards this winter. He swept the Patriot League Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors this season. He is a national Capital One Academic All-America selection, is one of 30 candidates for the Naismith Player of the Year Award and also one of 25 finalists for the Lou Henson Award, given to the mid-major player of the year.

Entering Wednesday night's Patriot League championship game, Muscala is averaging 19.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.4 assists per game. He leads all Division I players with 21 double-doubles this season, and he is the only player in the country averaging at least 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. Muscala ranks fourth nationally in rebounding, and he leads the Patriot League in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

Muscala recently became Bucknell's all-time leading scorer, and on Saturday he became the first Bison and the fifth Patriot Leaguer to score 2,000 career points. Muscala is also the first in League and school history to have both 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Bucknell, the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament, hosts second-seed Lafayette in the League Championship on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.

The 2012-13 USBWA Men's All-District Teams are based on voting from a national membership of 900-plus. There are nine regions from coast to coast and a player and coach of the year are selected in each.

The USBWA was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. Today, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball.

For the full release of the All-District Teams from the USBWA, go here