In the Long Beach Post file photo, Junior Casper Ware drives against a Pacific player during the 2009-10 basketball season. Photo by Andrew Veis.
7:02am | Long Beach State basketball star Junior Casper Ware has been named to the 2011 Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America team along with 20 other Division I players.
The 2011 Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet on April 1 in Houston, the site of the men’s basketball championship.
Ware led the 49ers to the 2011 Big West Conference regular season championship and a spot in the National Invitation Tournament. He was selected as both the Big West Conference Player of the Year and the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, the first player in league history to win both awards in the same season. Ware also earned a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 9 Team, as well as a place on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District IX Team.
Ware led Long Beach State in scoring (17.2 ppg), assists (150) and steals (56), while also finishing second in 3-pointers made (75). Ware finished the season second in the conference in scoring, while also ranking second in assists (4.4 apg), fourth in steals (1.6 spg), sixth in free throw percentage (.810), fifth in 3-point field goals made (2.2 per game) and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.381). He ranked among LBSU’s all-time single-season leaders in free throws made (third), free throws attempted (sixth), 3-point field goals made (seventh), 3-pointers attempted (seventh), assists (ninth) and steals (11th).
Ware was one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award honoring the nation’s best point guard, and he claimed Big West Conference Player of the week honors once after leading the 49ers to wins at UC Davis and Cal State Northridge.
Defensively, he spearheaded an attack that, in Big West games, helped limit opponents to 60 points or less on seven occasions, all resulting in 49er victories. LBSU was 12-0 in conference play when it held the opponent under 70 points.
2011 Lefty Driesell All-America Team
Casper Ware, Long Beach State
Dogus Balbay, Texas
Keith Benson, Oakland
Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
Norris Cole, Cleveland State
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
John Flowers, West Virginia
Tu Holloway, Xavier
JuJuan Johnson, Purdue
DeAndre Liggins, Kentucky
Sam Muldrow, South Carolina
Ronald Nored, Butler
Damien Saunders, Duquesne
Chris Singleton, Florida State
Nolan Smith, Duke
Demontez Stitt, Clemson
Iman Sumpert, GA Tech
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
Malcolm Thomas, San Diego State
Brad Wanamaker, Pittsburgh