Cross Earns NABC First Team All-America Honors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Chas Cross continues to receive national honors, as the Winnebago, Ill. native was selected first team All-America by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Thursday. 

The 6-8 junior center garnered NBCA West Region Player of the Year earlier in the week and was name first team all-West Region by D3hoops.com last week. 

Cross is 78 points away from becoming the 33^rd Pioneer to score 1,000 career points. He is shooting a career 60.4% from the field which puts him on pace to break Jeff Skemp's (2004-09) record of 60.1%, and also tallied 46 blocks this year putting him second in Pioneer history in blocks in a season. He led the WIAC in scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounds (237). 

Previous Pioneer All-America selections were Steve Showalter (1988 NAIA Third Team), Shawn Frison (1990 NAIA Honorable Mention), T.J. Van Wie (1992 NCAA First Team, 1993 NCAA Second Team), Ernie Peavy (1995 NCAA Second Team), Ben Hoffmann (1997 NCAA Second Team, 1998 NCAA First Team) and Merrill Brunson (1999 NCAA First Team, Player of the Year), Jeff Skemp (2008 NCAA Third Team, 2009 NCAA First Team).

2013 NABC COACHES' DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM
Chas Cross, UW-Platteville, 6-8, Junior, Center, Winnebago, Ill. 
John DiBartolomeo, Rochester, 6-0. Senior, Guard, Westport, Conn.
Colton Hunt, Randolph, 6-2, Senior, Guard, Whittier, N.C.
Chris Kearney, Catholic, 6-7, Senior, Forward/Center, Centrevile, Va.
AJ Matthews, Farmingdale State, 7-1, Senior, Center/Forward, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Derek Raridon, North Central, 6-6, Senior, Guard/Forward, Plainfield, Ill.
Aaron Toomey, Amherst, 6-1, Junior, Guard, Greensboro, N.C.
Andy Winters, Ohio Wesleyan, 6-0, Senior, Guard, Columbus, Ohio 

2013 NABC COACHES' DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM
Tahrike Carter, Rhode Island College, 6-2, Senior, Guard, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Brandon Givens, North Carolina Wesleyan, 6-6, Senior, Guard/Forward, Ruffin, S.C.
Taylor Hall, Bethel, 6-8, Senior, Forward, Blaine, Minn.
Spencer Niekamp, Capital, 6-6, Senior, Forward, St. Henry, Ohio
Paul Reynolds, Wesley, 6-4, Senior, Forward, Wilmington, Del.
Julian Strickland, Rose-Hulman, 6-3, Junior, Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.
Stefan Thompson, Hobart, 5-10, Senior, Guard, Syracuse, N.Y.
Tyrik Tucker, Old Westbury, 6-6, Junior, Guard/Forward, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

2013 NABC COACHES' DIVISION III ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM
Ben Eisenhardt, Whitman, 6-8, Junior, Forward, Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Hayk Gyokchyan, Franklin and Marshall, 6-7, Junior, Forward, Beirut, Lebanon
Jamar Harry, John Jay, 6-2, Junior, Guard/Forward, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ian Jackson, Trine, 6-1, Senior, Guard, Indianapolis, Ind.
Taylor Koth, Ripon, 6-2, Senior, Guard/Forward, Cedarburg, Wis.
Kyle Schleigh, UT-Dallas, 6-6, Junior, Forward, Houston, Texas
Will Tashman, MIT, 6-8, Senior, Forward, Atherton, Calif.
Hayden Ward, SUNY-Oswego, 6-6, Senior, Forward, Montauk, N.Y.