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Eduardo Najera

Drafted by: Houston, Round: 2, Pick: 38
College: Oklahoma
Height: 6-8
Weight: 240 lbs.
Position: Forward
BirthDate: July 11, 1976
Birthplace: Meoqui, Chihuahua, Mexico


Rights traded, along with a fuure second-round pick, to Dallas for Dan Langhi

Highlights
Named Third-Team All-America by The Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Received the Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame, an award given to a player who has demonstrated personal character both on and off the court. Finished Oklahoma career ranked third in minutes played (3,853), fourth in steals (193), fifth in rebounds (910), sixth in blocked shots (89), seventh in field goal attempts (1,423), eighth in points scored (1,646), ninth in field goals (612), 10th in free throws (337) and 10th in free throw attempts (504). At Nike Desert Classic, averaged 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Would become the first Mexican-born player to be drafted into the NBA and the second (Horacio Llamas was the first) to play in the NBA.

College highlights at Oklahoma
Was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection by league coaches and media. Selected to Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Finished 25th in nation in rebounding (9.2 rpg). Ranked second on team with 25 blocked shots. Led conference in rebounding in league games with 10.3 boards per outing and ranked fourth in steals with 2.3 per contest. Fourteen double-doubles ranked second in the Big 12. Was named MVP of the Top of the World Classic and the All-College Tournament. Named to the Big 12 Tournament and Sooner Holiday Classic all-tournament squads. Two-time Big 12 Player of the Week. Reached the 20-point mark in 13 games.

Was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection by both league coaches and media as a junior. Averaged team highs in scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg) and ranked second in assists (2.2 apg), steals (1.8 spg) and blocks (0.8 bpg). Averaged 14.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks over three NCAA Tournament games. Scored 20 points and pulled down 15 boards vs. UNC-Charlotte to lead Oklahoma to Sweet 16. Was one of just two players (Nebraska's Venson Hamilton was the other) to rank in the top 10 in the Big 12 in scoring (eighth), rebounding (sixth) and steals (10th). Became the 31st player in OU history to record 1,000 points for a career (1,021).

As a sophomore, ranked third on team in scoring (10.3) and in rebounding (5.4). Stress fracture in left foot kept him out of home games against Texas A&M (Jan. 31) and Texas Tech (Feb. 4). Scored in double figures in 16 of his 30 games. Scored 11 points and grabbed 10 boards in OU's All-College Tournament title game victory over Alabama.

Finished second in Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year voting. Selected to Big 12 All-Freshman Team. Named Big 12 Rookie of the Week twice (Dec. 23 and Feb. 3). Averaged 7.0 points and team-best 5.6 rebounds. Recorded team-high four double-doubles. Played in all 30 games and started in 16, including last 15.

SEASON G FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT REB AST PTS AVG
1996-97 30 72 178 .404 64 92 .696 167 32 211 7.0
1997-98 30 119 280 .425 64 101 .634 163 42 315 10.5
1998-99 32 187 451 .415 70 109 .642 266 69 495 15.5
1999-00 34 234 514 .454 139 202 .693 314 72 625 18.4
TOTALS 126 612 1,423 .430 337 504 .669 910 215 1,646 13.1
Three-point field goals: 1996-97, 3-for-15 (.200); 1997-98, 13-for-49 (.265); 1998-99, 51-for-149 (.342); 1999-00, 18-for-82, (.460). Totals, 85-for-295 (.288)


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