April 3, 2008
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (April 2, 2008) – Vanderbilt senior Shan Foster will take to the floor of the Alamodome on Final Four Friday in the DiGiorno College All-Star basketball game, an event that features the nation’s top senior collegiate players.
The game, being played on the Final Four floor for the first time in its long history, begins at 5 p.m. (CDT) and will be televised on cstv.
Among the top stars in the game, Vanderbilt swingman Shan Foster and Georgetown guard Jonathan Wallace head the National team while Louisville center David Padgett and Wisconsin forward Brian Butch lead the American all-stars.
An Associated Press Second-Team All-American, Foster became Vanderbilt’s all-time leading scorer on March 1. He is a three-time All-SEC selection and was named SEC Player of the Year this past season by leading the conference in scoring (20.6), three-point field goals made (4.03) and three-point field goal percentage (47.2%). Wallace is the Hoyas’ all-time three-point field goal leader (240) and used his sharp-shooting to lead Georgetown (28-6, 15,-3) to a Big East Championship and No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional.
After suffering a broken right kneecap, Padgett became a unanimous first team All-Big East Conference selection and set a Big East Conference field goal percentage record for league games, hitting 68.3 percent of his shots in the 18 games (86-of-126). A three-time Academic All-Big 10, Butch led the Big 10 regular season and tournament champion Wisconsin Badgers to a sweet sixteen appearance as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The game also has some Texas flavor as forward/center Joe Jones will play for the National all-stars while Washington State forward Robbie Cowgill, an Austin resident, and Houston’s Robert McKiver are on the American team.
The coaching matchup is a battle between South Carolina coaches. Recently retired South Carolina coach Dave Odom will guide the Americans and Clemson coach Oliver Purnell heads the Nationals.