University of Memphis Athletics
Nolley II, Cisse, Ellis named tops in American Athletic Conference
Mar 10, 2021 | Men's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A trio of Memphis Tigers have earned American Athletic Conference end-of-season awards, the league announced Wednesday.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Landers Nolley II has been named to the All-AAC First Team, freshman center Moussa Cisse is the conference's Freshman of the Year and on the All-Freshman Team, and sophomore guard Boogie Ellis was named the Sixth Man of the Year.
Nolley II led the Tigers in scoring in the regular season at 13.1 points per game, and he is the Tigers' top free throw shooter at 85.4 percent (41-48). He is also connecting from 3-point range at 37.9 percent (50-132), with the 50 3-pointers being the most on the team.
Nolley II is 11th in the AAC in scoring, tied for 10th in 3-point percentage and is seventh in 3-pointers made. He is just shy of qualifying for the conference's free throw leaderboard, where his percentage would rank fourth.
Entering the season, the Fairburn, Ga., native was on the All-AAC Second Team and the John R. Wooden Award Watch List for the nation's most outstanding player. Last season as a freshman at Virginia Tech, Nolley II was on the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team and made All-ACC Honorable Mention.
Cisse is the second-straight Tiger to earn AAC Freshman of the Year, joining Precious Achiuwa in 2020. Achiuwa and Lester Quinones were also both on the All-Freshman Team a season ago. In his debut campaign in 2020-21, Cisse averaged 7.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in the regular season, and he also contributed 1.9 blocks per game.
He is the AAC's leading shot blocker, and he is tied for sixth in rebounding and is fourth in offensive rebounds per game (2.4). He also ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (.548). In the preseason, Cisse was named the league's Rookie of the Year and was on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List for best center in the nation.
Cisse is 0.1 rebound per game shy of being the fifth Tiger freshman since 1992-93 to average at least 7.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in their first season.
Ellis has been a steady presence for the Tigers, starting nine games but playing in all 22 in the regular season. He is tied for third on the team at 9.3 points per game, and he is tops on the team and tied for eighth in the conference with a 38.0 percent mark from 3-point range (38-100).
Down the stretch in the regular season Ellis was a force for the Tigers, as he led the team in scoring in three of Memphis' last four games and made 13 3-pointers in those four contests.
After securing the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye, the Tigers (15-7, 11-4 AAC) begin play in the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship in the quarterfinals Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Tigers will play at 9 p.m. on ESPNU against the winner of the game between sixth-seeded UCF and 11th-seeded East Carolina.
Memphis' third-place finish in the AAC is its best since finishing third in the conference in 2013-14.
The Tigers enter tournament play having won six of their last seven games and nine-of-11 overall.
2021 American Athletic Conference End-of-Season Awards
All-Conference First Team
Jayden Gardner, Jr., F, East Carolina
Quentin Grimes, Jr., G, Houston*
Landers Nolley II, So., G, Memphis
Kendric Davis, Jr., G, SMU*
Tyson Etienne, So., G, Wichita State*
All-Conference Second Team
Keith Williams, Sr., G, Cincinnati
DeJon Jarreau, Sr., G, Houston
Justin Gorham, Sr., F, Houston
Marcus Sasser, So., G, Houston
Brandon Rachal, Sr., F, Tulsa
All-Conference Third Team
Brandon Mahan, Sr., G, UCF
Darius Perry, Sr., G, UCF
Feron Hunt, Sr., G, SMU
Khalif Battle, So., G, Temple
Jaylen Forbes, So., G, Tulane
Alterique Gilbert, R-Sr., G, Wichita State
All-Freshman Team
Isaiah Adams, G, UCF
Tari Eason, F, Cincinnati
Moussa Cisse, C, Memphis
Caleb Murphy, G, USF
Damian Dunn, G, Temple
Ricky Council IV, G, Wichita State
Coach of the Year
Isaac Brown, Wichita State*
Player of the Year
Quentin Grimes, Jr., G, Houston
Tyson Etienne, So., G, Wichita State
Defensive Player of the Year
DeJon Jarreau, Sr., G, Houston
Freshman of the Year
Moussa Cisse, C, Memphis
Most Improved Player
Justin Gorham, Sr., F, Houston
Sixth Man of the Year
Boogie Ellis, So., G, Memphis
Darien Jackson, Sr., G, Tulsa
Sportsmanship Award
J.P. Moorman II, Sr., F, Temple
* denotes unanimous selections
Redshirt-sophomore guard Landers Nolley II has been named to the All-AAC First Team, freshman center Moussa Cisse is the conference's Freshman of the Year and on the All-Freshman Team, and sophomore guard Boogie Ellis was named the Sixth Man of the Year.
Nolley II led the Tigers in scoring in the regular season at 13.1 points per game, and he is the Tigers' top free throw shooter at 85.4 percent (41-48). He is also connecting from 3-point range at 37.9 percent (50-132), with the 50 3-pointers being the most on the team.
Nolley II is 11th in the AAC in scoring, tied for 10th in 3-point percentage and is seventh in 3-pointers made. He is just shy of qualifying for the conference's free throw leaderboard, where his percentage would rank fourth.
Entering the season, the Fairburn, Ga., native was on the All-AAC Second Team and the John R. Wooden Award Watch List for the nation's most outstanding player. Last season as a freshman at Virginia Tech, Nolley II was on the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team and made All-ACC Honorable Mention.
Cisse is the second-straight Tiger to earn AAC Freshman of the Year, joining Precious Achiuwa in 2020. Achiuwa and Lester Quinones were also both on the All-Freshman Team a season ago. In his debut campaign in 2020-21, Cisse averaged 7.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in the regular season, and he also contributed 1.9 blocks per game.
He is the AAC's leading shot blocker, and he is tied for sixth in rebounding and is fourth in offensive rebounds per game (2.4). He also ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (.548). In the preseason, Cisse was named the league's Rookie of the Year and was on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List for best center in the nation.
Cisse is 0.1 rebound per game shy of being the fifth Tiger freshman since 1992-93 to average at least 7.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in their first season.
Ellis has been a steady presence for the Tigers, starting nine games but playing in all 22 in the regular season. He is tied for third on the team at 9.3 points per game, and he is tops on the team and tied for eighth in the conference with a 38.0 percent mark from 3-point range (38-100).
Down the stretch in the regular season Ellis was a force for the Tigers, as he led the team in scoring in three of Memphis' last four games and made 13 3-pointers in those four contests.
After securing the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye, the Tigers (15-7, 11-4 AAC) begin play in the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship in the quarterfinals Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. The Tigers will play at 9 p.m. on ESPNU against the winner of the game between sixth-seeded UCF and 11th-seeded East Carolina.
Memphis' third-place finish in the AAC is its best since finishing third in the conference in 2013-14.
The Tigers enter tournament play having won six of their last seven games and nine-of-11 overall.
2021 American Athletic Conference End-of-Season Awards
All-Conference First Team
Jayden Gardner, Jr., F, East Carolina
Quentin Grimes, Jr., G, Houston*
Landers Nolley II, So., G, Memphis
Kendric Davis, Jr., G, SMU*
Tyson Etienne, So., G, Wichita State*
All-Conference Second Team
Keith Williams, Sr., G, Cincinnati
DeJon Jarreau, Sr., G, Houston
Justin Gorham, Sr., F, Houston
Marcus Sasser, So., G, Houston
Brandon Rachal, Sr., F, Tulsa
All-Conference Third Team
Brandon Mahan, Sr., G, UCF
Darius Perry, Sr., G, UCF
Feron Hunt, Sr., G, SMU
Khalif Battle, So., G, Temple
Jaylen Forbes, So., G, Tulane
Alterique Gilbert, R-Sr., G, Wichita State
All-Freshman Team
Isaiah Adams, G, UCF
Tari Eason, F, Cincinnati
Moussa Cisse, C, Memphis
Caleb Murphy, G, USF
Damian Dunn, G, Temple
Ricky Council IV, G, Wichita State
Coach of the Year
Isaac Brown, Wichita State*
Player of the Year
Quentin Grimes, Jr., G, Houston
Tyson Etienne, So., G, Wichita State
Defensive Player of the Year
DeJon Jarreau, Sr., G, Houston
Freshman of the Year
Moussa Cisse, C, Memphis
Most Improved Player
Justin Gorham, Sr., F, Houston
Sixth Man of the Year
Boogie Ellis, So., G, Memphis
Darien Jackson, Sr., G, Tulsa
Sportsmanship Award
J.P. Moorman II, Sr., F, Temple
* denotes unanimous selections
Players Mentioned
F
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