July 15, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - San Diego State senior forward Mehdi Cheriet has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, which recognizes collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the 2009-10 season.
A native of Tarare, France, Cheriet is studying biology at SDSU. The 6-9 forward played in 35 games in 2008-09, his first year on campus after transferring from Arizona Western College, and helped the Aztecs reach the semifinals of the NIT and win a school-record 26 games. Last season, Cheriet utilized his redshirt season.
The NABC Honors Court recognizes the talents and gifts that college basketball players possess off the court, and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom. In order to be named to the Honors Court, an athlete must be academically a junior or senior and a varsity player, have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2009-10 academic year, have matriculated at least one year at their current institution and play for an NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA school.
The Aztecs return five starters from 2009-10 and nine letterwinners, including Cheriet. Mountain West Conference first-team selection and league freshman of the year Kawhi Leonard leads the way for San Diego State after being one of only four freshmen in the country in `09-10 to lead his club in scoring and rebounding. Also returning is senior Billy White (2010 MWC honorable mention), who enters the year as the nation's active leader in field-goal percentage, senior Malcolm Thomas (2010 all-MWC second team) and senior D.J. Gay (2010 MWC honorable mention).
SDSU enters the upcoming season fresh off one of its most successful efforts after winning the MWC tournament crown, advancing to the NCAA Tournament and compiling a 25-9 record. The Scarlet and Black have won 20 or more games and advanced to the postseason five consecutive seasons. San Diego State inches toward the 2010-11 season with much anticipation as it is ranked No. 23 in Vitale's preseason poll and No. 24 in Katz's rankings. ESPN.com's Pat Forde and FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman, meanwhile, have tabbed the Aztecs as one of their top teams heading into `10-11.