AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State’s Demetrius Howard recently returned from Australia where he helped lead the United States to its second consecutive gold medal in the 2007 Arafura Games.

Howard, a rising senior guard on the Jaguar men’s basketball team, averaged 17.0 ppg., as the U.S. went undefeated in seven games. He scored in double digits in six of the seven contests and tallied 20 or more points on three occasions, including 24 in a 116-40 victory over Indonesia.

Held every two years, the Arafura Games are played in Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory. The Games are conducted by the Northern Territory Government and has been endorsed by the Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian Institute of Sport. The event began in 1991 with 1,500 participants from seven countries and has grown rapidly -- 4,000 athletes and officials from 25 countries participated in 23 sports for Arafura 2007.

On of four Georgia players on the U.S. roster, Howard was joined by Brendan Walker from Mercer and Georgia Southwestern’s Adrian Robinson and Richard Roderick on the squad.