Gray Named Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year

NORMAN, Okla. Taj Gray, Oklahoma's senior forward who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season, is the 2005-06 Big 12 Men's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year. Voted on by the league's head coaches, Gray is also a unanimous pick for the five-man Preseason All-Big 12 Team. OU junior guard Michael Neal is the Big 12 Preseason Co-Newcomer of the Year.

Gray, from Wichita, Kan., burst onto the scene last year after transferring to OU from Redlands (Okla.) Community College. The 6-9, 238-pounder averaged 14.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 blocked shots (ranked second in Big 12) while shooting a conference-best .557 from the field. He ranked second in the league with 12 double-doubles.

A member of the USA U21 World Championship Team this past summer, Gray was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week a school-record four times last year. He scored in double figures 26 times and reached the 20-point mark on eight occasions. Gray averaged 16.0 points and 14.0 rebounds over OU's two NCAA Tournament games.

2005-06 Media Guide | Ticket Information

Neal, a fellow junior college transfer who competed at Lon Morris (Texas) College, was a first-team National Junior College Athletic Association honoree last year after averaging 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals. He was also named Region 14 MVP. Noted for his shooting ability, Neal posted a .409 mark from 3-point territory and a .812 figure from the free throw line.

Neal was a second-team NJCAA All-American in 2003-04 as a freshman when he averaged 21.1 points a contest. The Mesquite, Texas, product led Lon Morris to a combined 53-11 record over the past two years.

This marks the second time a Sooner has been named the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year (Hollis Price was honored prior to the 2002-03 season). Neal is the fourth Sooner honored as the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Gray last year, Ebi Ere in 2001-02 and Victor Avila in 1998-99).

Joining Gray on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team are Curtis Stinson (Iowa State), JamesOn Curry (Oklahoma State), Daniel Gibson and P.J. Tucker (Texas). Two Sooners, seniors Kevin Bookout and Terrell Everett, are among the eight players who received votes for the preseason all-conference squad.

Neal is joined by Oklahoma State's Mario Boggan as the preseason co-newcomer of the year while Kansas' Julian Wright is the league's preseason freshman of the year. Coaches were not allowed to vote for members of their own teams.

2005-06 PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
Curtis Stinson, Iowa State (G, 6-3, 215, Jr., Bronx, N.Y.)
Taj Gray, Oklahoma (F, 6-9, 238, Sr., Wichita, Kan.)
JamesOn Curry, Oklahoma State (G, 6-3, 190, So., Pleasant Grove, N.C.)
Daniel Gibson, Texas (G, 6-2, 190, So., Houston, Texas)
P.J. Tucker, Texas (F, 6-5, 225, Jr., Raleigh, N.C.)

HONORABLE MENTION: Aaron Bruce (Baylor), Kevin Bookout (Oklahoma), Terrell Everett (Oklahoma), LaMarcus Aldridge (Texas), Brad Buckman (Texas), Joseph Jones (Texas A&M), Jarrius Jackson (Texas Tech), Martin Zeno (Texas Tech)

PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Taj Gray, Oklahoma (F, 6-9, 238, Sr., Wichita, Kan.)

PRESEASON NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR: Michael Neal, Oklahoma (G, 6-3, 191, Jr., Mesquite, Texas); Mario Boggan, Oklahoma State (F, 6-7, 235, Jr., Durham, N.C.)

PRESEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Julian Wright, Kansas (F, 6-8, 218, Chicago Heights, Ill.)

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Gray Named Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors