Junior forward Dean Wade became just the fourth Wildcat to be named to the All-Big 12 First Team, while fellow junior Barry Brown, Jr., was selected to the Second Team and All-Defensive Team, as the league office announced its annual men’s basketball awards on Sunday.
The tandem become just the sixth in the Big 12 era to earn spots on the 15-member All-Big 12 First, Second or Third Teams and the first since Rodney McGruder (first team) and Angel Rodriguez (third team) in 2013. Wade joins Michael Beasley (2008), Jacob Pullen (2010, 2011) and McGruder (2013) as the only First Team selections in the Big 12 era with only Beasley and Pullen doing it as undergraduates. Brown is just the eighth Wildcat to earn recognition to the Second Team and the sixth to be named to the All-Defensive Team.
Big 12 champion Kansas dominated the individual awards, as senior guard Devonte’ Graham and sophomore guard Malik Newman were named the league’s Player and Newcomer of the Year, respectively, while head coach Bill Self was named the league’s co-Coach of the Year, along with Texas Tech’s Chris Beard.
West Virginia senior guard Jevon Carter repeated as Defensive Player of the Year, while Oklahoma’s Trae Young and Baylor’s Terry Maston were selected as the Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man Award winner, respectively.
The All-Big 12 awards are selected by league’s 10 head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.
