For the second year in a row, Creighton men’s basketball has an All-American.
Ryan Kalkbrenner earned third-team honors from the Associated Press on Tuesday. He was an honorable mention pick for the AP the previous two seasons. Baylor Scheierman was also a third-team All-American last year.
Kalkbrenner led Creighton to a 24-10 record and a second-place finish in both the regular season and tournament in the Big East. The 7-foot-1 center from Florissant, Missouri, averaged 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks while shooting 65.5% from the field. He led the Big East in rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage, effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage, win shares, box plus/minus and offensive rating.
Kalkbrenner recorded 10 double-doubles including six with 20-plus points. He topped 30 points three times with a high of 49. He blocked three or more shots 16 times with a high of six.
Kalkbrenner was a unanimous first-team All-Big East selection and earned his fourth Big East Defensive Player of the Year award, tying Patrick Ewing for the most all time.
“His career has been incredible,’ Coach Greg McDermott said after the Big East revealed its awards. “What the numbers that are on a piece of paper and what he’s accomplished pale in comparison to what he’s meant to the program outside the numbers. He’s ushered us through one of the best eras in Creighton basketball history, and it was built around him. It’s been a heck of a ride for me to be part of it and watch him grow on a daily basis, and nice to see that the other coaches around the league feel about him the way that I do.”
Kalkbrenner ranks second in Creighton history in blocked shots (395), points (2,411), rebounds (1,133) and field goal percentage (.659). He is the fifth Bluejay to earn a spot on one of the All-America teams, joining Scheierman, Doug McDermott (first-team in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14), Kyle Korver (second-team in 2002-03) and Paul Silas (third-team in 1963-64).
Kalkbrenner is also a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award honoring the nation’s best center and a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. He’s also among the 10 finalists for the Naismith Trophy and is on the 15-player ballot for the Wooden Award.
Kalkbrenner led a group of Bluejays who earned postseason conference honors as Steven Ashworth was a second-team All-Big East selection and Jackson McAndrew was on the Big East All-Freshman team. Ashworth led the Big East in assists (6.8 per game), 3-pointers (103) and free-throw percentage (92.6%) while averaging 16.3 points and shooting 36.9% from deep. McAndrew started 29 games, averaging 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 37.3% from 3 in conference playing, connecting on at least one triple in every league game but one.
No. 9 seed Creighton will begin NCAA Tournament play in the first game of the day on Thursday with tipoff against 9-seed Louisville set for 11:15 a.m. CT. on CBS.
Full AP All-America Teams
First Team
- Cooper Flagg, Duke, 6-9, 205, Freshman; Newport, Maine; 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists (61 of 61 first-place votes, 305 points)
- Johni Broome, Auburn, 6-10, 235, Fifth year; Plant City, Florida; 18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists (61, 305)
- Braden Smith, Purdue, 6-0, 180, Junior; Westfield, Indiana; 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.7 assists (44, 268)
- Mark Sears, Alabama, 6-1, 185, Fifth year; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; 18.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists (42, 256)
- Walter Clayton Jr., Florida, 6-2, 195, Senior; Lake Wales, Florida; 17.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists (36, 244)
Second Team
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech, 6-9, 210, Sophomore; Dallas, Texas; 18.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists (14, 185)
- Kam Jones, Marquette, 6-4, 185, Senior; Cordova, Tennessee; 19.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists (8, 160)
- John Tonje, Wisconsin, 6-5, 222, Sixth Year; Omaha, Nebraska; 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists (7, 127)
- PJ Haggerty, Memphis, 6-3, 192, Sophomore; Crosby, Texas; 21.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists (7, 118)
- RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s, 6-7, 196, Junior; Miami, Florida; 18.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists (6, 118)
Third Team
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, 7-1, 270, Fifth Year; St. Louis, Missouri; 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists (3, 117)
- Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee, 5-9, 160, Senior; Long Island, New York; 13.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.3 assists (5, 103)
- Eric Dixon, Villanova, 6-8, 260, Fifth Year; Willow Grove, Pennsylvania; 23.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists (3, 86)
- LJ Cryer, Houston, 6-1, 185, Fifth Year; Katy, Texas; 15.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists (4, 65)
- Hunter Dickinson, Kansas, 7-2, 255, Fifth Year; Alexandria, Virginia; 17.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists (2, 51)
Honorable Mention (alphabetical order, next 10 vote totals and ties): Nique Clifford, Colorado State; Donovan Dent, New Mexico; Dylan Harper, Rutgers; Chucky Hepburn, Louisville; Tre Johnson, Texas; Curtis Jones, Iowa State; Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue; Chaz Lanier, Tennessee; Derik Queen, Maryland; Maxime Reynaud, Stanford; Javon Small, West Virginia; Bennett Stirtz, Drake.
