Big 12 Basketball: 2018-19 preseason all-conference and awards predictions
By Chris Kern
All-Big 12 Third Team
Jaylen Fisher
Jaylen Fisher and his success are all about whether or not he can stay healthy. He played well last season averaging 12.3 points and 5.4 assists per game but he did only play in 17 games.
Fisher has had many injuries since arriving at TCU. He has torn meniscuses in both of his knees while also suffering a wrist injury late his freshman year.
He had arthroscopic knee surgery just a few weeks ago but he is still expected to be ready to go for the season opener. There’s a good chance he won’t play in that game, either way, they’ll bring him back slowly, and he’ll be his normal self, come conference play.
Quentin Grimes
Quentin Grimes is a combo guard that can do it all. He will spend most of his time at the two spot but could even spend some time at the three.
He has two good point guards in Charlie Moore and Devon Dotson alongside him so he won’t need to play much point, even though he is capable of doing so.
Last season Grimes averaged 29.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game, according to MaxPreps. That shows that he is a guy that can contribute in a variety of ways and for a Kansas team losing so many key guys on the wing, they’re gonna need him to perform.
Nick Weiler-Babb
This is a guy who did it all last season for the Cyclones. He might be overshadowed by some of the younger, more talented players but he is the guy who will make them successful this season. He will run the offense making sure everybody gets involved
Nick Weiler-Babb averaged 11.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. That is stuffing the stat sheet. He is a triple-double threat each and every night and that’s why he is gonna earn a spot on All-Big12 third team.
Desmond Bane
Desmond Bane had a big year for TCU last season and for a team that lost many key guys, he’ll do even more this season. He averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game last season.
His shooting ability will be key for the Horned Frogs this season. He shot 46% from deep while attempting 3.9 per game. If he can keep that percentage while shooting closer to five threes per game the at would be big for this offense.
He also produces in many other areas. He is a rock solid defender and can do the dirty work when needed. Bane is a very underrated player but he will finally start to get the credit he deserves.
Cameron McGriff
Cameron McGriff is one of the few returning players for Oklahoma State. He’s not an extremely talented player but they’re gonna rely on him to do so much. Last season he averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
He really improved his three-point percentage during the summer between his freshman and sophomore seasons. He shot almost 37% on twice the attempts after shooting just 28% his freshman year. McGriff did just shoot 1.6 threes per game last season but this season that number should continue to rise.
The Cowboys are gonna need multiple players to step up on the offensive end for this team to be competitive. With Michael Weathers’ return nowhere in sight McGriff should be one of the guys who is asked to fill that void on the offensive end.