2011-12 RMAC All-Academic men's basketball team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Five Fort Lewis College men's basketball players earned Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Academic accolades, Assistant Commissioner Eric Danner announced today.

Matt Morris and Torrey Udall were named to the RMAC All-Academic first team, while Matt Billups earned second team honors. Louie LaBate and Matthias Weissl received RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll distinction.

“This group epitomizes what a student-athlete is supposed to be,” said 16th-year FLC head coach Bob Hofman. “Their hard work in the classroom and on the court sets an example for our younger players to follow. I'm especially proud of Matt Morris, who is worthy of any honor he receives.”

Morris was nearly chosen as RMAC All-Academic Player of the Year for the second year in a row, finishing as runner-up to Metro State's Jonathan Morse.

The 6-foot-6 senior from Durango High School maintains a 3.59 grade point average in Business Administration-Finance. He is a three-time RMAC All-Academic performer, having earned first team accolades each of the past two seasons and second team honors as a sophomore. He is also a three-time D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement Award winner and has been named to the following teams: Capitol One Academic All-District 7 second team in 2010-11, All-RMAC second team in 2010-11, All-RMAC West Division second team in 2009-10, and Preseason All-RMAC in 2011-12, and was the RMAC/Baden Offensive Player of the Week on Jan. 2, 2012.

A four-year starter, Morris leads the RMAC and ranks seventh in the nation in rebounding (11.0 rpg). The only player in the conference to average a double-double this season (12.9 ppg, 11.0 rpg), Morris also leads the RMAC in offensive rebounds (4.1 rpg) and defensive rebounds (6.9 rpg) and ranks among conference leaders in field goal shooting (fourth, .569) and scoring (16th, 12.9 ppg). He also ranks among FLC career leaders in rebounds (ninth, 571), free throws (tenth, 258), and blocked shots (18th, 30). He is 22 points short of becoming the 21st player in FLC history to eclipse 1,000 career points.

Udall, a 6-foot-9 sophomore center from Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale, Colo., maintains a 3.72 GPA in Business Administration-International Business. Like Morris, he's a three-time RMAC All-Academic award recipient, having earned Honor Roll distinction each of the past two years. Udall is also a two-time D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement Award recipient and was the RMAC/Baden Defensive Player of the Week for Nov. 21, 2011.

Billups, a 6-foot senior guard from Los Lunas (N.M.) High School, carries a 3.70 GPA in Computer Science Information Systems. He previously earned RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll and D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement awards in 2010-11. He currently ranks among RMAC leaders in free throw shooting (14th, .786) and scoring (20th, 11.7 ppg).

LaBate, a 5-foot-8 junior guard from Cedar Crest High School in Duvall, Wash., carries a 3.66 GPA in Public Health. He previously received D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement Awards the past two seasons and was an RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll performer in 2010-11.

Weissl, a 6-foot-2 junior guard from Salzburg, Austria, who attended Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale, has a 3.70 GPA and double majors in Business Administration-International Business and Exercise Science-Sport Administration option. He previously earned RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll and D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement the past two seasons. Weissl ranks among RMAC leaders in three-pointers per game (tenth, 1.8) and three-point shooting (15th, .409).

To qualify for Academic All-RMAC, student-athletes must have a GPA of 3.30 or better, be a starter or reserve, and completed two consecutive semesters or three quarters at their current institution. RMAC sports information directors selected the first and second teams.

The Skyhawks (8-7 overall, 6-5 RMAC) travel to Denver next weekend, where they'll face No. 4 Metro State (15-1, 10-1) at 7 p.m. Friday and Regis (4-11, 1-10) at 5 p.m. Saturday.