The accolades for Memphis basketball star PJ Haggerty continue to pile up.
The 17th-ranked Tigers’ sophomore guard earned second-team All-America honors by The Sporting News Wednesday. The news comes approximately 24 hours after Haggerty was announced as the AAC Player of the Year.
Haggerty, who was the AAC Freshman of the Year at Tulsa last season and a first-team All-AAC selection this season, is averaging 21.2 points, tops in the league and tied for fifth in the nation; 5.5 rebounds (21st); 3.8 assists (tied for eighth); and 1.8 steals per game (tied for second).
The Sporting News is one of four organizations taken into account by the NCAA for its consensus All-America designation. The others − which have not yet released their All-America teams − are the Associated Press, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
The Tigers have not had a consensus All-American since Chris Douglas-Roberts in 2008. Memphis’ other consensus All-Americans are Larry Finch (1973), Keith Lee (1983-85), Penny Hardaway (1993), Lorenzen Wright (1996) and Rodney Carney (2006).
The Sporting News’ first-team All-Americans are Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Auburn’s Johni Broome, Purdue’s Braden Smith, Alabama’s Mark Sears and Florida’s Walter Clayton. Joining Haggerty on The Sporting News’ second team are Marquette’s Kam Jones (a Memphis native who prepped at ECS), Villanova’s Eric Dixon, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin and Wisconsin’s John Tonje.
Third-team honorees are Creighton’s Ryan Kalbrenner, Houston’s LJ Cryer, St. John’s RJ Luis, Tennessee’s Zakai Ziegler and Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier.
Haggerty has also been recognized as a first-team All-American by NCAA digital reporter Andy Katz and a third-team All-American by College Sports Today and The Field of 68’s John Fanta.
“I would say it’s a blessing, just being in the position I am – it wouldn’t be (possible) without my team, coaches and all the hard work I put in,” Haggerty said Tuesday. “I would just say a blessing from God.”
Haggerty is also among five finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. He’s also one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award, which goes to the top player in college basketball.
The Tigers (26-5), who won the league regular-season championship, are set to face the Wichita State-South Florida winner in the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament Friday (noon CT, ESPN2) at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at [email protected], follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
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