Jayhawks’ Mason unanimous pick as AP All-American
Frank Mason III was a last-minute recruit for Kansas. He turned into the Jayhawks’ latest All-American.
The senior guard was the only unanimous selection to the 2016-17 AP All-America team Tuesday, receiving all first-team votes from the same 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25.
“I love the kid and I think he knows how I feel about him, but I’ve never been more proud — not that he’s won a postseason award — but he’s done everything that he’s supposed to do,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.
“He’s been a great teammate, he’s been tough as nails, he’s worked his butt off, he’s loved by everyone in the academic departments, graduated, and to see him reap these benefits after putting in so much time is an unbelievable honor.”
The rest of the All-America team includes guards Josh Hart of Villanova and Lonzo Ball of UCLA, plus forwards Caleb Swanigan of Purdue and Justin Jackson of North Carolina. Votes were based on the regular season and conference tournaments.
Mason averaged 20.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from 3-point range.
Nigel Williams-Goss of Gonzaga led the second team and was joined by fellow juniors Dillon Brooks of Oregon and Johnathan Motley of Baylor, sophomore Luke Kennard of Duke and freshman Malik Monk of Kentucky.
N.C. State
North Carolina State freshman Dennis Smith Jr. is heading to the NBA. The point guard declared for the draft at a Tuesday morning announcement on ESPN. The move was no surprise since Smith was considered a likely one-and-done prospect this year and is projected to be a potential topfive pick. “I believed I had a good chance whenever I hit college,” Smith said. “I thought it was definitely an obtainable dream for me, and I knew I would chase it with all my might.” In a text message to The Associated Press, Smith’s father, Dennis Sr., said the family was “still weighing our options” for hiring an agent. Smith was one of two players in Division I to post two tripledoubles. But the Wolfpack finished near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, a season that unraveled and ultimately cost coach Mark Gottfried his job. Smith was named freshman of the year by the league — the program’s first since Hawkeye Whitney shared the award in 1977 — as well as ACC newcomer of the year by the AP. He led all ACC freshmen in scoring (18.1), led the league in assists (6.2) and ranked second in steals (1.9).
Duke
Duke forward Harry Giles is entering the NBA draft after a freshman season that was slowed due to knee surgery. Giles announced his decision Tuesday, and team spokesman Cory Walton says he plans to hire an agent. That means Giles won’t have the option to return for his sophomore year. Giles arrived at Duke as one of the nation’s top recruits despite missing his senior season of high school after tearing ligaments in his right knee, then had preseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to remove scar tissue from a previous injury. He missed the first 11 games and made only six starts, averaging 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 58 percent.