Larsson Joins Elite Company on CSC Academic All-America Team

TUCSON, Ariz. - Arizona guard Pelle Larsson etched his name into Arizona men's basketball history on Wednesday, becoming just the fifth player in program history to be named to one of the 2023-24 Academic All-America teams as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC).  

Larson was named to the five-person second team after maintaining a 3.60 cumulative GPA while working towards his degree in Business Administration, which he will receive next month.

The native of Nacka, Sweden joins Warren Rustand, Bob Elliott, Jim Rappis and Matt Muehlebach as the only Wildcats to receive the award since it began in 1952. Rustand (1965), Rappis (1976) and Muehlebach (1991) were all named to the second team while Elliott made second team in 1975 before going on to earn first team honors in both 1976 and 1977 and was later inducted in the Academic All-American Hall of Fame in 1995.  

In his three seasons at Arizona, Larsson amassed 1,073 points, 424 rebounds, 307 assists and 90 steals while shooting 38.5% from the 3-point line and 49.4% overall from the floor. He led Arizona in assists during the 2023-24 season with a career-high 134 and averaged a career-high 12.8 points per game while connecting at a 51.9% clip from the floor. His contributions on the court helped the Wildcats win four Pac–12 championships – two regular season titles and two Pac–12 Tournament crowns – and a pair of appearances in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.  

Arizona Men's Basketball Academic All-Americans  

Warren Rustand – 1965 (Second Team) 

Bob Elliott – 1975 (Second), 1976 (First), 1977 (First) 

Jim Rappis – 1976 (Second) 

Matt Muehlebach – 1991 (Second) 

Pelle Larsson – 2024 (Second) 

Student-athletes that meet the nomination criteria below are nominated by CSC members at each university.  

About the Academic All-American program 

Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 40,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science and the arts. Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), Academic All-America is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions. 

Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope. Nominating and voting for Academic All-America® is an exclusive right of College Sports Communicators members. 

CSC began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored more than 40,000 deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors. 

Currently, CSC sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men's soccer, women's soccer, football, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, baseball, softball and men's and women's track and field/cross country. All other championship sports are eligible through the At-Large program.