Yesterday, the media dropped the preseason players of the year and all-conference team, voted on by coaches who are not allowed to pick their own players. Here are the selections:
Preseason POTY: Remy Martin, G, Kansas
G Remy Martin (19.1 PPG, 3.7 APG), an Arizona State transfer and arguably the top transfer player in the country (along with Texas G Marcus Carr), was a force last year in the Pac-12. Martin is a ball-dominant guard, and a real scoring threat off of the dribble, with a TS% of 55.8 (for the uninitiated - TS% = true shooting percentage, which is a metric that takes into account the value of a three-pointer as well as FT shooting). He is a good-but-not-great distributor, with 3.7-to-2.4 turnover-to-assist ratio. Again, he's a scoring guard. He's not the most consistent shooter, but he's a gamer of the highest order. He just gets buckets. I think there are a couple of players for the Longhorns that could be up for this award, but I can't say that anyone is more in position to win the POTY than Remy Martin.
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Marcus Carr, G, Texas
I broke down Marcus Carr's game in-depth in this article, so for more info on his abilities, check that out. I also had a talk with Rivals writer David Sisk about Carr, which you can watch here.
Carr (19.1 PPG, 4 RPG, 4.9 APG), a Minnesota transfer, will take the reins from Matt Coleman as the Longhorns’ floor general. A highly talented scoring guard, the knock on him is his efficiency numbers, but when looking at those, you have to take into context that he was the only scoring option on the Gophers last year. He was forced to take a lot of bad shots late in the shot clock and deal with double teams, which he won’t have to deal with nearly as much at Texas, with skilled scorers like Timmy Allen, Tre Mitchell, Andrew Jones, Dylan Disu, and Courtney Ramey around him. He’ll also be in a system that doesn’t put everything on his back to initiate the offense, so he’ll be more efficient because he’ll (a) have to take less shots and (b) have the ball in his hands less. He’s also been criticized for his defense, but he’ll have way more energy to defend when he’s not at a usage % of 29+. There’s a reason he’s first-team all-Big 12 and favorite for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
Also, a note: I believe the fact that they have Martin winning POTY and Carr winning NOTY means they believe these two players are in a dead heat for these awards.
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Kendall Brown, F, Baylor
Kendall Brown is a five-star F recruit ranked 11th overall by Rivals in the class of 2021. They key piece to the number one recruiting class in the nation for Baylor, Brown will be an immediate starter on a team with repeat title aspirations coming into 2021. Brown is a high-flying slasher at forward with good handles who can finish at the rim. A versatile defender as well, his 6’9 frame is impressive and makes him difficult to get by on the wing given his length. He will be impactful off the bat for the Bears this season, and makes sense as the top pick for Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
All-Big-12 team:
Sr. F Matthew Mayer, Baylor
I won’t lie - Mayer (8.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1 APG) was a tad bit of a surprise for me as a first-teamer, but I’ve seen him on multiple lists at this position. He may not have eye-popping stats, but Mayer was an important part of one of the best college teams ever assembled in 2020-2021 Baylor. Meyer is a versatile scorer who can hit deep shots (39.5% on threes last year) and is highly efficient, with a PER of 24.6 last season. He has a TS% of 57.5, which is impressive considering his poor FT shooting (59.2% on six FT/game). If he can tighten up his FTs and stay active in the pick-n-pop, Mayer could end up on this list by the end of the year, too.
Sr. G Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
Agbaji (14.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.9 APG) is a legitimate shooting threat, with a TS% of 54.9, 37.3% from three, both of which he’s shown improvement on over the last year. From 30.7% as a freshman to 33.8% as a sophomore, his performance last year demonstrated that he’s able to get better over time. He struggles from both getting to and scoring from the FT line, however, especially as a guard - 68.9% last season on just 2.5 attempts per game. If he can learn how to consistently draw fouls, then his scoring could shoot through the roof.
Sr. G Remy Martin, Kansas
I discussed Remy Martin above, under the Preseason POTY category.
Sr. F David McCormack, Kansas
Another Jayhawk makes the list. McCormack (13.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG) showed vast improvement from his sophomore to his junior year, nearly doubling his PPG from 6.9 in his second year. A highly efficient player with a PER of 27.4, he also had a TS% of 62.6 as a junior at KU, making him one of the most reliable inside scorers not just on the team, but in the Big 12 in general. If he can show even a similar level of improvement from his sophomore to his junior season, he will be one of the top players in the conference.
Sr. G Marcus Carr, Texas
I discussed Marcus Carr under the Newcomer of the Year.
Jr. G/F Terrence Shannon, Jr., Texas Tech
Shannon, Jr. (12.9 PPG, 4 RPG) is an athletic swingman who can score as a slasher. Though not an elite three-point shooter last season, he drastically improved from 25.7% his freshman year to 35.7% on three attempts/game his sophomore year. If he can halfway replicate the improvement from two years ago to last year (much easier said than done), he’ll be a lethal threat from deep and really open up the Tech offense. Despite this improvement, he had a fairly significant dropoff in efficiency from the FT line, going from 82.9% his freshman year to 75.6% last season. The four RPG are impressive as well. With his size and athleticism, he’s a good defender as well, and switchable on the wing, able to guard multiple positions. He’ll be the star for Texas Tech this year, amongst other solid players.
Honorable Mention
Sr. G James Akinjo, Baylor (15.6 PPG, 5.4 APG) (Arizona transfer)
Jr. G Avery Anderson, Oklahoma State (12.2 PPG, 4 RPG, 2 APG)
So. C Moussa Cisse, Oklahoma State (6.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.6 BPG) (Memphis transfer)
So. G Mike Miles, TCU (13.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.1 APG)
Sr. G Andrew Jones, Texas (14.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.3 APG)
Jr. F/C Tre Mitchell (18.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG) (UMass transfer)
Jr. G Taz Sherman (13.4 PPG), West Virginia
Oversights
I’m really only writing this because of my shock at the exclusion of Utah transfer F Timmy Allen, who as you know already, transferred to Texas this offseason. At Utah last year, where he was all-Pac-12, he averaged 17.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.9 APG on 46.5% from the field. He led the Utes in PPG and RPG, was virtually tied for the lead in APG, and was an all-around menace for opposing teams. I am very surprised he wasn’t included. Just another chip on his shoulder for the season.
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@KeenanWomack_OB
