OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Kansas center Udoka Azubuike has been named a 2019-20 Senior CLASS Award® All-American, the Senior CLASS Award announced Tuesday.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Joining Azubuike on the 2019-20 Senior CLASS All-American first team were Markus Howard (Marquette), Sam Merrill (Utah State), Myles Powell (Seton Hall) and Cassius Winston (Michigan State). Howard was named the 2019-20 Senior CLASS Award recipient.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
From Delta, Nigeria, Azubuike is a liberal arts and sciences major who will graduate from Kansas in May 2020. A three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection who overcame season-ending injuries his freshman and junior years, in 2019-20 Azubuike led Division I in field goal percentage at 74.8%, which helped his career percentage of 74.4% break the all-time Division I field goal percentage record of UCF’s Tacko Fall (74.0%). Azubuike led the Big 12 in rebounding (10.5 rpg) and double-doubles (15) and was second in the conference for blocked shots at 2.6 per game this season.
Azubuike was a unanimous 2020 All-Big 12 First Team selection who was named 2020 Big 12 Player of the Year. He was the only player in the conference to average a double-double (13.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg).
Kansas finished the season 28-3 and won its 19th Big 12 and NCAA record 62nd conference regular-season title winning an all-time high 17 league games going 17-1. The Jayhawks finished 2019-20 ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches’ polls.
Historically, Kansas’ Wayne Simien was the 2005 Senior CLASS Award recipient. Previous Kansas Senior CLASS Award All-Americans include Frank Mason III (2017), Perry Ellis (2016, second team), Tyrel Reed (2011), Nick Collison (2003) and Kirk Hinrich (2003). The award started in 2001 and its All-American teams began in 2003.
Udoka Azubuike career honors
2019-20: Senior CLASS Award All-American; NABC Defensive Player of the Year; Consensus All-America Second Team; NABC All-America First Team; USBWA All-America First Team; Associated Press All-America Second Team; Naismith Trophy Finalist (1 of 5); ESPN.com All-America First Team; CBSSports.com All-America First Team; Bleacher Report All-America Second Team; Led the nation in field goal percentage (74.8%); Big 12 Player of the Year (B12, AP); All-Big 12 First Team (B12, AP); Big 12 All-Defensive Team; Sporting News All-America Second Team; USBWA All-District VI; Bleacher Report All-America Second Team; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Finalist (1 of 5); Wooden Award Ballot (1 of 15); Academic All-Big 12 First Team; 3x Big 12 Player of the Week (1/27, 2/10, 2/24); Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List (1 of 12); Maui Invitational Co-MVP & All-Tournament Team; NABC Player of the Year Watch List (1 of 20); Preseason All-Big 12; Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year
Academic All-Big 12 First Team [2018-19]; Preseason All-Big 12 HM [2018-19]; All-Big 12 Third Team [2017-18]; Academic All-Big 12 Second Team [2017-18]; Led the nation in field goal percentage (77.0%) [2017-18].
