Dixie State senior forward Josh Fuller and junior guard Brandon Simister were named to the 2016-17 Academic All-District 8 Division II Men’s Basketball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. The duo will now advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected in later this month.
Fuller (Rexburg, Idaho/Madison HS/Utah/Weber State), who carries a 3.99 GPA in accounting, started in the first 11 games for the Trailblazers this season prior to missing the last 10 games due to injury. He averaged 13.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in those 11 games and led DSU in field goal percentage (.602). Fuller scored in double figures in seven of those starts, including a career-high 30 points with 13 rebounds in DSU’s 78-73 home win over Western Oregon on Nov. 26.
Fuller was named DSU’s Fall 2016 Student of the Month for accounting and was Dixie State’s 2017 Allstate/NABC Good Works Team nominee. Last season, he earned all-Pacific West Conference Honorable Mention accolades and was an academic all-conference selection.
Simister (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS), who also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors last season and carries a 3.89 GPA in biology, has started all 21 games this season and is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.5 ppg. He has led the team in scoring five times and scored in double figures in 13 of those starts, including a season-high 23 points with five 3-pointers at Azusa Pacific on Dec. 10, and a 21-point night in a home win over Point Loma on Dec. 19.
Simister has hit at least three 3-pointers eight times and has led the team in assists eight times, including a career-high eight assists vs. Western Oregon on Nov. 26. He is also a two-time all-PacWest academic pick.
The CoSIDA Academic All-District Men’s Basketball Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. The teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada, with District 8 including the Pacific West, California Collegiate and Great Northwest Athletic conferences.
Steve Johnson is the Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations and Collegiate Licensing at Dixie State University. For more DSU Athletics news, please visit www.dixieathletics.com and follow Dixie State on Twitter at @DixieAthletics.