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.
Wade has put together one of the most impressive all-around efforts in K-State history, as he ranks first or second in 12 statistical categories, including scoring (16.7 ppg.), double-digit scoring games (27), 20-point games (11), double-doubles (four) and rebounding (6.4 rpg.). He has led the Wildcats in scoring a team-best 13 times, in rebounding 17 times and in assists on eight occasions. Overall, he has averaged 16.7 points on 55 percent shooting (192-of-349), including 42.7 percent (38-of-89) from 3-point range, and 74.8 percent (95-of-127) from the free throw line to go with 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks in 33.4 minutes per game.
Wade is one of just three Big 12 players in the last three seasons to average at least 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a single season, joining Kansas’ Josh Jackson and Iowa State’s Georges Niang (twice).
Wade was even better in Big 12 play, averaging 18.8 points on 55.0 percent shooting (127-of-231), including 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from 3-point range, to go with 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He scored in double figures in 18 league games, including 20 or more points on 10 occasions. He is the only Big 12 player this season to finish among the conference’s Top 15 in 11 of 13 categories in league-only games.
One of the best defenders in the Big 12, Brown had a career-best season as a junior in 2017-18, averaging 16.6 points on 46.6 percent shooting (179-of-384), including 33.3 percent (40-of-120) from 3-point range, to go with 3.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 35.1 minutes per game. The team leader in assists (110), steals (59) and minutes (1,087), he ranked second only to Wade in most statistical categories, including scoring, double-digit scoring games (24), 20-point games (11) and field goals made (179).
Brown finished among the Big 12 leaders in six categories, including scoring (6th), assists (10th), free throw percentage (15th), steals (2nd), assist/turnover ratio (14th) and minutes (5th). He also ranked among the conference’s Top 15 in six categories in league-only games, including scoring (4th), assists (8th), field goal percentage (15th), steals (2nd), assist/turnover ratio (11th) and minutes (6th).
Brown became the fifth Wildcat to be named to one of the Big 12’s First, Second or Third Teams as well as the All-Defensive Team in the same season, joining Jacob Pullen (2010, 2011), Rodney McGruder (2012), Angel Rodriguez (2013) and Wesley Iwundu (2016). Overall, he is first All-Defensive Team member since Iwundu in 2016.
In Saturday’s 77-67 win over Baylor, Brown and Wade each hit milestones, becoming the 30th and 31st players in school history to eclipse 500 points in a single season. They became the seventh duo in school history to accomplish the feat in the same season and the first since Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente in 2009-10.
In finishing second and fourth, respectively, in scoring in Big 12 play at 18.8 and 18.6 points per game, Wade and Brown became the first K-State duo to finish among the Top 5 in scoring in Big 12-only game since Michael Beasley (28.4 ppg./first) and Bill Walker (16.6 ppg./third) in 2007-08. They are among seven players in school history in the Big 12 era and the first from the same team to average 18 or more points in league play, joining Michael Beasley (28.4 ppg./2007-08), Jacob Pullen (21.4 ppg./2010-11), Jeremiah Massey (18.8 ppg./2004-05), Denis Clemente (18.4 ppg./2008-09) and Manny Dies (18.1 ppg./1997-98).
Kansas State (21-10, 10-8 Big 12) will be the No. 4 seed in this week’s Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at the Sprint Center in Kansas City and will No. 5 seed TCU (21-10, 8-10 Big 12) in the tournament’s quarterfinal round at 11:30 a.m. CT on Thursday on ESPN or ESPN2.
Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball Awards
Player of the Year: Devonte Graham, Kansas
Defensive Player of the Year: Jevon Carter, West Virginia
Newcomer of the Year: Malik Newman, Kansas
Freshman of the Year: Trae Young, Oklahoma
Sixth Man Award: Terry Maston, Baylor
Coach of the Year: Bill Self, Kansas; Chris Beard, Texas Tech
All-Big 12 First Team
**Devonte Graham, Kansas
Dean Wade, K-State
**Trae Young, Oklahoma
**Keenan Evans, Texas Tech
**Jevon Carter, West Virginia
All-Big 12 Second Team
Manu Lecomte, Baylor
Svi Mykhailiuk, Kansas
Barry Brown, Jr, K-State
Kenrich Williams, TCU
Mo Bamba, Texas
All-Big 12 Third Team
Jo Lual-Acuil, Jr., Baylor
Udoka Azubuike, Kansas
Jeffrey Carroll, Oklahoma State
Vlad Brodziansky, TCU
Sagaba Konate, West Virginia
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Cameron Lard (Iowa State), Donovan Jackson (Iowa State), Lindell Wigginton (Iowa State), Lagerald Vick (Kansas), Matt Coleman (Texas), Dylan Osetkowski (Texas), Kerwin Roach II (Texas), Zhaire Smith (Texas Tech).
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
Barry Brown, Jr, K-State
**Mo Bamba, Texas
Sagaba Konate, West Virginia
**Jevon Carter, West Virginia
Zhaire Smith, Texas Tech
Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
Lindell Wigginton, Iowa State
Malik Newman, Kansas
**Trae Young, Oklahoma
Mo Bamba, Texas
Zhaire Smith, Texas Tech
**unanimous selection
