Coaches select OU's Gray preseason player of the year

DALLAS -- Oklahoma forward Taj Gray was named the Big 12 preseason player of the year Monday in voting by the conference's coaches.

Gray, a 6-foot-9 senior, averaged 14.6 points and 8.2 rebounds last season to lead the Sooners to a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with Kansas. The junior college transfer was the league's newcomer of the year last season.

Gray's 271 rebounds and 117 offensive rebounds last season are the most among returning Big 12 players.

Coaches also selected Iowa State guard Curtis Stinson, Oklahoma State guard JamesOn Curry, Texas guard Daniel Gibson and Texas forward P.J. Tucker to their all-Big 12 team.

Stinson, a 6-foot-3 senior, averaged 17.2 points to lead the Cyclones and finished second in the Big 12 last season with 2.32 steals per game.

As a freshman, Curry averaged 9.4 points and started 15 games for Oklahoma State. During the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, he averaged 13.2 points.

Gibson, a 6-foot-5 guard who was the Big 12 freshman of the year last season, averaged 14.2 points last season. Tucker, a 6-foot-5 junior, averaged 13.7 points in 17 games last season before being ruled academically ineligible for the second semester.