MANHATTAN, Kan. – Four Kansas State men’s basketball players were selected to Academic All-Big 12 Team on Thursday, including two on the First Team, as the league office announced its 34-member all-academic teams.
Junior Pierson McAtee and sophomore Mike McGuirl were named to the league’s 20-member first team, which consists of those student-athletes who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA. Senior Barry Brown, Jr., and junior Xavier Sneed were selected to the 14-member second team, which honors those with a GPA of 3.0 to 3.19.
Both McAtee and Sneed repeated their academic accolades from a year ago, while Brown and McGuirl received the honor for the first time in their respective careers. McAtee was a first-team selection for the second time, while Sneed is now a two-time second-team honoree. Both Sneed (2017) and Sneed (2018) were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team as true freshmen.
The four Academic All-Big 12 selections tie for the second-most in school history and the most since having five honorees in 2017. It marks the third straight season with at least four selections to the Academic All-Big 12 team.
In head coach Bruce Weber’s tenure at K-State, he has now seen 15 student-athletes earn Academic All-Big 12 honors a total of 20 times. The individual honors continue another solid academic year for the Wildcats, as all four selections were among five players named to the Fall 2018 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the academic all-league men’s basketball team consisted of 19 first team members combined with 13 on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team members are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his team’s scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.