Temple University Athletics
Dionte Christmas Named Lowe's Senior CLASS All-Senior All-America Second Team
4.5.09 | Men's Basketball
April 5, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - Temple University All-America candidate Dionte Christmas has been named to the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Second Team All-Senior All-America Team. Tyler Hansbrough was named the winner of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and headlined the First Team which also included Jimmy Baron (Rhode Island), Jerel McNeal (Marquette), Terrence Williams (Louisville) and Sam Young (Pittsburgh). Joining Christmas on the Second Team is A.J. Abrams (Texas), Lester Hudson (Tennessee-Martin), Curtis Jerrells (Baylor) and Andy Wicke (Belmont).
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact on their circle of influence.
Christmas, the only player in Atlantic 10 Conference history to lead the league in scoring three times, topped the A-10 with a 19.5 scoring average. The 6-5 All-America became the fourth Temple player to score 2,000 career points, finishing his four seasons with 2,043 points. He also set new school records for three-pointers made in a season (107) and career (319).
The Philadelphia native (Philadelphia Lutheran Christian Academy), who joined UMass' Harper Williams (1992-93) as the only players in Atlantic 10 Conference history to earn two A-10 Most Outstanding Player Awards, also was named first team all-district by the USBWA and the NABC and first team all-Atlantic 10 Conference. He is also the only Owl player to score 600 or more points in three straight seasons.
He won three A-10 Player of the Week awards this season to push his career total to 10, third most in league history. Only Xavier's David West (14.'00-03) and Saint Joseph's Jameer Nelson (13, '01-04), both National Players of the Year as seniors, have earned more A-10 Player of the Week honors. He earned four Big 5 Player of the Week honors this season with his career total standing at 10, and two ESPN.com National Player of the Week citations, the last coming following his 35-point outburst in the Owls' 88-72 upset of then #8 Tennessee (12/13).
