🏀 Agbaji Headlines 2022 All-Big 12 Honors for Kansas
IRVING, Texas – Highlighted by Big 12 Player of the Year Ochai Agbaji, Kansas was well represented on the men’s basketball 2021-22 All-Big 12 Team selected by the conference coaches, the league announced Sunday. All five KU starters, six players total, were represented on the 2022 All-Big 12 teams.
Agbaji, a senior, was the unanimous selection for Big 12 Player of the Year and he was also a unanimous choice for the 2022 All-Big 12 First Team. Jayhawk junior Christian Braun was an All-Big 12 Second Team honoree, while senior David McCormack and redshirt-sophomore Jalen Wilson were all-league third team selections. Redshirt-sophomore Dajuan Harris Jr. was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and was selected to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Forward KJ Adams earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes. The six Jayhawks named matches the 2006-07 team for the most KU players honored on a single all-league squad.
“So often postseason accolades come from not only individual success but primarily from the team’s success and we’re proud to get a piece of the Big 12 Championship,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “Ochai has had a great year and deserved being a unanimous selection for player of the year and All-Big 12 first team. With Christian on second team, David and Jalen on third team and Dajuan honorable mention, and on the all-defensive team, all five starters were recognized and deservedly so. With KJ being on the all-freshman team, we are proud to have six players honored. I’m happy for them as this is more of a reflection their individual performances and the team’s accomplishments.”
Agbaji was joined on the All-Big 12 First Team by Jame Akinjo (Baylor), Izaiah Brockington (Iowa State), Nijel Pack (Kansas State) and Bryson Williams (Texas Tech). Brockington was Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, while Iowa State’s Tyrese Hunter was the Freshman of the Year, Jeremy Sochan (Baylor) the Sixth Man Award honoree and Pack the Most Improved Player selection. Three players – Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (Baylor), Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State) and Gabe Osabuohien (West Virginia) tied in the coaches’ vote and are all Big 12 Defensive Players of the Year. Baylor’s Scott Drew is the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Agbaji is appearing on the team for the third-straight year earning honorable mention honors in 2020 and 2021. McCormack and Braun are on the all-league team for the second-straight year with McCormack a second-team all-league choice last season and Braun was an honorable mention selection in 2021. Wilson, Harris and Adams are listed in the coaches’ recognition for the first time.
A national player of the year candidate, Agbaji leads the Big 12 and is 25th nationally, in scoring at 19.8 points per game. The Kansas City, Missouri, guard is second in the league in three-point field goal percentage (41.1%, 26th nationally) and in three-point field goals made per game (2.9). Braun averages 14.9 points per game, which is sixth in the Big 12. The Burlington, Kansas, guard pulls down 6.2 rebounds per game, which is eighth in the conference. Wilson averaged 13.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in Big 12 play. Overall, the Denton, Texas, forward averages 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, which is second in the Big 12. McCormack has a Big 12-leading nine double-doubles this season, with eight in Big 12 play. The Norfolk, Virginia, forward averages 10.1 points per game and he is fourth in the Big 12 with 7.2 rebounds per game. McCormack’s 8.8 rebound average in league games led the Big 12. Harris leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.0, which is ninth nationally. Harris averages 5.4 points and 4.4 assists per game and also leads KU 46 steals. Adams averages 5.3 minutes per contest and has been a key reserve for KU with one start in 29 games played this season.
Historically, Agbaji marks the 17th time a Jayhawk has been named conference player of the year, including the 10th in the Big 12 era, since 1996-97. He joins Dave Robisch (1970, ‘71), Bud Stallworth (1972), Danny Manning (1986, ’87, ’88) and Jacque Vaughn (1996) from the Big Eight era and Raef LaFrentz (1997), Drew Gooden (2002), Nick Collison (2003), Wayne Simien (2005), Marcus Morris (2011), Thomas Robinson (2012), Frank Mason III (2017), Devonte’ Graham (2018) and Udoka Azubuike (2020) in the Big 12 period.
In the 26-year history of the Big 12, Kansas has 34 All-Big 12 First Team selections which is more than twice as many as any other school. KU has had a first-team honoree in 23 of the 26 seasons of the league. Kansas leads the Big 12 with an all-time high 141 student-athletes named to All-Big 12 Teams. Texas is second with 112, while Baylor is third with 101 selections.
Ranked No. 6 nationally, Kansas (25-6, 14-4) enters the 2022 Big 12 Championship as the No. 1 seed for the 17th time in the 26-year history of the league. The Jayhawks will face the winner of the No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 West Virginia game in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 10, at 2 p.m. (Central) at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The KSU-WVU contest will be played March 9 at 6 p.m., also at T-Mobile Center. The Kansas quarterfinal will be televised on ESPN. KU has won 15 league postseason tournament titles, including 11 in the Big 12 era, with the last in 2018. Eight of KU’s 11 league tourney titles in the Big 12 have been under head coach Bill Self.
2021-22 All-Big 12 Team
(As selected conference coaches; **unanimous selection)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – **OCHAI AGBAJI, KANSAS (Sr., G)
Co-Defensive Player of the Year – Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Baylor (Jr., F), Moussa Cisse, Oklahoma State (So., F), Gabe Osabuohien, West Virginia (Sr., F)
Newcomer of the Year – Izaiah Brockington, Iowa State (Sr., G)
Freshman of the Year – Tyrese Hunter, Iowa State (Fr., G)
Sixth Man Award – Jeremy Sochan, Baylor (Fr., F)
Most Improved Player – Nijel Pack (So., G)
Coach of the Year – Scott Drew, Baylor
All-Big 12 First Team
**OCHAI AGBAJI, KANSAS (Sr., G)
James Akinjo, Baylor (Sr., G)
Izaiah Brockington, Iowa State (Sr., G)
Nijel Pack, Kansas State (So., G)
**Bryson Williams, Texas Tech (Gr., F)
All-Big 12 Second Team
Adam Flagler, Baylor (Jr., G)
CHRISTIAN BRAUN, KANSAS (Jr., G)
Mike Miles Jr., TCU (So., G)
Timmy Allen, Texas (Sr., F)
Taz Sherman, West Virginia (Sr., G)
All-Big 12 Third Team
DAVID MCCORMACK, KANSAS (Sr., F)
JALEN WILSON, KANSAS (RS-So., F)
Mark Smith, Kansas State (Sr., G)
Avery Anderson III, Oklahoma State (Jr., G)
Marcus Carr, Texas (Sr., G)
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Listed alphabetically by school)
Matthew Mayey (Baylor), Jeremy Sochan (Baylor), DAJUAN HARRIS JR. (KANSAS), Markquis Nowell (K-State), Umoja Gibson (Oklahoma), Jordan Goldwire (Oklahoma), Tanner Groves (Oklahoma), Elijah Harkless (Oklahoma), Damion Baugh (TCU), Emanuel Miller (TCU), Christian Bishop (Texas), Andrew Jones (Texas), Courtney Ramey (Texas), Adonis Arms (Texas Tech), Kevin McCullar (Texas Tech), Kevin Obanor (Texas Tech), Marcus Santos-Silva (Texas Tech), Sean McNeil (West Virginia)
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, Baylor (Jr., F)
DAJUAN HARRIS JR., KANSAS (RS-So., G)
Markquis Nowell, Kansas State (Jr., G)
Moussa Cisse, Oklahoma State (So., F)
Gabe Osabuohien, West Virginia (Sr., F)
Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
James Akinjo, Baylor (Sr., G)
Izaiah Brockington, Iowa State (Sr., G)
Mark Smith, Kansas State (Sr., G)
Timmy Allen, Texas (Sr., F)
**Bryson Williams, Texas Tech (Gr., F).
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
**Jeremy Sochan, Baylor (F)
**Kendall Brown, Baylor (G/F)
KJ ADAMS JR., KANSAS (F)
**Tyrese Hunter, Iowa State (G)
C.J. Noland, Oklahoma (G)
