Davis, Williams Named AAC Preseason First Team, Tigers Tabbed Second In Coaches Poll

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A pair of Memphis Tigers earned First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors and the league's head coaches tabbed the Tigers to finish second, when the conference office announced its Preseason awards Wednesday morning at the annual Media Day.

In the preseason coaches poll, the Tigers picked up one first-place vote and had 87 total points, trailing only defending AAC champion and 2022 Elite Eight participant Houston's 10 first-place nods and 100 total points.

Reigning AAC Player of the Year Kendric Davis and senior DeAndre Williams both earned first team recognition, making Memphis the only program with a duo on the top team.

Davis, regarded by most national pundits as the top transfer in the country, joined coach Penny Hardaway's squad in May after spending the last three seasons at SMU.

The 6-foot point guard is coming off back-to-back All-AAC First Team honors and a Player of the Year campaign in 2021-22 after averaging 19.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Mustangs. He led the league in scoring, finished second in free throw percentage (86.8%), third in assists and minutes per game (34.8) and ranked fourth in field goal percentage (43.9%). In 32 games played, he scored 20-plus points in 15 and eclipsed 30 points twice.

The Houston, Texas native was also a NABC All-District First Team selection last season, while being named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team for the best player in the country and was tabbed the National Player of the Week on Jan. 3.

Williams earned his nod on the preseason award list after being named to the All-AAC Second Team in 2021-22, despite playing in just 26 games.

The 6-foot-9 forward was a key cog in the Tigers' run to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, finishing second on the squad at 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. His 56.4 field goal percentage and 114 made shots were the second-best marks on the team.

The Houston, Texas product reached double figures 16 times and recorded a pair of double-doubles. He also logged seven games with three steals and eight games with three or more assists.

The first chance to see the 2022-23 Tigers in action comes Oct. 23 when they take on Christian Brothers University at 4 p.m. in exhibition play at the FedEx Forum. Tickets start at just $5.

Season tickets for all 15 home games are available at GoTigersGo.com, with a mobile pass allowing fans to experience a different seating location for each game starting at $99.

2022-23 American Athletic Conference Preseason Honors
Coaches Poll (first-place votes in parenthesis)

1.	Houston (10)	100
2.	*Memphis (1)*	87
3.	Cincinnati	82
4.	Tulane	74
5.	Temple	66
6.	UCF	51
7.	SMU	43
8.	Wichita State	35
9.	South Florida	33
10.	Tulsa	21
11.	East Carolina	13

Preseason Player of the Year
Marcus Sasser, Houston

Preseason Rookie of the Year
Jarace Walker, Houston*

Preseason All-Conference First Team
Marcus Sasser, Sr., G, Houston*
Kendric Davis, Sr., G, Memphis*
DeAndre Williams, Sr. F, Memphis
Damian Dunn, R-So., G, Temple
Jalen Cook, So., G, Tulane*

Preseason All-Conference Second Team
David DeJulius, Gr., G, Cincinnati
Jamal Shead, Jr., G, Houston
Khalif Battle, R-So., G, Temple
Kevin Cross, Jr., F, Tulane
Jaylen Forbes, Jr., G, Tulane

* denotes unanimous selection

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

University of Memphis Athletics

Davis, Williams Named AAC Preseason First Team, Tigers Tabbed Second In Coaches Poll

Related News

Players Mentioned

Kendric Davis

DeAndre Williams

Related Videos