NEW YORK – Kansas forward Danny Manning, an All-American last season, led all candidates today in voting for the 1987-88 Associated Press preseason All-American team.
The 6-foot-10 senior received 60 of a possible 64 votes cast by a nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Also selected to the first team were center Roeny Seikaly of Syracuse, 40 votes; North Carolina forward J.R. Reid, the only non-senior, 36; and the backcourt of David Rivers of Notre Dame, 33, and Michigan’s Gary Grant, 32.
This was the second preseason team selected by the AP, and Manning was the only repeater. Last year’s team had seniors David Robinson of Navy, Kenny Smith of North Carolina and Steve Alford of Indiana. All three, like Manning, were chosen for the All-American team after the season.
Louisville’s Pervis Ellison was the other player selected to last year’s preseason team. Reggie Williams of Georgetown replaced him on the postseason All-American team.
Manning, the Big Eight player of the year, averaged 23.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for the Jayhawks last season while making an impressive 62 percent of his shots from the field. There were rumors Manning would leave Kansas after his junior year to play in the NBA but he stifled those stories when the filing deadline passed and he was still with the Jayhawks.
Seikaly was the center on last year’s national runner-up – the Orangemen fell 74-73 to Indiana in the championship game. The 6-10 native of Greece averaged 15.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last season while shooting 57 percent from the field.
Reid was the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year last season after entering coach Dean Smith’s program as one of the most heralded freshmen ever. Reid didn’t disappoint, averaging 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Reid was suspended for the opening game of this season for his part in a scuffle with students from another school.
Rivers is one of college basketball’s true success stories, coming back from a near-fatal automobile accident in the summer of 1986 to regain All-American status.
The 6-0 Rivers averaged 15.7 points and 5.1 assists last season while playing almost 37 minutes a game and leading the Fighting Irish to the NCAA’s round of 16. HE is expected to be at full strength for his senior season.
Grant, considered one of the nation’s top defensive players, averaged 2.7 steals a game last season. The 6-3 Grant also averaged 22.4 points and 5.4 assists a game.
Twenty-eight players received votes and only three schools had more than one player receive a vote.
