Jayden Quaintance only Arizona State player to earn All-Big 12 basketball honors
It was a rough first season in the Big 12 for the Arizona State men's basketball team.
The Sun Devils finished second-to-last in the conference at 4-16 and lost 11 of their last 12 games. So it wasn't surprising to see Arizona State almost shut out of the All-Big 12 awards that were released on Monday.
The one bright spot? Freshman Jayden Quaintance — the youngest player in college basketball. Quaintance, who won't turn 18 until July, was named to the All-Defensive team and All-Newcomer team.
A five-star recruit, Quaintance stands 6-foot-9, but he boasts a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He had eight games with four or more blocked shots this season, including back-to-back Big 12 games with five blocks (vs. UCF and Cincinnati).
Quaintance, who hasn't played since Feb. 23 because of a knee injury, averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals. He's a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Here are the 2025 Big 12 men's basketball awards:
All-Big 12 First Team
- Caleb Love, Arizona
- Norchad Omier, Baylor
- Richie Saunders, BYU
- LJ Cryer, Houston
- J’Wan Roberts, Houston
- Curtis Jones, Iowa State
- Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
- Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
- Javon Small, West Virginia
All-Big 12 Second Team
- VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
- Keyshawn Hall, UCF
- Milos Uzan, Houston
- Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
- Chance McMillian, Texas Tech
All-Big 12 Third Team
- Joseph Tugler, Houston
- Zeke Mayo, Kansas
- Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
- Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
- Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Honorable Mention: Arizona: Tobe Awaka, Henri Veesaar; Baylor: Robert Wright; BYU: Egor Demin; UCF: Darius Johnson; Cincinnati: Jizzle James; Colorado: Julian Hammond III; Houston: Emanuel Sharp; Kansas: Dajuan Harris Jr.; Kansas State: David N’Guessan; Oklahoma State: Bryce Thompson; TCU: Noah Reynolds, Ernest Udeh Jr.; Utah: Gabe Madsen
All-Defensive Team
- Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
- J’Wan Roberts, Houston
- Joseph Tugler, Houston
- Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
- Sencire Harris, West Virginia
All-Freshman Team
- Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
- VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
- Robert Wright, Baylor
- Egor Demin, BYU
- Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
All-Newcomer Team
- Norchad Omier, Baylor
- Keyshawn Hall, UCF
- Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
- Zeke Mayo, Kansas
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
-66e6aeb5014b4c4eeac84ca997f034c9.jpg "Ben Sherman")
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.