Domask Earns First-Team Academic All-America Honors

AUSTIN, Texas – Fighting Illini basketball guard/forward Marcus Domask has been named to the 2023-24 Academic All-America first team as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), the organization announced Wednesday.

It marks the second consecutive first-team Academic All-America honor for Domask, who was recognized as a senior at Southern Illinois in 2022-23 before joining the Illini as a graduate transfer.

Domask holds a 4.0 GPA at Illinois while pursuing his master's degree in recreation, sport, & tourism and a 3.95 combined average, including his 3.94 mark as an undergrad studying sport administration at SIU.

Domask becomes the first Fighting Illini to earn Academic All-America accolades since 1979, when Rob Judson and Steve Lanter were both named to the fourth team, and he is the first Illini to garner a first-team nod since Rick Schmidt did it in back-to-back seasons in 1974 and 1975. Overall, Illinois men's basketball now boasts 14 Academic All-America laurels by 11 different players, with Domask earning the program's fifth first-team selection.

One of the nation's top transfers, Domask was a key force behind Illinois' 29-9 campaign that culminated with the Big Ten Tournament championship, a run to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, and a No. 6 final ranking in the AP Top-25 poll. He was a first-team All-Big Ten pick by the coaches and AP, garnered all-conference second-team accolades by the media, and was also voted Big Ten Newcomer of the Year by AP.

The Waupun, Wisconsin, native averaged 15.9 points and 5.0 rebounds while leading the Illini with 3.9 assists per game. He recorded three 30-point games this season, including a career-high 33 at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 5 in the win over Florida Atlantic. Domask punctuated his season by recording only the 10^th triple-double in NCAA Tournament history with his 12-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist performance in the team's Round of 64 win over Morehead State. He closed the year as one of only four active players in NCAA Division I with more than 2,000 points (2,218), 750 rebounds (754), and 500 assists (506) over his five-year career.

Illinois' CSC Academic All-Americans

• Marcus Domask – G/F, 2024 (1^st)
• Rob Judson - G, 1979 (4^th)
• Steve Lanter - G, 1979 (4^th)
• Otho Tucker - G, 1976 (3^rd )
• Rick Schmidt - F, 1975 (1^st); 1974 (2^nd)
• Jeff Dawson - G, 1974 (2^nd)
• Rick Howat - G, 1971 (1^st); 1970 (3^rd)
• Denny Pace - G/F, 1969 (3^rd)
• Dave Scholz - C, 1968 (1^st); 1967 (HM)
• Jim Dawson - G, 1967 (2^nd)
• Tal Brody - G, 1965 (2^nd)