Kansas basketball coach Bill Self on expectations at Big 12 media days
Check out everything Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had to say about his team Wednesday during Big 12 Conference media days in Kansas City.
Last season’s Big 12 newcomer of the year, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson, is the frontrunner out of a talented group for the conference’s top individual honor.
A poll of eight writers who cover the conference for the USA TODAY Sports Network selected Dickinson as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in his first season at Kansas after transferring in from Michigan.
Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger was voted Big 12 Preseason Coach of the Year. The Cyclones hope to build off of their 29-8 campaign last season, which included a Big 12 tournament title and a Sweet 16 appearance.
Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey was named Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Lipsey was an All-Big 12 and all-conference defensive first team selection last season.
Two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Tucker DeVries was tabbed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. DeVries averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season at Drake. He opted to transfer to West Virginia after his father, Darian DeVries, was hired at West Virginia following six seasons at Drake.
Houston is the only team with a pair of first-team players.
Here are the preseason All-Big 12 teams and individual awards as chosen by the USA TODAY Sports Network’s Big 12 coverage team:
First team
G — L.J. Cryer, Houston
G — Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
G — Caleb Love, Arizona
F — J’Wan Roberts, Houston
C — Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Second team
G — Dajuan Harris Jr., Kansas
G — Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
G — Jeremy Roach, Baylor
F — Tucker DeVries, West Virginia
F — Norchad Omier, Baylor
Preseason Coach of the Year
T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
Preseason Player of the Year
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Tucker DeVries, West Virginia
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
The USA TODAY Sports Network’s panel of Big 12 men’s basketball voters includes Arne Green of the Topeka Capital-Journal, Travis Hines of the Des Moines Register, Jacob Unruh of The Oklahoman, Michelle Gardner of the Arizona Republic, Nathan Giese of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Scott Springer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Jordan Guskey of the Topeka Capital-Journal and Christopher Boyle of the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
