Kansas Jayhawks’ Jalen Wilson named unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year
Kansas star Jalen Wilson is the 2023 Big 12 men’s basketball Player of the Year according to a vote of league coaches. Not only that, he was a unanimous pick of the nine coaches allowed to vote for him.
Wilson, a 6-foot-8 forward from Denton, Texas, was honored on Sunday after averaging a Big 12-leading 19.7 points and Big 12-best 8.4 rebounds per game for the 25-6 Jayhawks, who head into the upcoming Big 12 tournament as the league’s undisputed regular-season champion and No. 1 seed.
KU coach Bill Self said prior to Saturday’s regular-season finale against Texas he felt Wilson should be named the conference’s top player.
Coaches are prohibited for voting for players on their own teams.
“I’ll be candid with you, he’s shown me something each and every year that I may not have known he had in him,” Self said. “He’s taking it to a whole new level each and every year and that makes it special.
“And the other thing that that’s special to me is the guy conducts himself with such an air of confidence in anything he does. Walking into a room, meeting an adult, speaking in front of 16,000, how he plays when things go bad, adversity, he’s got a way to exude confidence in any situation, and I think that’s something that we can all learn from. It’s been fun and special to watch over time.”
Self stressed that Wilson’s “will to win is as good as anybody that we’ve had play here in a long time. He always finds a way. He’s just a winner.”
He’s KU’s second winner of the league’s top player award in the last two seasons. Ochai Agbaji won the award last year.
“He’s a good shooter who has gotten more consistent. He’ll still have days like everybody where the ball won’t go in. When he shoots it I think it’s going in every time he shoots it. He’s so competitive,” Self said. “He’s played to that All-America level. I think he’ll go down as one of the greatest winners in the history of Kansas basketball.”
KU assistant coach Norm Roberts echoed Self’s comments about Wilson the confident competitor.
“Jalen is in a totally different mindset as a person,” Roberts said. He’s so confident in himself, confident in his teammates. Really happy for him and how far he’s come.”
Self stated that Wilson has “had an Ochai-type senior year. I’m really proud of him. This year he was the anchor of everything.”
Continued Self: “He’s really matured. How can you not when you’ve been at a place four years? He’s done it on and off the court. The way he sees life and helping others is impressive. Jalen is one of those guys if he wants something, he can will to make it happen.”
Wilson certainly has had fun his fourth-year junior season. He had considered keeping his name in the 2022 NBA Draft after testing the waters.
“I felt like that was my calling,” Wilson said. “To come back and be a leader and make this place better.”
Wilson joins seven other Jayhawks who have been named player of the year in the 20-year Self era.
Agbaji won in 2021-22, Udoka Azubuike in 2019-20, Devonte Graham in 2017-18, Frank Mason in 2016-17, Thomas Robinson in 2011-12, Marcus Morris in 2010-11 and Wayne Simien in 2004-05.
“I guess we’ve won the award a lot lately. Devonté won it over Trae Young in large part because he was the best player on the best team,” Self said. “He wasn’t the best guard the league, he was the best player on the best team that had the best stretch of games that allowed us to win the league and made an unbelievable play at Texas Tech to win the league. To me that carries value. I think it did with other coaches that year.”
Self continued.
“Frank the year before that was hands down. There was not a second place that year. In 2020 I think ‘Doke’ (Azubuike) and ‘Dot’ (Devon Dotson) may have finished 1-2. To me that was an easy one picking a Kansas guy — one of the two — because we won the league. Last year with Ochai there wasn’t a second place in large part because of the year he had and we won the league.”
Other KU Big 12 award winners:
A couple other Jayhawks took home Big 12 awards on Sunday, and several landed on All-Big 12 teams.
Point guard Dajuan Harris was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the year, while KJ Adams was voted the conference’s Most Improved Player.
Self was not named Coach of the Year, as that honor went to K-State’s Jerome Tang. Gradey Dick also did not win Freshman of the Year honors, which instead went to Baylor’s Keyonte George.
Wilson landed on the All-Big 12 first team, while Dick made the second team and McCullar made the third team. (Adams and Harris both were All-Big 12 honorable mention.)
Harris and McCullar both landed on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, and Dick landed on both the All-Newcomer Team and the All-Freshman Team.
KU coach Self issued a statement regarding KU’s award winners on Sunday.
“We are all ecstatic to see our guys get recognized for postseason awards,” Self said. “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.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2023 at 4:05 PM.
