(UI news release)
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa center Luka Garza has been named a first-team midseason All-American on Monday by Sporting News.
Garza (6-foot-11, 260 pounds) is the Big Ten scoring leader and ranks sixth nationally, averaging 22.3 points per game. He also ranks sixth nationally in double-doubles (10), seventh in 20+ games (11), and 19th in rebounding (10.4 rpg). His 36.61 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is second best in the country. Garza is the only player from a Power 5 Conference to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per contest, totaling seven 20-point/10-rebound efforts this season. He has scored 379 points so far this year, the most points scored by a Hawkeye through 17 games in 49 years.
Last week, Garza was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 and the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award Midseason Top 30. He is also one of 20 players on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Center of the Year Watch List.
The native of Washington, D.C., is one five Big Ten players since 2010-11 with multiple 30-point/10-rebound performances in the same season. He is averaging 27.2 points and 10.7 rebounds in conference play, bolstered by his 44-point outburst at Michigan on Dec. 6. His 44 points were the most in a single-game by an Iowa big man, third most in a single-game in program history, most scored by a Hawkeye in a single-game since John Johnson (49) in 1970, and most scored by a visiting player in Crisler Center history.
Garza was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, Jay Bilas’ Co-National Player of the Week, and Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 33.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in road games at Syracuse (Dec. 3) and Michigan (Dec. 6). He was tabbed Andy Katz’s March Madness Player of the Week following a pair of double-doubles in victories over Minnesota and Iowa State. The Hawkeye junior was also named to the Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Garza and the Hawkeyes (12-5, 3-3) return to action on Friday, hosting No. 19 Michigan (11-5, 2-3). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets are available for purchase at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.