June 24, 2002

WACO, Texas - Baylor head coach Dave Bliss will lead the Big 12 Conference's All-Star Men's Basketball Team on its tour of Scandinavia in August 2002, the league office announced Monday.

The 12-player team, consisting of one player from each conference school and including Baylor's Lawrence Roberts, will play six games in Sweden, Norway and Denmark between Aug. 7 and 15.

"We are really looking forward to representing the Big 12 Conference in international competition in an area of the world that a lot of these players would otherwise never have an opportunity to see," Bliss said. "Terry Black made the team a couple of years ago, and he still talks about his experience."

Bliss enters his fourth season at Baylor in 2002-2003 and stands 14th among NCAA active coaches in career wins at 512. Bliss will be joined on the trip by additional Baylor staffers, including assistant coach Brian O'Neill.

Upperclassmen highlight the Big 12's third all-star team, which will report to Dallas Aug. 2 and practice for two days prior to departing overseas Aug. 5.

There are four seniors on the team led by two Big 12 All-Newcomer selections from 2001-02: Kansas State forward Pervis Pasco and Oklahoma guard Quannas White. Pasco averaged 12.1 points per game and was fourth in the league in rebounds with an 8.4 average last season. White was the starting point guard on OU's Final Four team where he averaged 7.6 points per outing last year, and his 4.7 assists per game were seventh in the conference. Rounding out the seniors on the all-star squad are Texas forward Deginald Erskin and Texas Tech guard Will Chavis. Erskin is a forward who averaged 7.7 points last season, including 12.8 in the final five games during the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments. Chavis also averaged 7.7 points per game last year and was among the league leaders in three-point shooting percentage making 36-of-88 (40.9 percent, ninth) last year.

Iowa State guard Jake Sullivan and Oklahoma State forward Ivan McFarlin highlight the six juniors on the all-star squad. Sullivan was a third team All-Big 12 selection last year when he averaged 16 points - 11th in the league - and was second in the conference in three-point shooting percentage at 47.2 (60-127). McFarlin was an honorable mention all-league selection last year who was 10th in the Big 12 in rebounding with a 7.7 average. McFarlin and Pasco were two-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week honorees in 2001-02.

Colorado junior guard Blair Wilson was a member of the Big 12 All-Reserve team last season when he averaged 12.3 points. Wilson's 42.9 three-point shooting percentage (76-177) was eighth in the conference. Texas A&M junior forward Nick Anderson's 10.1 scoring average was second for the Aggies last season. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds for A&M. Missouri junior forward Travon Bryant came on strong toward the end of last season. He averaged 6.3 points and 5.4 rebounds on the season yet garnered 7.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in his final five games of the season. Rounding out the junior team members is Kansas forward Bryant Nash who played in 30 games in a reserve role for the Final Four Jayhawks last year.

Roberts, a sophomore at Baylor, had a banner freshman season in 2001-02. The forward set the Big 12 freshman scoring record with 498 points (16.6 average) and was named All-Big 12 and Freshman All-America. Nebraska sophomore guard Jake Mulheisen averaged 11.7 points and was also among the conference leaders (12th) in assists at 3.8 per contest.

This will be the fifth consecutive year the Big 12 has sent a basketball all-star team abroad and the third men's basketball all-star team. Former Texas Tech head coach James Dickey guided the first men's Big 12 All-Stars to a 4-2 record in August 1998 while touring London, Paris, Belgium, and Germany. In 2000, Colorado head coach Ricardo Patton guided the second men's all-star squad to a 5-1 record while touring Austria and Germany. Women's Big 12 All-Star teams toured in 1999 and 2001.

2002 BIG 12 ALL-STAR TEAM

Name, School			Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Exp	Ppg*	Rpg*   Hometown (Previous Schools)
Lawrence Roberts, Baylor	F	6-8	200	So.	1L	16.6	8.2	Houston, Texas (Lamar HS)
Blair Wilson, Colorado		G/F	6-7	230	Jr.	2L	12.3	3.4	Broomfield, Colo. (Westminster HS)
Jake Sullivan, Iowa State	G	6-1	190	Jr.	2L	16.0	2.2	Oakdale, Minn. (Tartan HS)
Bryant Nash, Kansas		F	6-6	205	Jr.	2L	1.0	0.7	Carrollton, Texas (Turner HS)
Pervis Pasco, Kansas St.	F	6-9	218	Sr.	1L	12.1	8.4	Clearwater, Fla. (Clearwater HS/Pensacola JC)
Travon Bryant, Missouri		F	6-9	246	Jr.	2L	6.3	5.4	Long Beach, Calif. (Jordan HS)
Jake Muhleisen, Nebraska	G	6-4	185	So.	1L	11.7	3.5	Lincoln, Neb. (Southeast HS)
Quannas White, Oklahoma		G	6-1	190	Sr.	1L	7.6	2.7	New Orleans, La. (St. Augustine HS/Midland CC)
Ivan McFarlin, Oklahoma St.	F	6-7	210	Jr.	1L	10.8	7.7	Sugar Land, Texas (Willow Ridge HS)
Jason Klotz, Texas	        C	6-9	235	So.	1L	3.5 	3.2 	Houston, Texas (Klein Forest HS)
Nick Anderson, Texas A&M	F	6-6	230	Jr.	2L	10.1	5.1	Baton Rouge, La. (Southern Lab HS)
Will Chavis, Texas Tech		G	5-10	171	Sr.	1L	7.7	2.8	Philadelphia, Pa. (HS for Eng. & Science/Panola JC)
	* 2001-2002 stats

Head Coach: Dave Bliss, Baylor
Assistant Coach: Brian O'Neill, Baylor
Big 12 Representative: John Underwood, Assistant Commissioner for Basketball