Kansas Basketball: Another Jayhawk named Big 12 Player of the Year

Devonte’ Graham was named the Big 12’s Player of the Year on Sunday, making him the ninth Jayhawk to win the award.

For the second consecutive season, a Kansas Jayhawk has been named the Big 12 Player of the Year. Devonte’ Graham shared a backcourt with Frank Mason III a season ago when he won, but now it’s Graham’s turn to collect the hardware.

In 31 games for the Jayhawks this season, Graham’s averaged a team-high 17.6 points and 7.2 assists per game.

He’s been the lead guard for head coach Bill Self during the Jayhawks’ 24-7 season and hopes to extend the season well into March. He’s the do-it-all senior that’s hard to find in today’s college basketball game.

Graham’s scored 20 or more points ten times this season, including back-to-back 35 point games against Toledo and Syracuse.

Five times Graham’s tallied double-digit assist totals and he hasn’t played a game this season without registering at least five assists. Consistency is hard to come by in college basketball, but Graham always shows up.

Graham joins the likes of Nick Collison, Drew Gooden, Raef LaFrentz, Frank Mason III, Marcus Morris, Thomas Robinson and Wayne Simien as Kansas players who have won the Big 12’s Player of the Year award. Not one of those Jayhawks ever won a National Championship, though.

They also didn’t have to navigate a Big 12 conference that may have been the toughest since the consecutive regular season streak started, making what the senior did all the more impressive this season. Plus, he didn’t have another great ball handler beside him as well.

Next: Bracketology a week before Selection Sunday

Graham and the Jayhawks hope to make a run to the National Championship, but first they’ll take on the winner of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State Thursday afternoon in the Big 12 Tournament. Kansas is the No. 1 seed after winning the regular season title for the 14th consecutive season.