Big 12 Men’s Basketball Awards: 2023-24 Heartland College Sports Edition
The Big 12 men’s basketball regular season is over and it is time to hand out some awards as all 14 teams prepare to play at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.
The Big 12 coaches will vote on their team. The Big 12 media will vote on their team through the Associated Press. I don’t have a vote in either group.
So, for the seventh year here at Heartland College Sports — at least I think it’s seven, I’m losing track — I’m putting together my All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball team. My criteria is my own, but I try to be logical and realistic about who I select. Which means many of you will walk away from reading this ticked off. Which I’m OK with. This exceptional group of players will settle things on the floor in Kansas City.
And I’ll be there starting Tuesday afternoon if you want to argue about it. Or better yet hit the HCS Message Boards. I’m all for healthy debate.
Here are the superlative awards. The first team, second team and other teams will appear in another article.
Player of the Year: Jamal Shead, G, Houston
You can use the “best player, best team” argument if you want. But Shead has been the best player in this conference, regardless of team, all season. That was obvious during Big 12 play. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game this season. Yes, there are higher scorers in this conference. But few bring all of that together and provide the added intangibles of leadership and timing. When Houston needs a basket, it goes to Shead. When it needs a kick in the butt, it goes to Shead. He is the biggest reason why the Cougars won the Big 12 regular-season title in their first season in the conference.
Freshman of the Year: G Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor
This is an experienced conference, which means the freshmen who made impacts really had to fight to do so. Walter probably had the biggest impact, as he averaged 14.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in the regular season. He shot 34% from the 3-point line and at times his outside shooting carried the Bears. At other times, it was inconsistent. That’s the lot of being a freshman (and likely being a one-and-done freshman at that). I considered his teammate, Yves Missi, and Kansas freshman Johnny Furphy as well. But Walker’s contribution was consistent all season.
Defensive Player of the Year: G Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
I failed to do a Most Improved Player for the women’s team, so I won’t do one for the men’s team. But if I did Lipsey would be that player. Everything improved in his game from his freshman year to his sophomore year, most notably his 3-point shooting. But for a team that prides itself on being the best no-middle defensive team in the country, Lipsey’s on-ball defending set the tone the entire season. He led the Big 12 with 2.8 steals per game. He’s one of the most valuable defensive players in the country and not just the Big 12.
Newcomer of the Year: C Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
He was, at times, inconsistent for the Jayhawks. And his dislocated shoulder makes him a bit iffy for the Big 12 Tournament. But he was the only player in the Big 12 this season that averaged a double-double — 18 points and 10.8 rebounds. He had the impact Kansas wanted. Dickinson helped them space the floor and provided dominance inside and outside the paint. In a trying season for the Jayhawks, his play has been one of the highlights.
Sixth Man of the Year: Dan Skillings Jr., Cincinnati
This was by far the toughest choice because you could put together a top-tier team with the true bench players in the conference, including Baylor’s Langston Love, BYU’s Jaxson Robinson, Iowa State’s Curtis Jones, TCU’s JaKobe Coles and Texas Tech’s Chance McMillian. But Skillings gets the nod here as he averaged 12 points and six rebounds this season. With all of the injuries and transfer waiver issues the Bearcats dealt with, Skillings helped keep them afloat and in the NCAA Tournament conversation late into February.
Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson, Houston
Up until a couple of weeks ago I was thinking about Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger or Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland and if the coaches want to give the award to either I wouldn’t argue. But let’s go back to Jan. 13. After Houston’s loss to TCU, a game I covered, Houston was 1-2 in Big 12 play. From that point they lost just one more game, their road contest at Kansas. Houston won 14 of its final 15 games to win its first Big 12 regular-season title in its first year in the league. Sampson is right — this didn’t happen overnight. But he pulled the strings masterfully after back-to-back losses and has avenged two of his three league losses (Iowa State and Kansas).
