Duren, Williams, Minott Earn AAC End-of-Season Honors

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A trio of Memphis Tigers, Jalen Duren, DeAndre Williams and Josh Minott, have picked up end-of-season honors from the American Athletic Conference.

Duren was named the unanimous AAC Freshman of the Year, picked up All-AAC First Team honors and was unanimously voted to the AAC All-Freshman Team. Williams secured a spot on the All-AAC Second Team, and Minott joined Duren on the AAC All-Freshman Team.

Duren is the third-straight Tiger to be named the conference's Freshman of the Year, joining Precious Achiuwa (2020) and Moussa Cisse (2021). Duren led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding this regular season at 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and he is the AAC's leading rebounder and shot blocker (2.2). He ranks 30th in the nation in blocked shots per game. On the season, Duren has recorded six double-doubles and been named the AAC Freshman of the Week six times.

Williams is on the all-conference second team at the end of the year after being picked to the squad in the preseason. He ranks second on the Tigers in scoring and rebounding, just behind Duren at 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per outing. The Houston, Texas, native is also shooting 57.5 percent from the field and 70.3 percent from the free throw line on the year, and he has logged seven games with three steals and six games with three or more assists.

Minott has excelled in his debut season in relatively limited minutes, contributing 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 15.8 minutes per outing, and he is one of just three Tigers to appear in all 28 games this year. The Boca Raton, Fla., native is the only freshman in the nation with at least 25 assists, 25 steals and 20 blocked shots while playing fewer than 16.0 minutes per game this year. In fact, he is the only freshman in the nation since 2010-11 to boast that line. Minott has been named AAC Freshman of the Week twice and was on the weekly Honor Roll two other times.

The Tigers (19-9, 13-5 AAC) are seeded third in the 2022 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship and will take the court at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

By virtue of earning a first-round bye, the Tigers will start in the quarterfinals against the winner of Thursday's first-round matchup between sixth-seeded UCF and 11th-seeded South Florida. With a win Friday, the Tigers would play in the semifinals Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2, and the championship game is Sunday at 2:15 p.m. on ESPN.

Tickets to the AAC Tournament are available online at www.GoTigersGoTix.com or by phone at (901) 678-2331.

2021-22 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Honors
Player of the Year
Kendric Davis, Sr., G, SMU

Coach of the Year
Kelvin Sampson, Houston

Defensive Player of the Year
Dexter Dennis, Jr., G, Wichita State

Freshman of the Year
Jalen Duren, C, Memphis*

Sixth Man of the Year
Ricky Council IV, Fr., G, Wichita State

Most Improved Player of the Year
Kevin Cross, So., F, Tulane

Sportsmanship Award
Darien Jackson, Sr., G, Tulsa

All-Conference First Team
Josh Carlton, Gr., F, Houston
Fabian White Jr, Gr., F, Houston
Jalen Duren, Fr., C, Memphis
Kendric Davis, Sr., G, SMU*
Jalen Cook, Fr., G, Tulane

All-Conference Second Team
Tristen Newton, So., G, East Carolina
Kyler Edwards, Sr., G, Houston
DeAndre Williams, Sr., F, Memphis
Marcus Weathers, Sr., F, SMU
Damian Dunn, So., G, Temple
Jaylen Forbes, So., G, Tulane

All-Conference Third Team
Darin Green Jr, Jr., G, UCF
David DeJulius, Sr., G, Cincinnati
Jamal Shead, So., G, Houston
Kevin Cross, So., F, Tulane
Tyson Etienne, So., G, Wichita State

All-Freshman Team
Darius Johnson, G, UCF
Jalen Duren, C, Memphis *
Josh Minott, F, Memphis
Zach Hicks, G, Temple
Jahlil White, G, Temple

* 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

Duren, Williams, Minott Earn AAC End-of-Season Honors

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Players Mentioned

Precious Achiuwa

Moussa Cisse

Jalen Duren

Josh Minott

DeAndre Williams

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