WSU’s Markis McDuffie makes second-team all-AAC; Dexter Dennis on all-freshman team
Wichita State’s Markis McDuffie and Dexter Dennis were honored in the first wave of postseason awards the American Athletic Conference announced on Monday. McDuffie was voted second team all-conference, while Dennis was picked to the all-freshman team.
McDuffie, a 6-foot-8 senior forward from Paterson, N.J., is averaging a career-best 17.9 points, the most by a player in the Gregg Marshall era, to go along with 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals. He ranks fourth in the conference in scoring, fifth in free-throw shooting and eighth in three-pointers made.
Earning all-conference status is nothing new to McDuffie, who was chosen Missouri Valley Conference freshman of the year and first team all-conference as a sophomore, when he led WSU in scoring and rebounding. An injury derailed his junior season, but a strong senior year has given the Shockers at least one selection to an all-conference team for the 10th straight year.
The all-AAC first team was Houston’s Corey Davis Jr., Cincinnati’s Jarron Cumberland, Memphis’ Jeremiah Martin, Temple’s Shizz Alston Jr. and UCF’s B.J. Taylor. McDuffie was joined on the second team by UCF’s Aubrey Dawkins, SMU’s Jahmal McMurray, Temple’s Quinton Rose and Houston’s Armoni Brooks.
Dennis, a 6-foot-5 wing from Baker, La., averaged 7.8 points and shot 39.4 percent from three-point range. His 5.1 rebounding average is the highest by any WSU freshman in 18 years. He earned 18 starts and played 24.5 minutes per game.
He was at his best toward the end of the regular season, as he averaged 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds and hit 21 of 45 three-pointers (46.7 percent). Dennis recently made the game-winning three as time expired to lift WSU to an 82-79 victory at Tulane this past weekend.
The conference will announce its defensive player of the year, most improved player, sixth man of the year and sportsmanship award winners on Tuesday, then the player of the year, freshman of the year and coach of the year on Wednesday. The awards are voted on by the conference’s 12 coaches.
WSU (17-13, 10-8 American) has won four in a row and nine of its last 11 entering this week’s conference tournament in Memphis. The sixth-seeded Shockers will play No. 11 seed East Carolina (10-20, 3-15) at 9 p.m. Thursday at FedExForum with the game broadcast on ESPNU. The winner will play in the 8 p.m. Friday quarterfinal game against third-seeded Temple, also broadcast on ESPNU.
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