Monk Named USBWA Second Team All-American

The Kentucky freshman guard from Lepanto, Arkansas, made his second NCAA-recognized All-America Team on Monday when he landed on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-America Second Team.

The USBWA is one of four “major” NCAA-recognized organizations that the NCAA uses for its consensus All-America teams. The other three are the Associated Press, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Sporting News. 

Last week Monk made the Sporting News All-America Second Team.

Monk was joined on the All-America Second Team by PLAYERS GO HERE.

It’s the third straight season a Wildcat has made the USBWA All-America teams. Willie Cauley-Stein made the first team in 2015 and Tyler Ulis landed on the second team last season. 

Monk is racking up postseason honors by the day. The major honors he’s won so far include:

·         SEC Player of the Year (AP)

·         SEC Newcomer of the Year (AP)

·         SEC Freshman of the Year (Coaches)

·         All-SEC First Team (AP/Coaches)

·         All-SEC Freshman Team (Coaches)

·         USBWA All-America Second Team

·         Sporting News All-America Second Team

·         Sporting News Freshman All-America Team

·         USA Today All-America Second Team

·         NBC Sports All-America Second Team

·         USBWA District IV Player of the Year

·         USBWA All-District IV Team

·         Jerry West Award Finalist

·         Wooden Award Finalist

About Monk: Monk electrified crowds with his prolific scoring outbursts and high-flying violent dunks throughout the season. He’s currently averaging 20.4 points per game and is seeking to become just the fourth freshman in the history of the SEC to win the scoring title. He trails South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell by 0.6 points per game. 

Monk is ranked among the top 20 nationally in scoring and second among all freshmen. No John Calipari-coached player has ever averaged more than 21.2 points for an entire season (Dajuan Wagner at Memphis in 2002). He’s scored in double figures in all but two games this season and has 18 games of 20 points or more, including a Kentucky freshman record 47 points vs. North Carolina in December.

The freshman from Lepanto, Arkansas, is the only freshman in program history with four 30-point games, and six times this season he has scored at least 20 points in a half.

Monk is averaging 2.79 made 3-pointers per game. If he maintains that average, and UK plays a full 40-game schedule, he would finish the season with 112 3-pointers. That total would be just behind Jodie Meeks' school record of 117 and the NCAA freshman record of 122 held by Stephen Curry.