Big 12 Superlatives, Part II: Newcomer, Game & Play of the Year
Posted by Brian Goodman on March 11th, 2015We continue our coronation of the Big 12’s best performers and performances with the back end of our annual award posts. If you missed Part I, which featured our contributors’ all-conference selections as well as Player Of The Year and Coach Of The Year honors, you can catch up here.
Newcomer of the Year
- Brian Goodman: Jameel McKay – From the minute he became eligible on December 20, McKay gave Iowa State a defensive presence down low that it hasn’t had since Fred Hoiberg took the reins of the program. McKay currently ranks among the top 50 players nationally in block percentage (9.1%) and, despite not being very skilled offensively, draws a ton of fouls and finishes consistently. In the long-term, Kansas’ Kelly Oubre or Texas’ Myles Turner may have better careers, but neither did so at the level of McKay with the Cyclones.
Jameel McKay gave the Cylones a much-needed presence down low. (Andrea Melendez/The Register)
- Nate Kotisso: Jameel McKay – I’ve been a fan of McKay’s ever since the stories about him doing insane things in practice were made public. Once he became eligible, I wondered if he could live up to all the hype, but he has proven to be a game-changer in every sense of the word. He gives the Cyclones a dimension they haven’t had in the Fred Hoiberg era — a true big man who runs the floor well, rebounds with reckless abandon, and is a defensive menace with his 7’4″ wingspan. McKay averaged double figures this season but I still feel like there’s plenty of room for growth in his offensive game. I hope he comes back to Ames for another year.
- Chris Stone: Jameel McKay – McKay has turned out to be yet another successful transfer under Iowa State head coach Fred Holberg. Over 487 minutes of action, McKay posted numbers of 16.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per 40 minutes. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches and was the one of the few bright spots on an otherwise poor Iowa State defense. McKay played well as Hoiberg’s first true rim-protector and helped lead the Cyclones to a #2 seed in the conference tournament.
Game of the Year
The Jayhawks and Sooners brought the noise in an intense Big Monday battle at Allen Fieldhouse. (Nick King/Lawrence Journal-World)
- BG: On January 19, Oklahoma ventured into Allen Fieldhouse just two days after Kansas took its first conference loss of the season in a heated game in Ames. The Jayhawks started the game white-hot from beyond the arc, connecting on their first eight three-pointers en route to a 19-point halftime lead. In the next nine-and-a-half minutes, though, the Sooners erased that lead with a 24-5 run of their own. The game ended on one final swing as Kansas held Oklahoma to just a single field goal over the last 4:56 of the game and escaped with an 85-77 win. The Jayhawks went on to win six of their next seven games to re-establish the fact that the Big 12 title runs through Lawrence, but that victory over the Sooners perfectly encapsulated the wild swings the Big 12 experienced this season.
- NK: We had some epic battles during the last few weeks of the regular season, but my favorite was the Kansas-Iowa State game in Ames. Given the recent history of this game played at Hilton Coliseum, you knew it was going to be a wild one. Kansas started out hot but Iowa State chipped away by getting out in transition and eventually outlasting the Jayhawks, 86-81. This matchup has taken hold as the best current rivalry in the Big 12.
- CS: This was a tough one because there are so many potential contenders, but I ultimately went with one of the best offensive outputs of the season. On March 2, Oklahoma traveled to Ames for Iowa State’s Senior Night. The Sooners, with a chance to keep their Big 12 title hopes alive with a road win, jumped out to an impressive 19-point lead by halftime. The Cyclones stormed back in the second half by scoring 59 points in the final 20 minutes to win by seven. The victory also guaranteed Kansas its 11th straight Big 12 regular season title.
Play of the Year
- BG: Big 12 fans and media alike are torn on just how much Cliff Alexander means to Kansas’ postseason chances. His season (and potentially, his college career) could already be over due to eligibility issues, but if that turns out to be the case, Alexander should be remembered as one of the most dynamic bigs in the conference this season. We saw his tremendous physical tools on display in plays like this dunk from the Jayhawks’ game against Oklahoma State on January 13. The Chicago native easily posted Le’Bryan Nash before throwing it down Blake Griffin-style on the 7’1″ help defender, Anthony Allen, while drawing a foul in the process. Oh, what could have been.
- NK: Juwan Staten‘s spin move and lefty lay-in to upset Kansas is my pick. It was a great basketball move to watch over and over again, and because it happened at the end of an important game, the play’s weightiness cannot be overstated. The more times you watch it, the more you’re convinced that the win changed West Virginia’s overall perception for the better. The Mountaineers went on to win three of their next five games to close out the season.
- CS: On February 28, with Kansas State down by one point against Iowa State, Wesley Iwundu came away with a huge steal and slam to win the game. Iwundu’s highlight was one of the few bright spots for a Wildcats’ team that finished 8-10 in conference play.
Brian Goodman a Big 12 microsite writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BSGoodman.
