Kansas forward Jalen Wilson adds 2 honors to postseason haul, with more to come

By Matt Tait Mar 7, 2023

Kansas forward Jalen Wilson celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

The list is starting to grow for Kansas junior Jalen Wilson, who was named the Big 12 player of the year by the league’s coaches on Sunday and has added two significant honors to his haul since then.

Tuesday, Wilson was named a first-team selection and the Big 12 player of the year by the Associated Press, with teammates Gradey Dick and Kevin McCullar Jr. earning second-team honors.

Wilson also was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News, the first of the major publications to release their postseason teams this year.

The AP postseason teams are voted on by a panel of 17 writers who cover the conference, including yours truly.

Wilson was one of two unanimous picks on the first team, joining K-State forward Keyontae Johnson in receiving that honor. Johnson also was named the Big 12 newcomer of the year.

The rest of the first team included: Texas guard Marcus Carr, Baylor guard Adam Flagler and K-State guard Markquis Nowell.

The second team was made up of Dick and McCullar along with TCU guards Damion Baugh and Mike Miles Jr., and Baylor freshman Keyonte George.

First-year Kansas State coach Jerome Tang was named the AP Big 12 coach of the year, matching the honor he received from the league’s coaches.

Here’s a quick look at the ballot I submitted with my vote:

Player of the Year: Jalen Wilson, Kansas

Coach of the Year: Jerome Tang, Kansas State

Newcomer of the Year: Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State

First Team

Jalen Wilson, Kansas

Markquis Nowell, Kansas State

Marcus Carr, Texas

Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State

Adam Flagler, Baylor

Second Team

Dajuan Harris Jr., Kansas

Keyonte George, Baylor

Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas

Emmanuel Miller, TCU

Sir’Jabari Rice, Texas

As a voter in the AP poll this season, I also had a national vote for three All-American teams, as well as national player and coach of the year.

Here’s how my ballot looked there:

Player of the Year: Zach Edey, Purdue

Coach of the Year: Bill Self, Kansas

First Team

Zach Edey, Purdue

Jalen Wilson, Kansas

Brandon Miller, Alabama

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana

Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA

Second Team

Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona

Marcus Sasser, Houston

Tyler Kolek, Marquette

Drew Timme, Gonzaga

Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky

Third Team

Souley Boum, Xavier

Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy

Jalen Pickett, Penn State

Isaiah Wong, Miami

Kris Murray, Iowa

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.