Pitt Johnstown senior forward Chris Gilliam (Baltimore, MD), a Daktronics Second Team All-American, was also been named a 2008 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)/State Farm Division II All-American when this year's team was released on Saturday. The State Farm All-American Team was selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC... (NABC/State Farm All-America Team Release)
Gilliam, the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Player of the Year, led Pitt Johnstown to the West Virginia Conference regular season championship, a spot in the NCAA East Region Semifinals and a 23-8 overall record.
A native of Baltimore, MD, Gilliam led the Mountain Cats in both scoring (19.6 ppg.) and rebounding (8.6 rpg.) and paced the WVIAC in field goal percentage at 64.1%. Gilliam posted 10 double-doubles and led the Mountain Cats in scoring on 21 occasions and rebounding 20 times in 2007-08.
In the most recent national statistics, Gilliam ranks 12th in Field Goal Percentage (64.1%), 25th in Points Per Game (19.6 ppg.) and 47th in Rebounding (8.6 rpg.).
Gilliam, who scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds in Friday's NABC/Division II All-Star Game in Springfield, MA, is on a pace to be one of the top ten most accurate shooters in Division II history. Gilliam connected on 688 of 1047 (65.7%) field goals during his four-year Mountain Cat stint. Gilliam's 1,762 career points stands second on the All-Time Pitt Johnstown Scoring List, while his 699 career rebounds are third on the Mountain Cat All-Time Rebounding List.
2008 NABC/State Farm NCAA Division II All-America Team
Carl Arts, Alaska Anchorage, 6-6, 210, Senior, Forward, Valdez, Alaska
Sam Belt, Central Oklahoma, 6-5, 210, Senior, Guard/Forward, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Jeremy Black, Tampa, 6-8, 230, Senior, Forward, Tampa, Florida
Josh Bostic, Findlay, 6-5, 230, Junior, Forward, Columbus, Ohio
Tyrekus Bowman, Augusta State, 6-5, 185, Senior, Forward, Tignall, Georgia
Chris Gilliam, Pitt-Johnstown, 6-7, 235, Senior, Forward, Baltimore, Maryland
Chris Commons, USC Aiken, 6-8, 215, Junior, Forward, Toledo, Ohio
Steve Dagostino, St. Rose, 5-11, 160, Senior, Guard, Schenectady, New York
Callistus Eziukwu, Grand Valley, 6-10, 220, Senior, Forward/Center, Muskegon, Michigan
Nate Fritsch, Bentley, 6-6, 210, Senior, Forward, Durham, North Carolina
Robert Lee, West Texas A&M, 6-3, 197, Senior, Guard, Fort Worth, Texas
Charlie Parker, Millersville, 6-4, 195, Senior, Guard/Forward, Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania
Devin Peal, Humboldt State, 6-4, 230, Senior, Forward, Richmond, California
Jonny Reibel, Rollins, 6-2, 180, Senior, Guard, Chicago, Illinois,
Atila Santos, Minnesota State-Mankato, 6-10, 245, Senior, Center, Salvador, Brazil
John Smith, Winona State, 6-8, 245, Senior, Forward, McHenry, Illinois
Located in Kansas City, MO, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education.
State Farm® insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 74 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.8 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies
