Kansas junior forward Marcus Morris was named Big 12 player of the year and headlines the all-conference first team.
“He deserves it outright. I don’t think anybody worked as hard as Marcus in the offseason,” KU sophomore Thomas Robinson said of Morris, who attended U.S. Collegiate training camps. Morris was a member of the U.S. Collegiate Select team that scrimmaged the Olympic team last summer in Las Vegas.
“He traveled all over the country to work on his game,” Robinson said. “He came back to be with his team and was a leader. Going through the ups and downs of the season, he was a great leader. To me, he’s the player of the year in the country and in the conference."
Morris grinned when asked if his earning the award was proof that hard work pays off.
“It definitely does,” he said, “but I’d rather win the national championship than player of the year.”
Morris averaged 17.3 points and 7.0 rebounds overall, 18.8 points and 7.6 boards off 60.6 percent shooting in league play.