Aldrich Named to All-Midwest Region Team

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Kansas sophomore center Cole Aldrich was named to the NCAA Tournament All-Midwest Regional team Sunday.

Voted on by a media panel at the site, Aldrich was joined on the team by Michigan State's Goran Suton, Kalin Lucas and Travis Walton and Louisville's Earl Clark. Suton was the regional's most outstanding player as the Spartans advanced to the 2009 Final Four next week in Detroit.

Through three games at the Midwest Regional, Aldrich averaged 17.7 points, 15.7 rebounds, and 5.3 blocked shots with three double-doubles and one triple-double.

The Bloomington, Minn., native's 13 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in Kansas' 60-43 win against Dayton (March 22) was the sixth triple-double in NCAA Tournament history and the first official triple-double in Kansas basketball history.

Though blocked shots, assists and steals were not officially recorded until the 1980s, NCAA and KU records show that former Jayhawk B.H. Born had a triple-double against Indiana in the 1953 NCAA title game and KU legend Wilt Chamberlain accomplished the feat twice during the 1956-57 season.

In Kansas' 84-74 win against North Dakota State (March 20), Aldrich had 23 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots. The NDSU and Dayton contests were played in Minneapolis.

Aldrich had 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots in Kansas' 67-62 loss to Michigan State Friday in the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis.

Aldrich's 10 blocked shots against Dayton were a KU single-game record. He concluded 2008-09 with 94 blocked shots, which is second on the Kansas single-season list and three shy of the school record of 97 held by Greg Ostertag in 1993-94. Aldrich became the first Jayhawk since Wayne Simien in 2004-05 to average a double-double for the season.

Simien averaged 20.3 points and 11 rebounds his senior season, while Aldrich averaged 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds in 2008-09.

Aldrich becomes the eighth Jayhawk to be named to an all-regional team in the six seasons under head coach Bill Self. Last year, KU's Mario Chalmers, Sasha Kaun and Brandon Rush were named to the All-Midwest Regional Team.

In 2007, Rush and Julian Wright were All-West Regional selections and in 2004, Aaron Miles and Wayne Simien earned the distinction in the Saint Louis Regional.