The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sesay Named to Wooden All-American
6/21/1999 | Men's Basketball
March 26, 1998
LOS ANGELES -- Ole Miss senior forward Ansu Sesay has been named to the John R. Wooden 1998 All-America Team, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Thursday. Sesay, who also earned All-America honors from Associated Press (second team), Basketball Weekly (first team) and Basketball Times (second team), is one of 10 players selected a Wooden All-America.
Sesay is the first player in Ole Miss men's basketball history to be named to the Wooden All-America squad since the award's inception in 1977.
The announcement of the John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the "most outstanding basketball player in the United States," will take place on Apr. 3 at the Wooden Award Trophy ceremonies in Los Angeles.
"For Ansu to be selected a John Wooden All-America is very special in the fact that, in my estimation, John Wooden is the greatest coach that ever lived," said Ole Miss head coach Rob Evans. "Ansu's selection to the Wooden All-America Team says a lot about him because I know the Wooden committee spends a lot of time deciding what kind of player it wants to represent the Wooden Award and the All-America squad on and off the court. "Ansu is one of the top players in the country. He has worked extremely hard to get to this point, and he truly exemplifies what an All-America is. Being named a Wooden All-America is a great honor for Ansu."
Sesay, who was voted Southeastern Conference Player of the Year by Associated Press and the league's coaches, was a unanimous pick to the All-SEC first team for the second consecutive year. Sesay was also selected the United States Basketball Writers' Association (USBWA) District 4 Player of the Year and was named to the All-District 4 squad. He was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 6 first team.
The Houston, Texas native led the Rebels in scoring and rebounding with averages of 18.6 points and 7.6 boards, respectively, this year. Sesay finished the 1997-98 season among the league's leaders in scoring (2nd; 18.6), rebounding (5th; 7.6) and field goal percentage (5th; 45.6). He completed his career scoring in double figures in his final 53 consecutive games, and also recorded 11 double-doubles this season. Sesay is No. 8 on the Ole Miss career scoring list with 1,428 points.
"This is such a great honor because there are a lot of outstanding players across the country," said Sesay. "I really consider this a team award because I couldn't have done it without help from my coaches and teammates, and I want to share it with them."
The following is the John R. Wooden 1998 All-America Team (listed alphabetically): Mike Bibby, Arizona; Vince Carter, North Carolina; Michael Doleac, Utah; Richard Hamilton, Connecticut; Antawn Jamison, North Carolina; Raef LaFrentz, Kansas; Trajan Langdon, Duke; Paul Pierce, Kansas; ANSU SESAY, OLE MISS; and Miles Simon, Arizona. The Rebels completed the 1997-98 season with a 22-7 overall record and a 12-4 mark in SEC play. Ole Miss won its second consecutive SEC Western Division title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
