INDIANAPOLIS – Cowboy guard Cade Cunningham became the first Oklahoma State player to ever earn First Team All-America honors from the Associated Press, the organization announced Tuesday.
Cunningham, the Sporting News National Freshman of the Year, became just the fourth player in Big 12 history to sweep the Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards, joining Cowboy legend Marcus Smart (2012-13), Kansas State's Michael Beasley (2007-08) and Texas' Kevin Durant (2006-07).
He led the Big 12 in scoring at 20.2 points per game, and is on the national ballot for the John R. Wooden Award, a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy and is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Cunningham is a nine-time recipient of the Big 12 Player and/or Newcomer of the Week honor, which is the most by any player this year and the most in school history.
The Arlington, Texas native is the 12th Cowboy to earn a spot on one of the three AP All-America teams, and the first since Marcus Smart was named to the second team in 2013. In all, Cunningham is the 22nd player to earn All-America honors for OSU.
Only two other power conference players over the last 20 seasons can match Cunningham’s all-around stat line of 20.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game - and none of those players can match Cunningham's 3-point clip of 41.2 percent. Despite the COVID-19 shortened season, Cunningham is just the third OSU freshman to ever score 500 points in a season, and needs just 16 points to become the highest scoring freshman in program history.
Cunningham and the Cowboys earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 13 Liberty on Friday at Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis. Tipoff is slated for 5:25 p.m. CT on TBS and the Cowboy Radio Network.
Oklahoma State Associated Press All-Americans
1948 - A.L. Bennett (3rd)
1949 - Bob Harris (2nd)
1951 - Gale McArthur (2nd)
1954 - Bob Mattick (3rd)
1990 - Byron Houston (HM)
1991 - Byron Houston (HM)
1992 - Byron Houston (2nd)
1994 - Bryant Reeves (3rd)
1995 - Bryant Reeves (3rd)
2000 - Desmond Mason (HM)
2000 - Joe Adkins (HM)
2004 - John Lucas (3rd)
2004 - Tony Allen (HM)
2005 - Joey Graham (3rd)
2010 - James Anderson (2nd)
2013 - Marcus Smart (2nd)
2014 - Marcus Smart (HM)
2017 - Jawun Evans (HM)
2021 – Cade Cunningham (1st)
