IRVING, Texas -- Texas Tech sophomore forward JT Toppin was selected by Big 12 coaches as the league's best player and newcomer of the year in a vote revealed Monday, a day before the start of the 16-team league's postseason tournament.
Toppin, a transfer from New Mexico, has 14 double-doubles and is the only Big 12 player who ranks top three in scoring (18.1 PPG) and rebounding (9.3 RPG). He is the first Big 12 player in the league's 29 seasons to be voted by coaches as the top player and top newcomer in the same season.
Houston's Kelvin Sampson was selected by his peers as the Big 12's top coach. The second-ranked Cougars (27-4, 19-1 Big 12) have won the conference title in both seasons since joining the league, becoming the first program to join a major conference and win back-to-back regular-season titles since Idaho won the Pacific Coast Conference in the 1921-22 and 1922-23 seasons.
Houston forward Joseph Tugler was voted defensive player of the year and guard LJ Cryer the top scholar-athlete. Baylor's VJ Edgecombe was voted the Big 12's top freshman, BYU's Richie Saunders was chosen as the league's most improved player, and Curtis Jones of fifth-seeded Iowa State was voted the top sixth man.
Cryer, Jones, Saunders and Toppin joined Caleb Love of Arizona, Norchad Omier of Baylor, J'Wan Roberts of Houston, Hunter Dickinson of Kansas, Darrion Williams of Texas Tech and Javon Small of West Virginia on the coaches' All-Big 12 first team.
The Big 12 Tournament begins Tuesday with four opening-round games. The championship game is Saturday.
