The 2014-15 USBWA Men’s All-America Team features a true five-man lineup of first-teamers, led by two seniors who pushed their teams to conference tournament championships: Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky and Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant. Joining Kaminsky in the front court is junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein of unbeaten and top-ranked Kentucky and Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor. Grant’s backcourt mate is another freshman, Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell.
Based on regular-season performance, the entire USBWA membership of nearly 1,000 selects the nation’s top five players on each of two teams regardless of position.
Overall, the Atlantic Coast Conference leads all selections with three, including Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon, who was named to the second team. The Big Ten and SEC each boast two All-America selections. Joining Brodgon on that second team are Bobby Portis from Arkansas, Seth Tuttle from Northern Iowa, Kyle Wiltjer from Gonzaga and Delon Wright from Utah. Portis, Tuttle, Wiltjer and Wright are all USBWA District Players of the Year.
Cauley-Stein, a 7-0 junior from Olathe, Kan., contributes to Kentucky’s potent and balanced attack with 9.3 points per game to go with 6.4 rebounds. He is the USBWA’s District IV Player of the Year and was a first-team All-SEC selection in leading the Wildcats to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Grant, a 6-5 senior from Bowie, Md., leads the Fighting Irish with 16.8 points per game and 6.6 assists while shooting 48.8 percent from the field. Grant was a first-team All-ACC selection and leads the conference in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.
Kaminsky’s 18.2 points per game leads the Badgers, champions of the Big Ten. The 7-0 senior from Lisle, Ill., is shooting 39 percent from three-point range and pulls down 8.1 rebounds per game. The Big Ten and USBWA District V Player of the Year leads his team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.
Okafor, the ACC Player of the Year and USBWA District III Player of the Year, leads the Blue Devils and ranks among the top five in the ACC in scoring (17.7), rebounds (9.0) and field goal percentage (.669). The 6-11 freshman from Chicago, Ill., is attempting to become the first freshman to lead Duke in all three categories.
Russell, a 6-5 freshman from Louisville, Ky., is the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and an All-Big Ten first-team selection. He is the leading freshman scorer in the country and second-leading scorer in the Big Ten (19.3) and also leads the Buckeyes with 5.6 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 5.1 assists per game.
Each of the 10 All-America selections is among the Oscar Robertson Trophy finalists. The USBWA’s National Player of the Year Award will be announced on Friday, April 3, in Indianapolis, in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four. The Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Trophy will be formally presented on Tuesday, April 14, at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards Gala in Oklahoma City.
Following is the complete 2014-15 USBWA All-America team:
2014-15 USBWA MEN’S ALL-AMERICA TEAMPos. First Team Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
F Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky 7-0 240 Jr. Olathe, Kan.
Sixth All-American from Kentucky since 2009 G Jerian Grant, Notre Dame 6-5 204 Sr. Bowie, Md.
First Notre Dame first team selection since 2000-01 (Troy Murphy) F Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin 7-0 242 Sr. Lisle, Ill.
Third all-time All-America selection from Wisconsin (Devin Harris 2004, Alondo Tucker 2007) C Jahlil Okafor, Duke 6-11 270 Fr. Chicago, Ill.
13th Duke All-America selection since 2000 G D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State 6-5 180 Fr. Louisville, Ky.
Third Ohio State freshman to earn All-America honors (Greg Oden 2007, Jared Sullinger 2011)
Pos. Second Team Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
G Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia 6-5 215 Jr. Atlanta, Ga.
First Virginia All-America selection since 1983 (Ralph Sampson) F Bobby Portis, Arkansas 6-11 242 So. Little Rock, Ark.
Fourth Arkansas All-America selection (First since Corliss Williamson in 1995) F Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa 6-8 240 Sr. Sheffield, Iowa
First All-America selection from Northern Iowa F Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga 6-10 240 Jr. Portland, Ore.
Fifth all-time Gonzaga All-American (All since 2002) G Delon Wright, Utah 6-5 190 Sr. Los Angeles, Calif.
Eighth Utah player to earn All-America honors (First since Andrew Bogut 2005)
