Cyclones honored by the Big 12
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Redshirt junior forward Jameel McKay dunks the ball during the first half against No. 19 Baylor. The No. 12 Cyclones fell to the Bears 79-70. McKay led Iowa State with 21 points and eight rebounds.
March 8, 2015
The Big 12 is handing out its regular season awards, and as far as Iowa State is concerned, junior Jameel McKay is the big winner.
McKay was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as he controlled the paint for the Cyclones like no player before him in the Hoiberg-era. Standing at 6 feet 9 inches tall, McKay played in 21 regular season games for Iowa State, including all 18 conference games.
During his 18 Big 12 appearances, McKay averaged 2.5 blocks per game to complement 7.5 rebounds and 0.7 steals per contest.
McKay was also named to the All-Big 12 Defensive Team and claimed third-team all-conference honors as his offensive game developed throughout the season. McKay ended the Big 12 regular season averaging 11.4 points per game.
Junior Georges Niang, a member of the final ballot for the Wooden Award, which is given to the nation’s top player, was named to the All-Big 12 First Team. Point guard Monté Morris picked up All-Big 12 Second Team honors, rounding out the ISU nominations.
Niang led his team in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game in Big 12 play as well as 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Morris again led the Big 12 as well as the country in assist-to-turnover ratio with a mark of 4.68 for the entire year and a ratio of 4.97 in Big 12 play. Morris averaged 12.3 points, 5.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game during his sophomore season.
