Jimcs50
03-05-2007, 09:56 AM
Durant edges out Law in Big 12 voting, Gillispie wins coaching award
Texas A&M senior guard Acie Law IV was named to the All-Big 12 first team, but Texas reshman Kevin Durant beat him out for Player of the Year honors.
Texas A&M senior point guard Acie Law IV earned all-conference honors, but the Big 12 Conference's coaches voted Texas forward Kevin Durant player of the year.
Durant is the first freshman in the league's 11-year history to earn that award.
A&M's Billy Gillispie was named Big 12 coach of the year, while Aggie junior center Joseph Jones was on the second team. Senior forward Antanas Kavaliauskas and sophomore forward Josh Carter received honorable mention.
As expected, the 6-foot-3 Law and 6-9 Durant were unanimous choices by the coaches, who couldn't vote for their own players. The only recent debate was who would get top player honors.
Law has one more chance. The Associated Press will announce its All-Big 12 team Monday, its coach of the year Tuesday and its player, newcomer and freshman of the year Wednesday.
Law, who was only a third-team pick by the coaches last season, led the No. 7 Aggies (25-5, 13-3) to a second-place finish in the Big 12 behind Kansas.
Law is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard and is a semifinalist for the Wooden and Naismith Awards as the nation's top player.
Law averages 18.2 points and 5.3 assists per game. He's shooting 51.6 percent from the field, including 46.1 on 3-pointers, and 77 percent from the free-throw line - all career bests.
But it's his leadership that Gillispie and teammates often praised for A&M's turnaround. A&M was 0-16 in league action in Law's freshman season.
Durant made a big splash for Texas, which lost the league's player of the year (P.J. Tucker), defensive player of the year (LaMarcus Aldridge) and a pair of third-team all-conference players (Brad Buckman and Daniel Gibson). Yet, Durant-led Texas had a chance for the league title and top seed heading into the regular-season finale at Kansas.
Durant is the league's first player to score 400 points and get 200 rebounds in conference play. He averaged a Big 12-record 28.9 points per game in 16 league games and is on pace to establish the overall mark with his 25.1-point average.
Law is second to Durant in league scoring at 20.8 ppg.
Durant also was named the freshman of the year and made the all-defensive team, as did A&M junior guard Dominique Kirk.
This is Gillispie's second Big 12 coach of the year honor. His peers also gave him the honor after an 8-8 finish in 2004-05 on the heels of A&M's 0-16 season.
Gillispie (68-24 in his third year at A&M) has had the Aggies in the Top 10 for much of the season. A&M's 13-3 conference record and second-place finish are the school's best in the Big 12. The Aggies need one more victory to tie the school record for a season.
Jones (13.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) earned second-team honors last season.
Kansas' Mario Chalmers of Kansas and Oklahoma State's Marcus Dove of Oklahoma State shared the defensive player of the year honor.
Missouri's Stefhon Hannah was named newcomer of the year, and Kansas State's Cartier Martin received the league's inaugural sixth-man award.
There were six players on the first team, because of a tie. KU teammates Julian Wright and Brandon Rush were joined by OSU's Mario Boggan and Texas Tech's Jarrius Jackson.
Jones is averaging 13.2 points and 6.6 rebounds and ranks third in the Big 12 in free-throw accuracy (.821).
Kavaliauskas is averaging 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds and leads the league in field goal percentage (.580). Carter leads the nation in three-point percentage (.519) and is averaging 12.5 points per game. He has made a school-record 80 three-pointers this season.
Joining Jones on the second team were Kansas State's David Hoskins and Martin, Nebraska's Aleks Maric, and Texas' D.J. Augustin.
Third-team players were Chalmers, Hannah, Oklahoma's Nate Carter, Oklahoma State's JamesOn Curry and Texas Tech's Martin Zeno.
Texas A&M senior guard Acie Law IV was named to the All-Big 12 first team, but Texas reshman Kevin Durant beat him out for Player of the Year honors.
Texas A&M senior point guard Acie Law IV earned all-conference honors, but the Big 12 Conference's coaches voted Texas forward Kevin Durant player of the year.
Durant is the first freshman in the league's 11-year history to earn that award.
A&M's Billy Gillispie was named Big 12 coach of the year, while Aggie junior center Joseph Jones was on the second team. Senior forward Antanas Kavaliauskas and sophomore forward Josh Carter received honorable mention.
As expected, the 6-foot-3 Law and 6-9 Durant were unanimous choices by the coaches, who couldn't vote for their own players. The only recent debate was who would get top player honors.
Law has one more chance. The Associated Press will announce its All-Big 12 team Monday, its coach of the year Tuesday and its player, newcomer and freshman of the year Wednesday.
Law, who was only a third-team pick by the coaches last season, led the No. 7 Aggies (25-5, 13-3) to a second-place finish in the Big 12 behind Kansas.
Law is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard and is a semifinalist for the Wooden and Naismith Awards as the nation's top player.
Law averages 18.2 points and 5.3 assists per game. He's shooting 51.6 percent from the field, including 46.1 on 3-pointers, and 77 percent from the free-throw line - all career bests.
But it's his leadership that Gillispie and teammates often praised for A&M's turnaround. A&M was 0-16 in league action in Law's freshman season.
Durant made a big splash for Texas, which lost the league's player of the year (P.J. Tucker), defensive player of the year (LaMarcus Aldridge) and a pair of third-team all-conference players (Brad Buckman and Daniel Gibson). Yet, Durant-led Texas had a chance for the league title and top seed heading into the regular-season finale at Kansas.
Durant is the league's first player to score 400 points and get 200 rebounds in conference play. He averaged a Big 12-record 28.9 points per game in 16 league games and is on pace to establish the overall mark with his 25.1-point average.
Law is second to Durant in league scoring at 20.8 ppg.
Durant also was named the freshman of the year and made the all-defensive team, as did A&M junior guard Dominique Kirk.
This is Gillispie's second Big 12 coach of the year honor. His peers also gave him the honor after an 8-8 finish in 2004-05 on the heels of A&M's 0-16 season.
Gillispie (68-24 in his third year at A&M) has had the Aggies in the Top 10 for much of the season. A&M's 13-3 conference record and second-place finish are the school's best in the Big 12. The Aggies need one more victory to tie the school record for a season.
Jones (13.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) earned second-team honors last season.
Kansas' Mario Chalmers of Kansas and Oklahoma State's Marcus Dove of Oklahoma State shared the defensive player of the year honor.
Missouri's Stefhon Hannah was named newcomer of the year, and Kansas State's Cartier Martin received the league's inaugural sixth-man award.
There were six players on the first team, because of a tie. KU teammates Julian Wright and Brandon Rush were joined by OSU's Mario Boggan and Texas Tech's Jarrius Jackson.
Jones is averaging 13.2 points and 6.6 rebounds and ranks third in the Big 12 in free-throw accuracy (.821).
Kavaliauskas is averaging 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds and leads the league in field goal percentage (.580). Carter leads the nation in three-point percentage (.519) and is averaging 12.5 points per game. He has made a school-record 80 three-pointers this season.
Joining Jones on the second team were Kansas State's David Hoskins and Martin, Nebraska's Aleks Maric, and Texas' D.J. Augustin.
Third-team players were Chalmers, Hannah, Oklahoma's Nate Carter, Oklahoma State's JamesOn Curry and Texas Tech's Martin Zeno.