NABC names KU’s Azubuike, Dotson to All-American teams

By Matt Tait     Mar 24, 2020

Nick Krug
Kansas center Udoka Azubuike (35) delivers a dunk after a lob from Kansas guard Devon Dotson (1) during the first half on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Tuesday morning brought yet another set of honors for Kansas basketball standouts Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson, who both were recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for their strong 2019-20 seasons.

Azubuike on Tuesday was named an NABC first team All-American after averaging 13.7 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Jayhawks this season and leading the Big 12 with 15 double-doubles.

The senior center from Nigeria was named Big 12 Player of the Year by both the coaches and the media and has been on several first- and second-team All-American squads from other organizations, as well.

He remains a Naismith Trophy national player of the year finalist.

Dotson, meanwhile, earned a spot on the NABC’s second team after leading the Big 12 in scoring with an average of 18.1 points per game this season.

Dotson, a sophomore from Charlotte, was among the Big 12 leaders in several statistical categories, including steals, free throws made and minutes played, and he also spent time on several national player of the year watch lists and semifinalist lists throughout the season.

Azubuike was joined on the first team by Iowa’s Luka Garza, Dayton’s Obi Toppin, Marquette’s Markus Howard and Oregon’s Payton Pritchard.

The second team was made up of Dotson, San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn, Gonzaga’s Filip Petrusev, Seton Hall’s Myles Powell and Michigan State’s Cassius Winston.

The NABC third team included Baylor’s Jared Butler, Duke’s Vernon Carey Jr., and Tre Jones, Louisville’s Jordan Nwora and Maryland’s Jalen Smith.

Located in Kansas City, Mo., the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas.

Allen, a student of James Naismith, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game.

The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches.

According to its website, the mission of the NABC is for its members to share and uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game — advocacy, leadership, service and education — by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.