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Maric named to AP's All-Big 12 first team

BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Monday, Mar 10, 2008 - 06:21:31 pm CDT
Being named first-team All-Big 12 Conference didn’t seem to impress Nebraska senior Aleks Maric.

“I’ve told you since I ever got here, I don’t look for that,” Maric said. “I look for team success. That’s what I’m here for.”

Maric, a 6-foot-11 center, was named to the men’s basketball  first team by the Associated Press on Monday. He’s only the third Husker to be named first-team All-Big 12, and the first since Venson Hamilton in 1999.

“That’s a credit to his hard work and people understanding what he’s meant to this program,” Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said of Maric. “To do the things that he’s done in this league, there’s not been a lot of guys to ever do it. I’m just happy for him.”

Maric is only the sixth Big 12 player with 1,500 career points and 900 career rebounds. He’s 25 rebounds short of becoming only the second Husker to have 1,000.

The conference coaches voted Maric to their All-Big 12 second team Monday. He was the only Husker recognized among 39 postseason honors by the coaches.

The Associated Press named Nebraska’s junior college transfers Ade Dagunduro and Steve Harley to the all-newcomer team.

Big 12 coaches named Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley as player of the year and Texas’ Rick Barnes as coach of the year.

Maric, who has 11 double-doubles in his last 12 games, leads Nebraska (18-11, 7-9) into Thursday’s first-round Big 12 Tournament game against Missouri at 6 p.m. The game will be televised by KLKN (Lincoln channel 8).

“I think our team is playing as good as it can play right now, on both sides of the court,” Maric said. “We’re going into Kansas City with a lot of confidence and a lot of determination.”

Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.