6:00am | Casper Ware has been named honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press for the second consecutive season. The senior guard is just the second 49er in Long Beach State history to earn two All-American honors during his career.
 
Ware joins Ed Ratleff with two All-American honors. Ratleff is the only first-team All-American in school history, claiming the awards in both 1972 and 1973. Ware is one of just 16 LBSU players all-time to earn All-American recognition.
 
Ware (Cerritos, Calif./Gahr HS) and Aaron Nixon (2007) are the only two 49ers to earn honorable mention honors in the last three decades. Before Nixon, a Long Beach State player hadn’t claimed All-American honors since Michael Wiley and Francios Wise were named All-Americans in 1980. Ratleff, Sam Robinson (1970), George Trapp (1971), Chuck Terry (1972), Roscoe Pondexter (1974), Clifton Pondexter (1974), Glenn McDonald (1974), Leonard Gray (1974), Bob Gross (1975), Lloyd McMillian (1977) and Rickey Williams (1979) are the other 49ers to receive All-American accolades while at Long Beach State.
 
Ware has received a number of postseason honors since leading the 49ers to the Big West Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He was selected as both the Big West Conference and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) District IX Player of the Year. Ware was also named first-team All-Big West Conference, first-team USBWA District IX, and first-team District 9 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), while also being named to the 2012 Lou Henson (Mid-Major) All-America Team.
 
Ware led Long Beach State in scoring (17.4 ppg), assists (114) and 3-point field goals made (94). He finished third in the Big West Conference in scoring (17.4 ppg), while also ranking first in 3-point field goals made (2.8 per game), fifth in steals (1.4 per game), assists (3.4 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4), and eighth in free throw percentage.
 
Ware is the all-time leader in assists at LBSU with 545, while ranking seventh all-time in the Big West Conference. He also ranks second in LBSU history in steals (205) and free throws made (456), third in 3-point field goals made (213), and sixth in field goals made (587).
 
Ware was one of 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy award honoring the nation’s best point guard, and he claimed Big West Conference Player of the Week honors four times, one shy of the single-season league record.