KU’s Frosh Embiid and Wiggins Named to Wayman Tisdale Award Midseason List
ST. LOUIS – One day after being named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason List for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Player of the Year, Kansas freshmen Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins have been named to the Wayman Tisdale Award Midseason List for the outstanding freshman of the year, the USBWA announced Friday.
Kansas is one of two schools that have multiple student-athletes on the nine-member midseason list with the other being Kentucky. Members of the USBWA’s board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the 2014 Wayman Tisdale Award.
Embiid leads Kansas in rebounds with a 7.4 per game average, good for eighth in the Big 12. The 7-0 Yauonde, Cameroon, center is tied for the conference lead with 2.8 blocked shots per game. A two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, Embiid’s 50 blocked shots this season are already third on the all-time KU freshman list and his eight against Oklahoma State (1.18.14) broke his own KU freshman record of seven set against UTEP (11.30.13). Embiid leads KU with four double-doubles this season. Embiid was named the USBWA’s Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Week following his performance against OSU.
Wiggins leads Kansas with a 15.2 scoring average, which also leads the Big 12 freshman class and is 10th overall in the conference. The 6-8 Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, guard has five games of 20-plus points and pulled down a season-high 19 rebounds at then No. 8 Iowa State (1/13). Wiggins is 50-of-59 (84.7 percent) from the free throw line in his last 10 games after hitting 10-of-12 charity shots during his 17-point effort in the win versus No. 23 Baylor on ESPN Big Monday (1/20). He has made 20 threes this season, leads KU with 17 steals and his 6.1 rebound average is third on the team.
Last season, Kansas’ Ben McLemore was named to the Wayman Tisdale Award Midseason List. McLemore was also a finalist for the award and was later named USBWA All-America Second Team.
No. 8/11 Kansas is 14-4 overall and the only undefeated team in the 2014 Big 12 Conference race at 5-0 heading into its Saturday, Jan. 25 game at TCU (9-9, 0-6). The Jayhawks have defeated four nationally-ranked teams in each of its last four outings, a feat last accomplished by North Carolina in 1996-97.
For the complete list of the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason List, go to http://www.sportswriters.net/usbwa/news/2014/tisdale140124.html.
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