After leading the Big 12 in both scoring and rebounding for the grueling 18-game season that wrapped up on Saturday, Kansas forward Jalen Wilson has been named the conference’s player of the year by the league’s coaches.
Wilson was a unanimous selection, receiving all nine available votes. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players in the postseason awards.
A likely first-team All-American who sits firmly on the list for several national player of the year honors, Wilson finished the regular season averaging 19.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Wilson, who also was one of five first-team all-Big 12 picks by the coaches, was joined on the list of postseason accolades by several of his teammates.
Dajuan Harris Jr. was named the conference’s defensive player of the year. KJ Adams was named the Big 12’s most improved player. Gradey Dick earned second team all-Big 12 honors. Kevin McCullar Jr. was named to the third team.
Harris and McCullar both landed on the five-man all-defensive team. Dick was on both the five-man all-newcomer squad and the all-freshman team. And Adams and Harris earned honorable mention honors.
“We are all ecstatic to see our guys get recognized for postseason awards,” KU coach Bill Self said in a news release announcing the accolades. “The league is so good and to have Jalen be the player of the year is a tremendous honor for Jalen and it also coincides with the team performing so well. Dajuan being the defensive player of the year is something I know he will cherish forever. And KJ, who would have ever thought a guy that averaged one point a game last year would become the most improved player in the league this year? Gradey is one of the top freshmen in the country and certainly one of the best newcomers in the league. And for Kevin to be a part of the all-defense team and to make third team, we’re excited for all of them.”
Wilson is just the seventh player — fourth Jayhawk — in the 27-year history of the Big 12 Conference to lead the league in scoring and rebounding in the same season. Dedric Lawson (2018-19), Wayne Simien (2004-05) and Drew Gooden (2001-02) were the other KU players to finish on top in those two categories.
Wilson’s 10 double-doubles led the Big 12 — and gave him 26 for his career — and, perhaps most importantly, his team won the nation’s toughest conference with room to spare.
Although he did it in a different manner than his predecessors, Wilson joins recent KU winners Ochai Agbaji (2022), Udoka Azubuike (2020), Devonte’ Graham (2018) and Frank Mason III (2017).
Wilson’s 19.7 points-per-game average was the fourth highest among KU’s Big 12 player of the year honorees, behind Mason (20.9), Simien (20.3) and Gooden (19.8).
He becomes the 11th Jayhawk to win Big 12 player of the year honors, and his selection merely strengthens his case for one day seeing his name and number hanging in the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse.
Although there is no official criteria for having one’s jersey retired, being named conference player of the year and becoming a consensus All-American both have been strong indicators of such an honor in the past. In addition, Wilson’s status as a starter and key contributor on the 2022 national title team adds to his case.
The Denton, Texas native now in his fourth year with the program received a nod on the all-newcomer and all-freshman teams following his redshirt freshman season in 2020-21 and was a third-team pick of the coaches last season.
In addition to taking over as the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, Wilson followed in the footsteps left by Agbaji in the way he exploded when thrust into the role of top dog. His 2022-23 season included two 30-point outings, 17 games of 20 points or more and the highest-scoring six-game stretch by any player in the Bill Self era.
Praised by Self for more than just his scoring and statistics, the Kansas coach recently called Wilson “one of the greatest winners in the history of Kansas basketball.”
“There’s not a better player in America, there’s not a tougher player in America, there’s not a player in America who gets more out of his ability than what this guy does,” Self told the crowd while introducing Wilson on senior night earlier this week.
Wilson led Kansas to its 21st Big 12 regular season title and has the Jayhawks poised to be a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in 19 tournaments under Self.
Much more than any postseason accolades, Wilson’s focus now is fully on the two tournaments in front of him and helping Kansas defend its Big 12 and national titles.
“We just have to understand that we have a huge target on our back, not only for winning the conference but everyone wants to beat Kansas, everyone wants to beat the reigning national champions,” he said after Saturday’s 75-59 road loss at No. 9 Texas. “We’re going to get everybody’s best game and now every game is win or go home.”
The 2022-23 Big 12 men’s basketball postseason honors as chosen by the league’s coaches
