PROVIDENCE, RI – The American Athletic Conference announced its men’s basketball all-conference and all-rookie teams in advance of the 2017 Frontier Communications American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, which runs March 9-12 in Hartford, Conn.
The All-Conference First Team includes three players from the state of Texas, as SMU’s Semi Ojeleye joins the duo of Damyean Dotson and Rob Gray from Houston.
Memphis’ Dedric Lawson and UConn guard Jalen Adams round out the team. All five players are first team selections for the first times in their respective careers.
After not appearing in a competitive game for nearly two full years, Ojeleye helped lead No. 12/15 SMU to The American regular-season title, averaging 18.5 points per game while knocking down over 43 percent of his three-point attempts. Ojeleye has scored in double figures in 30 of 31 contests, and in 23 consecutive games, and registered 20 or more points on 11 occasions.
Gray and Dotson formed one of the most dynamic backcourts in The American, ranking first and fourth, respectively, in scoring. At 20.3 ppg, Gray is the lone player in the conference averaging over 20 points per game, while Dotson is averaging 17.4 ppg. Dotson’s current 30-game streak with a three-pointer is the program record.
After earning Rookie of the Year accolades last season, Lawson takes his place on the first team. As a sophomore, Lawson is nearly averaging a double-double with 19.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Lawson has tallied 19 double-doubles this season.
In the face of a spate of injuries, Adams has stepped up for UConn, pacing The American in assists at 6.3 per game while averaging 14.1 points. With a conference-leading 183 assists, Adams has maintained an assist/turnover ratio of 2.0 this year.
The six-man American Athletic Conference Second Team included the SMU trio of Sterling Brown, Shake Milton and Ben Moore and the Cincinnati pair of Troy Caupain and Kyle Washington. UCF point guard B.J. Taylor rounded out the sextet.
Additionally, the All-Rookie Team included a unanimous selection in Cincinnati’s Jarron Cumberland. Vance Jackson of UConn, Memphis’ K.J. Lawson, Temple guard Quinton Rose and East Carolina point guard Jeremy Sheppard were all voted to the team.
The awards were voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches. The conference's Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced on Wednesday. The American Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year will be announced at a press conference on Thursday, March 9 at the XL Center at 12:30 p.m. ET.
All-Conference Honors
1st Team All-Conference:
Jalen Adams, UConn
Damyean Dotson, Houston
Rob Gray, Houston
Dedric Lawson, Memphis
Semi Ojeleye, SMU
2nd Team All-Conference:
Sterling Brown, SMU
Troy Caupain, Cincinnati
Shake Milton, SMU
Ben Moore, SMU
B.J. Taylor, UCF
Kyle Washington, Cincinnati
All-Rookie Team:
Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati
Vance Jackson, UConn
K.J. Lawson, Memphis
Quinton Rose, Temple
Jeremy Sheppard, East Carolina
The All-Conference First Team includes three players from the state of Texas, as SMU’s Semi Ojeleye joins the duo of Damyean Dotson and Rob Gray from Houston.
Memphis’ Dedric Lawson and UConn guard Jalen Adams round out the team. All five players are first team selections for the first times in their respective careers.
After not appearing in a competitive game for nearly two full years, Ojeleye helped lead No. 12/15 SMU to The American regular-season title, averaging 18.5 points per game while knocking down over 43 percent of his three-point attempts. Ojeleye has scored in double figures in 30 of 31 contests, and in 23 consecutive games, and registered 20 or more points on 11 occasions.
Gray and Dotson formed one of the most dynamic backcourts in The American, ranking first and fourth, respectively, in scoring. At 20.3 ppg, Gray is the lone player in the conference averaging over 20 points per game, while Dotson is averaging 17.4 ppg. Dotson’s current 30-game streak with a three-pointer is the program record.
After earning Rookie of the Year accolades last season, Lawson takes his place on the first team. As a sophomore, Lawson is nearly averaging a double-double with 19.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Lawson has tallied 19 double-doubles this season.
In the face of a spate of injuries, Adams has stepped up for UConn, pacing The American in assists at 6.3 per game while averaging 14.1 points. With a conference-leading 183 assists, Adams has maintained an assist/turnover ratio of 2.0 this year.
The six-man American Athletic Conference Second Team included the SMU trio of Sterling Brown, Shake Milton and Ben Moore and the Cincinnati pair of Troy Caupain and Kyle Washington. UCF point guard B.J. Taylor rounded out the sextet.
Additionally, the All-Rookie Team included a unanimous selection in Cincinnati’s Jarron Cumberland. Vance Jackson of UConn, Memphis’ K.J. Lawson, Temple guard Quinton Rose and East Carolina point guard Jeremy Sheppard were all voted to the team.
The awards were voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches. The conference's Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced on Wednesday. The American Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year will be announced at a press conference on Thursday, March 9 at the XL Center at 12:30 p.m. ET.
All-Conference Honors
1st Team All-Conference:
Jalen Adams, UConn
Damyean Dotson, Houston
Rob Gray, Houston
Dedric Lawson, Memphis
Semi Ojeleye, SMU
2nd Team All-Conference:
Sterling Brown, SMU
Troy Caupain, Cincinnati
Shake Milton, SMU
Ben Moore, SMU
B.J. Taylor, UCF
Kyle Washington, Cincinnati
All-Rookie Team:
Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati
Vance Jackson, UConn
K.J. Lawson, Memphis
Quinton Rose, Temple
Jeremy Sheppard, East Carolina
