Jayden Quaintance only Arizona State player to earn All-Big 12 basketball honors

The Sun Devils did not even land a player on the honorable mention list
Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jayden Quaintance (21).
Arizona State Sun Devils forward Jayden Quaintance (21). | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

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

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Published
Ben Sherman
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.

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