Purdue guard heads All-America team

Purdue junior guard Carsen Edwards received the most votes in the Associated Press preseason men’s basketball All-America team released Tuesday, appearing on 63 of 65 ballots from a national media panel.

Edwards was joined by North Carolina forward Luke Maye, Duke forward R.J. Barrett, Kansas big man Dedric Lawson, Nevada forward Caleb Martin and Wisconsin forward Ethan Happ.

The 6-foot-1 Edwards was a thirdteam All-American last season after averaging 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He is Purdue’s first preseason AP All-American since JaJuan Johnson in 2010-11.

“He’s a very dynamic player. He’s unique from a physical standpoint,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “He’s kind of got the body and the explosiveness like a Saquon Barkley. He plays through his offense. I think for guys like that, as you get older, you get more experience, more responsibility, but you don’t change who you are.”

Maye, a 6-8 senior, was a thirdteam All-American last season. He averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds.

Barrett, a 6-7 freshman from Canada, was widely regarded as the top recruit in the 2018 class and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NBA draft.

Lawson averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds in two seasons at Memphis before transferring to Kansas. The 6-8 swingman sat out last season.

Martin and Happ are the first players to tie for the fifth spot on the AP All-America team since 2012-13.

Martin became Nevada’s first preseason All-American. The 6-7 senior averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Happ, a 6-10 senior, averaged 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and shot 52.8%.