Garza Is Consensus All-American
Iowa junior center Luka Garza became the program's third consensus All-American on Tuesday when he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America first team.
Garza joins Murray Weir (1948) and Charles Darling (1952) as Iowa's consensus first-team men's basketball All-Americans.
Garza also was a first-team pick by the Sporting News, Associated Press and United States Basketball Writers Association.
Garza becomes the first Hawkeye in program history to be voted to the NABC first team and third Iowa player to earn national recognition by the organization. Ronnie Lester (1979) and Jarrod Uthoff (2016) were third-team honorees.
Five major news outlets have already named Garza as its national player of the year — Sporting News, Basketball Times, Stadium, Bleacher Report, and ESPN. Garza is the first Iowa men’s basketball player to earn national player of the year distinction.
Garza also is a finalist for five national awards — the Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Wooden Award, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, and the Lute Olson Award.
Garza finished second behind Dayton's Obi Toppin in the AP player of the year voting. Toppin received 34 votes, while Garza had 24.
Garza had 740 points, a new program single-season record, and 305 rebounds this season. He averaged 26.2 points in Big Ten play and was named the conference's player of the year. He finished the season with a streak of 16 games with 20 or more points in Big Ten play.
Garza's 44-point game against Michigan was the highest total in the Big Ten this season. His 38-point game against Indiana ranked second.
GARZA HONORS
• Sporting News, Basketball Times, Stadium, Bleacher Report, and ESPN National Player of the Year
• Dick Vitale, Seth Davis, Andy Katz’s National Player of the Year
• Sporting News, NABC, USBWA, AP, CBS, NBC, ESPN, Stadium, USA Today, The Athletic First-Team All-America
• Big Ten Men's Basketball Player of the Year
• USBWA District VI Player of the Year
• Naismith Trophy Finalist
• Wooden Award National Ballot
• Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy Semifinalist
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalist
• Lute Olson Award Top 30
