Three freshmen have been selected to the Associated Press All-America First Team for the first time ever. In the age of one-and-done players in college basketball, it is surprising that this has never been achieved.
3 Freshmen Headline AP All-American Teams
Freshman Selections
Oklahoma’s Trae Young, Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, and Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton are the freshman selections.
Despite his team falling off towards the end of the season, Young still led the nation in scoring and assists. He poured in 27.4 points and 8.7 assists per game. Bagley won the ACC Player of the Year award, as he led the conference in scoring at 21.2 points and rebounding at 11.5 boards per game. The scary thought is that Bagley is only supposed to be a senior in high school.
In the midst of all the allegations surrounding Arizona, Ayton continued to shine. The seven-footer averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, and two blocks per game. He was the PAC-12 Player of the Year and is still at the top of most NBA mock drafts.
Other First-Teamers
The other two selections are the front-runners for the Naismith Player of the Year award, Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham and Villanova’s Jalen Brunson.
As a senior, Graham has replaced Frank Mason quite nicely. He led the Jayhawks to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.2 points and 7.3 assists per game. Brunson, meanwhile, is averaging 19.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists for the Wildcats. In what could be possibly his last season in a Villanova uniform, Brunson led the team to a Big East title and a second Final Four in three years.
Second and Third Team Selections
The second team consists of Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop, Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett, Miles Bridges of Michigan State, Jock Landale of St. Mary’s, and Jevon Carter of West Virginia.
Texas Tech’s Keenan Evans, Villanova’s Mikal Bridges, Purdue’s Carsen Edwards, North Carolina’s Luke Maye, and Virginia’s Kyle Guy made up the third team.
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