March 25, 2008

Freshman Michael Beasley has become the first player in Kansas State history to earn National Player of the Year accolades after being selected for the honor by CBS Sports.com and Rivals.com. He was also named the National Freshman of the Year by CBS Sports.com and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

A finalist for the Naismith Award, Beasley finished with 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game this season. The combined mark (38.6) set a Big 12 record, eclipsing the standard set by Kevin Durant of Texas (36.9) a year ago. Beasley was the second consecutive freshman to earn Big 12 Player of the Year honors after Durant did so in 2006-07.

A consensus All-America First Team choice by various outlets so far this spring, Beasley holds 27 Kansas State career, single-season and freshman records as well as 13 Big 12 single-game and single-season marks. He set a NCAA freshman record for double-doubles with 28 and is one of just 10 players in college basketball history to record that many in one year.

He is the fourth player in school history to be honored as his league's Player of the Year and the first since the inception of the Big 12, joining Lon Kruger (1973, 1974), Mike Evans (1977, 1978) and Rolando Blackman (1980). He is also the first player to earn the distinction of league Freshman of the Year and the 12th overall to be selected as either Freshman or Newcomer of the Year since 1970.

Beasley is the fifth player in the 12-year history of the Big 12 to earn a major National Player of the Year accolade.