MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior forward Victor Ojeleye was among 11 players named to the 2012 Academic All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball First Team as announced by the league office on Thursday.
A native of Ottawa, Kan., Ojeleye became just the seventh player in school history to earn first team academic all-conference honors three times in a career and the first since Josh Reid (1997-2000). Since the Big Eight and now Big 12 started its academic all-league program in 1965, 49 Wildcats have earned recognition to the first, second and honorable mention teams. Ojeleye joins Lon Kruger (1972-74), Tim Jankovich (1980-82), Ed Nealy (1980-82), Eddie Elder (1983-85), Mark Dobbins (1987-89) and Reid as the only three-time recipients.
One of just two seniors, Ojeleye has seen action in 22 of the team’s 25 games, averaging 1.3 points on 43.3 percent shooting with 1.7 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game. He scored a season-high eight points against Texas Tech on Jan. 25, while he grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds against Iowa State on Jan. 31.
A double major in accounting and finance, Ojeleye has been a leader on and off the court during his playing career. He was recently elected by his peers to serve as Vice-Chair of the Big 12’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) during the 2011-12 athletics season. He also earned the inaugural Dr. Gerald Lage Award from the Big 12 in 2010-11, which is given to student-athletes who have earned 100 or more hours of credit with a cumulative 3.8 GPA. He has been named to the Fall and Spring Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Rolls each of the past three years.
Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the academic all-league men’s basketball team consisted of 11 first team members combined with nine on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his team’s scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
(Story courtesy of KStateSports.com)
