Combining his performance as one of the leaders on this year’s men’s basketball team with his continued excellence in his academic work, senior center Austen Powers () has been named ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-District VIII (College Division) by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), announced Thursday by the national organization.
Starting all 19 games so far this season, Powers leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game. He is shooting 48.2 percent from the field (93-of-193), including 14-of-41 (.341) from behind the three-point line, and 81.6 percent (31-of-38) from the free throw line. Powers is also tied for first on the squad with 11 blocked shots and is second in rebounding, averaging 5.8 boards per contest.
Powers has scored in double figures in ten games this season, including five of the last six games. That string started with a career-high 28-point performance in a close loss at the on Jan. 4. He was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Great Alaska Shootout, leading Seattle University to its first win as a Division I school over a Division I foe in over 28 years with 16 points against Louisiana Tech on Thanksgiving night and following that with an eight-point, ten-rebound performance against eventual tournament champion San Diego State in the semifinals the next night.
A liberal studies major, Powers is presently carrying a 3.55 grade point average. Thanks to his play this season as well as the coincidental nature of his name being the same as a popular movie character, he has been the feature of stories on television stations KING 5 and Q13 this season, always willing to participate in these situations to help the program gain more attention.
Powers and the men’s basketball team will begin a three-game homestand Saturday, Feb. 7, against at approximately 7:30 p.m. at the . Live stats will be available on GoSeattleU.com, and Dick Fain will broadcast the game from courtside on KKNW 1150 AM.