ORLANDO, Fla. – SMU redshirt senior Nic Moore was named the American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, the league announced on Thursday. Memphis freshman Dedric Lawson took home American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors while Temple head coach Fran Dunphy received Coach of the Year accolades for the second straight season.
The awards were voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
Moore, the American Preseason Player of the Year, was second in the conference in scoring at 16.1 points per game while ranking first in assists with 5.2 per contest. The guard was a unanimous all-conference first team selection and helped lead the Mustangs to a 25-5 mark this season. He was a Top 10 finalist for the Bob Cousy award and received All-District honors by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
Lawson, the unanimous choice for American Rookie of the Year, has established himself as one of Memphis’ most consistent offensive and defensive weapons. He leads Memphis in scoring (15.4) and rebounding (9.2) and has a conference-high 15 double-doubles. Lawson set the American record with six Rookie of the Week selections this year. He is one of five Tigers averaging double figures in conference play.
Dunphy led Temple to a 20-10 overall record and a 14-4 mark in American Athletic Conference play this season. The 20-win campaign marked the 36th 20-win season for the Owls. It was the eighth 20-win campaign of Dunphy's 10-year tenure at Temple. The Owls are the No. 1 seed in the upcoming American Athletic Conference Championship and won the league's regular-season title for the first time in three seasons in The American. Temple was picked to finish sixth in the American preseason poll earlier this season.
Player of the Year
Nic Moore, G, SMU
Rookie of the Year
*Dedric Lawson, F, Memphis
Coach of the Year
Fran Dunphy, Temple
(*) denotes unanimous selection