February 1, 2013

Ogbe earns CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team honors

Tennessee Tech junior forward Dennis Ogbe, an electrical engineering major with a 3.86 GPA, has been selected CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team for his success both on the hardwood and in the classroom.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech junior forward Dennis Ogbe has been selected CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team for his success both on the hardwood and in the classroom.

Ogbe, one of just three players to start 20 games this season for the Golden Eagle men's basketball team, has been one of Tech's most consistent players on the court. He leads the team in field goal percentage with a mark of .556, which is also good for fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference. He also ranks in the top 10 in offensive rebounds and blocked shots.

Just hours after receiving the honor, the 6-7, 220-pound junior put together perhaps his best career performance on the court, recording his first double-double. He scored 17 points and ripped down 12 rebounds while blocking a career-best five shots.

A strong player with outstanding knowledge of the game of basketball, Ogbe is recognized for being a leader with great work ethic, both on the court and in the classroom. Named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll all five semesters of his time at Tech, he also landed on the OVC Commissioner's Adademic Honor Roll each of the past two years.

Ogbe produces solid numbers on the hardwood, but may be even more impressive in the classroom. A native of Munich, Germany, he owns an impressive 3.86 GPA in electrical engineering, including putting together a 4.0 this past semester.

Beginning his basketball career in the second grade of elementary school in a small town near Munich, Ogbe played there until 2007 when he joined the basketball club "Franken Hexer" in Nuernberg. There he averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals per game in the NBBL and was selected to play in the All-Star Game (the equivalent to the USA's McDonald's High School All-Star Game), scoring 13 points in that spotlight event. In his NBBL Final Four contest, Ogbe chipped in with 23 points and nine rebounds.

Dennis is the son of Festus Ogbe and Margitta Linue.

Ogbe raises the number of Golden Eagle student-athletes named to CoSIDA Academic All-District teams since 1985 to 112. He becomes the fourth men's basketball player to earn the honor, joining Ed deHass (1987), Brent Jolly (2002), and current director of men's basketball operations Frank Davis (2009). Ogbe is also the second Golden Eagle student-athlete to grab the award this year, as sophomore running back Stephen Bush of the Tech football team earned the honor in the fall.

The CoSIDA Academic All-America and Academic All-District is organized and voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Ogbe is one of just two players from the Ohio Valley Conference to earn Academic All-District honors. Southeast Missouri guard Nick Niemczyk was also selected.

All of the first-team players will now have their names placed into consideration for Academic All-America honors.

The Golden Eagles, along with Ogbe, will return to Nashville Saturday evening for a rematch against the Belmont Bruins. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CST.