Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 14, 1990 TAG: 9003143095
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Louisiana State sophomore was named to The Associated Press All-America college basketball team for the second straight year Tuesday, joining seniors Lionel Simmons of LaSalle, Gary Payton of Oregon State and Derrick Coleman of Syracuse and junior Larry Johnson of UNLV.
Virginia Tech's Bimbo Coles and Virginia's John Crotty and Bryant Stith were honorable-mention selections.
"It's great," Jackson said. "It's a very nice honor to be chosen again like this."
Jackson, who last year became only the second freshman All-American, is the 52nd player to repeat in the 42 years the AP team has been selected. Wayman Tisdale of Oklahoma, who in 1983 was the first freshman All-American, went on to be a three-time selection before leaving the Sooners after his junior season.
The voting was done by the same national panel of sport writers and broadcasters that selects the weekly Top 25.
The second team is comprised of sophomore Alonzo Mourning of Georgetown, juniors Dennis Scott of Georgia Tech and Doug Smith of Missouri and seniors Rumeal Robinson of Michigan and Bo Kimble of Loyola Marymount.
Senior Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount, who collapsed and died during a game earlier this month, was selected to the third team, along with seniors Steve Scheffler of Purdue and Kendall Gill of Illinois, junior Steve Smith of Michigan State, and freshman Kenny Anderson of Georgia Tech.
Simmons, Mourning and Gathers were named to the third team a year ago.
Jackson, LSU's most noted player since Pete Maravich, was the nation's second-leading scorer as a freshman at 30.1 per game. This year, his scoring dropped to 28.7 a game as defenses were geared to stop him, but he still led the Tigers to a 22-8 record.
Simmons is the first All-American from LaSalle since Tom Gola in 1953-54-55. Led by Gola, the Explorers won the NCAA title in 1954, then lost to San Francisco in the 1955 championship game.
With Simmons averaging 26.2 points and 11.1 rebounds a game, LaSalle posted a 29-1 record this season, best in the nation.
Payton, a 6-4 guard, averaged 26.3 points and 8.3 assists as Oregon State rolled to a 22-6 record. Known for his tenacious defense - he was Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman - and his ballhandling, Payton became a big scorer only this season when coach Jim Anderson asked him to shoot more.
The 6-10 Coleman averaged 18.1 and 12.2 rebounds as Syracuse (24-6) shared the Big East Conference title with surprising Connecticut.
Johnson, a 6-7, 250-pound forward, is a workhorse inside for the Runnin' Rebels (28-5), averaging 20.9 points and 11.2 rebounds a game.
by CNB