AAC basketball awards: Coaches vote Wichita State’s Craig Porter on all-conference team
Internally, the Wichita State men’s basketball team feels like there aren’t five players in the American Athletic Conference who impact winning on both ends more than senior point guard Craig Porter.
Perhaps it was Wichita State’s middling record this season, but Porter’s superb two-way season was seemingly overlooked by the league’s other coaches.
That was clear on Wednesday morning when the AAC revealed how the coaches voted for the end-of-season honors, which included Porter as WSU’s only honoree on the all-conference third team. It extended WSU’s streak of having at least one all-conference player for six straight seasons in the American, joining Landry Shamet, Shaquille Morris, Markis McDuffie, Jaime Echenique, Tyson Etienne (twice) and Alterique Gilbert.
It felt like the bare minimum after Porter averaged 13.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks in a season where he notched the program’s second triple-double in the past half-century and became the first player in WSU history to finish with at least six assists in six straight games.
WSU head coach Isaac Brown and Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson openly campaigned for Porter to win the AAC Defensive Player of the Year award, which was given to former Shocker Dexter Dennis last season. Porter led the country in block rate for players who stand 6-foot-2 or under.
“I don’t want to use my height as a (talking point), but honestly nobody else in the country is doing the things I’m doing on the defensive end at my height,” Porter said after WSU’s regular season-finale victory. “If I don’t win it, I’m not going to be mad. I’m trying to go to Dallas and get those four wins in a row. That’s what’s on my mind.”
The Shockers (16-14) play Tulsa (5-24) at 6 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of the AAC tournament at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
The Defensive Player of the Year award instead went to Houston junior point guard Jamal Shead, a more-than-worthy recipient as a premier perimeter defender for one of the best defenses in the country and on the conference championship team.
Although Houston, the No. 1-ranked team in the country, only landed one player on the all-conference first team, the Cougars swept all of the other awards in the conference. Marcus Sasser edged out Memphis’ Kendric Davis, the conference’s all-time leading scorer, to win the Player of the Year. Sampson was named Coach of the Year, Jarace Walker nipped fellow projected NBA lottery pick Taylor Hendricks of UCF for Freshman of the Year, J’Wan Roberts won Most Improved Player and Reggie Chaney picked up Sixth Man of the Year honors.
First team all-conference included Sasser, Davis, Memphis’ DeAndre Williams, Tulane’s Jalen Cook and Cincinnati’s Landers Nolley. Below is a complete listing of the AAC end-of-season honors.
AAC men’s basketball all-conference team awards
Player of the Year
Marcus Sasser, Houston senior
Coach of the Year
Kelvin Sampson, Houston
Defensive Player of the Year
Jamal Shead, Houston junior
Freshman of the Year
Jarace Walker, Houston
Most Improved Player of the Year
J’Wan Roberts, Houston junior
Sixth Man of the Year
Reggie Chaney, Houston
Sportsmanship Award
Ludgy Debaut, East Carolina senior and Sion James, Tulane sophomore
First team all-conference
Jalen Cook, Tulane sophomore
Kendric Davis, Memphis senior
Landers Nolley, Cincinnati senior
Marcus Sasser, Houston senior
DeAndre Williams, Memphis senior
Second team all-conference
Jaylen Forbes, Tulane junior
Taylor Hendricks, UCF freshman
Jamal Shead, Houston junior
J’Wan Roberts, Houston junior
Jarace Walker, Houston freshman
Third team all-conference
Kevin Cross, Tulane junior
David DeJulius, Cincinnati senior
Damian Dunn, Temple sophomore
Tyler Harris, South Florida senior
Craig Porter, Wichita State senior
All-Freshman team
Terrance Arceneaux, Houston
Ezra Ausar, East Carolina
Taylor Hendricks, UCF
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
Jarace Walker, Houston
