Three Named to 2010-11 Leadership Council

Sept. 17, 2010

DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis men's basketball team has named three Aggie student-athletes to the program's second annual "Larry P. Swanson" Leadership Council. The honor has been given to seniors Joe Harden, Todd Lowenthal and Mark Payne. The leadership council is named after Larry Swanson, the longtime Associate Athletics Director who retired in 2008.

The three seniors on this year's roster will be counted on to fill a leadership role, both on and of the court for the 2010-11 squad. Payne is entering his fifth year with the program, while Harden and Lowenthal will both be in their fourth. Harden was a repeat selection on the Second-Team All-Big West Team last season and also received the Big West Conference "Best Hustle Award."

The UC Davis Leadership Council oversees a variety of initiatives including team goals, team guidelines, organizing a community outreach program as well as facilitating an academic support system. It was created to help facilitate a positive direction, ultimately contributing to the efficient operation of the basketball program. The "Leadership Council" acts as a spokesperson for the team and handles situations related to team policy issues, academic affairs, community outreach as well as on and off-court leadership opportunities.

Criteria for selection includes a minimum of one year of residency in the basketball program, a good academic standing and a demonstration of the highest ethical standards while at UC Davis.

Swanson retired from UC Davis in 2008 after more than 30 years of service to the University. The last 20 years of his tenure were spent as the Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs. He still remains active with the Aggies by serving as the public address announcer for both men's basketball and football games.

2010-11 Larry P. Swanson Leadership Council

	Joe Harden Second-Team All-Big West Conference selection in 2009-10... Also named to the 2010 Big West All-Tournament Team and named the 2009-10 Best Hustle Player in the Big West... Entering the 2010-11 season, Harden is third in active career leaders in points (908) and rebounds (445)... Played in and started all but two games in 2009-10... Finished third on the team and 10th in the Big West in scoring with 14.5 points per game... Led the Aggies and finished 5th in the Big West with 7.2 rebounds... tallied seven double-doubles for the season, good enough for fourth place in the Big West... also recorded five 20-point games and seven 10-rebound games
	Todd Lowenthal Played in 21 games, starting in 15 during the 2009-10 season... tallied 3.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game... led the team in field goal percentage (.563) and three point percentage (.500)... scored 11 points while going a perfect 3-3 from the floor and 5-5 from the line, in an 83-63 win vs. Cal Poly on Feb. 4... recorded a career high 13 points and pulled down six rebounds vs. UC Irvine on Feb. 13... posted another career high in rebounds the next game, with 13 boards at Seattle on Feb. 16... was fourth on the team in minutes played with 25.1 per game
	Mark Payne Missed eight games due to various injuries, starting in all 24 games he appeared in... Payne is the Big West active career leader in three separate categories entering the 2010-11 season, including points (964), assists (352) and steals (149)... was second on the team and sixth in the conference in scoring with 15.4 points per game... Also led the team in assists (4.4) and steals (2.1) and was second in field-goal percentage (.518), three point percentage (.458) and free throw percentage (.834)... recorded six 20-point games... Finished 27th in the nation with 2.1 steals per game.
About Larry Swanson
	Larry Swanson spent over 30 years at UC Davis before retiring in spring 2008. The last 20 years of his tenure were as the Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs. In that capacity, he played an instrumental role in helping give athletics an identity both on campus and within the community. He started TeamAGGIE, the athletic department's official booster organization, which has grown to nearly 2,000 from the approximately 300 members when it was known as the Cal Aggie Booster Club. In 1992, he helped found the Aggie Pack, which has grown into one of the largest student spirit organization in the nation.