By JACOB POLACHECK
Oklahoma State freshman guard and the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft Cade Cunningham has been named Big 12 Player of the Year, the league announced Monday.
Cunningham, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound point guard from Arlington, Texas, has averaged 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game this season. He’s shot 45.5 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from three-point range.
He joins Marcus Smart, Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley as only the fourth freshman to take home Big 12 Player of the Year honors.
Cunningham has led Oklahoma State to an 18-7 record (11-7 Big 12), including wins in six of its last seven games. Cunningham missed Saturday’s 85-80 win at West Virginia with an ankle injury.
Cunningham edged out Baylor junior guard Jared Butler for the award.
Butler, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard has averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals, while being named to the All-Big 12 First Team.
Baylor’s Davion Mitchell, Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves and West Virginia’s Derek Culver rounded out the remainder of the First Team.
Cunningham also took home Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors.
The 2021 Big 12 Tournament runs Wednesday-Saturday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The full Big 12 Awards honorees are listed below:
Player of the Year: Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
Defensive Player of the Year: Davion Mitchell, Baylor
Newcomer of the Year: Mac McClung, Texas Tech
Most Improved Player: David McCormack, Kansas
Freshman of the Year: Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
Sixth Man of the Year: Kai Jones, Texas
Coach of the Year: Scott Drew, Baylor
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