March 12, 2013

ST. LOUIS – Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel has hauled in a number of postseason accolades to date, and has now added U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-District IV team honors on Tuesday as announced by the association.

Dating back to 2004, at least one UK player has been named to the All-District IV team. Noel is the 15th player to achieve the honor since that season, and the eighth player in the John Calipari era.

The teams are based on voting from the USBWA national membership of 900-plus members. District IV is comprised of institutions within the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

The freshman from Everett, Mass., led the nation in blocking as he averaged 4.4 rejections per game and tallied 106 in 24 games played. Prior to his season-ending knee injury he was the only player standing taller than 6-5 to rank in the top 30 for steals per outing as he had accumulated 50 steals on the year.

He averaged 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. His rebounds and blocked shots led the Southeastern Conference, while he also ranked among the top-10 players in steals per game, defensive rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game and minutes played per game.

Noel finished the season ranking second in UK single-season history with 106 blocks. His 50 steals ranked as the fifth most in a single-season by a freshman. His .590 field goal percentage is the ninth best mark in school history, while his steals per game (2.1) is the seventh best mark in school allure.

Prior UK District IV team award winners include: Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, John Wall, Jodie Meeks, Ramel Bradley, Randolph Morris, Rajon Rondo, Chuck Hayes, Erik Daniels and Gerald Fitch.

Kentucky will return to action in the SEC Tournament on Friday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET. UK will face the winner of the Arkansas/Vanderbilt game.