Lucas earns first-team honors

Former walk-on David Lucas was named to the All-Pacific-10 Conference first team for the second consecutive time Thursday. Sasa Cuci earned honorable mention All-Freshman team honors while the Fred Hessler Award winner Nick DeWitz grabbed honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors.

Lucas is the first player since Scott Haskin to earn two first team selections since the 1993 season.

The 6-foot-8, 246-pound player missed 10 of the Beavers first 11 games due to a toe injury, but led his team in scoring (19.1 ppg, third in Pac-10), rebounding (7.1 rpg, 8th), and field goal percentage (.547, t5th). Lucas also was near the top in the league in offensive rebounds as he grabbed 3.44 per game, good for second in the conference.

Lucas earned Pac-10 Player of the Week honors twice this year. The first time coming after his steady performance against USC and UCLA in which Oregon State swept the Los Angeles schools for the first time since the 1998-99 season. He averaged 17.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.4% from the field.

The second time around Lucas earned POY honors just before Valentines Day as the Beavers swept the Washington schools which included a victory over No. 11 Washington. Lucas poured in on average 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 66.7% from the field.

Lucas was the first player to be named Pac-10 Player of the Week twice in one year since Brent Barry in 1994-95. During his career at OSU, Lucas earned POY honors three times becoming just the fourth player in Oregon State men’s basketball history to earn the honor three or more times. Gary Payton (nine), A.C. Green (four), Scott Haskin (three) and Jose Ortiz (three).

Cuci averaged 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in his first year at Oregon State. He participated in all 29 contests and showed he had a feathery outside touch. DeWitz averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.05 blocks (3rd, Pac-10) while shooting a conference best 53.8% from three-point range.

DeWitz is the first Beaver to be honored as Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year since the award began in 1993.