Portis 9th Hog to make AP list

Arkansas forward Bobby Portis goes up for the dunk in first half against Tennessee in the 2015 SEC basketball tournament on Friday, March 13, 2015, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Arkansas forward Bobby Portis goes up for the dunk in first half against Tennessee in the 2015 SEC basketball tournament on Friday, March 13, 2015, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Associated Press announced its first All-American basketball teams in 1948, and Arkansas had a big man -- 6-10 George Kok -- on the third team.

Arkansas landed another big man on the AP's 67th list of All-Americans on Monday, with 6-11 sophomore Bobby Portis, the SEC player of the year, earning second-team honors.

Portis, from Little Rock Hall, led the Razorbacks to a 27-9 record and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008, and was recognized by the AP's panel of 65 voters from media outlets around the country.

The votes were compiled before the NCAA Tournament.

Portis is the first Razorback to be voted to one of the AP's three All-American teams since Corliss Williamson -- Portis' AAU basketball coach -- was a second-team pick in 1994 and 1995 when Arkansas won the national championship and finished second to UCLA.

Wisconsin senior center Frank Kaminsky, Duke freshman forward Jahlil Okafor, Kentucky junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein, Notre Dame senior guard Jerian Grant and Ohio State freshman guard D'Angelo Russell are the AP's first-team All-Americans this season.

The second team consists of Portis, Utah senior guard Delon Wright, Kentucky freshman forward Karl-Anthony Towns, Northern Iowa senior forward Seth Tuttle and junior guard Malcolm Brogdon.

Portis has also been named a second team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association and a third-teamer by The Sporting News. Being chosen an AP All-American carries the most prestige considering how long it has endured.

Portis is one of nine Razorbacks voted to an AP All-American team along with Williamson, Kok, Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer, Darrell Walker, Alvin Robertson, Todd Day and Lee Mayberry.

Moncrief, another former Little Rock Hall player, talked about Portis when he was honored at an Arkansas game at Walton Arena.

"I love Bobby's game," Moncrief said. "When he was a freshman I saw him play and I was like, 'That's an NBA talent right there.'

"He doesn't play outside of his skill set, but he's a competitor. He's got great instincts."

Moncrief -- a first-team All-American in 1979 after being a second-teamer in 1978 when Brewer made the first team -- and Williamson are Arkansas' only two-time AP All-Americans.

Portis will have a chance to be a two-time All-American if he decides to return to Arkansas for his junior season rather than declare for the NBA Draft.

The deadline to declare for the NBA draft is April 12, and while Portis has yet to announce his decision, he said he was leaning toward returning to Arkansas after the Razorbacks' season-ending 87-78 loss to North Carolina on March 21 in the NCAA Tournament's round of 32.

"I tried to stay consistent throughout the whole season and be that man for my team to help us get more wins," Portis said after being voted SEC Player of the Year.

Portis averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocked shots and 1.2 assists in 29.9 minutes per game. He shot 53.6 percent from the field and scored 10 or more points in 34 of 36 games, including 32 points against Vanderbilt.

"Bobby's one of those guys that's a double-double waiting to happen," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "From the day he first stepped onto our campus, he's continued to grow as a player and grow as a person.

"He's one of the hardest-working guys I've ever been around. I mean, he works morning, noon and night. He doesn't want to just be good, he wants to be a great player. Yet he's so humble."

Portis' expanded his shooting range this season, including hitting 14 of 30 three-point baskets along with numerous mid-range jump shots.

Portis had a career-high 15 rebounds in Arkansas' 81-78 loss to LSU, including 10 offensive rebounds. He averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds per game.

"To have 10 offensive rebounds is a huge stat for a team, let alone one individual, but Bobby was able to do that," LSU Coach Johnny Jones said. "He was certainly a load for us to deal with.

"We had people assigned to block him out, but his tireless effort allowed him to get in there and do that."

Wisconsin's Kaminsky was the team's only unanimous choice for AP's first team. Okafor received all but one first-team vote.

Oakfor is expected to leave Duke for the NBA after one season, but Kaminsky will complete his eligibility at Wisconsin at this weekend's Final Four and then projects to be a first-round draft pick.

Kaminsky is averaging 18.2 points and 8.0 rebounds going into the Badgers' Final Four game against Kentucky.

"Not to be overly patriotic, but we're an American story, that you can do that in this kind of a system," Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan said. "Sometimes where it looks like the privileged, the ones that are identified as being great players and can't-miss-type guys, where there can always come that guy from behind in the race and then cross the tape first.

"Frank is that guy who got a little bit later start as far as people noticing his abilities, but that's just a great accomplishment on his part. He took advantage of a chance and has made the most of it."

Okafor is averaging 17.7 points and 9.0 rebounds and shooting 66.9 percent going into Duke's Final Four game against Michigan State. He is the Blue Devil's 16th first-team All-American.

Grant's career was in jeopardy last season when he was suspended for the second semester for what he called an academic mistake. The son of former NBA player Harvey Grant returned to Notre Dame for his senior season and averaged 16.8 points and 6.6 assists.

Cauley-Stein, who has helped Kentucky to a 38-0 record, is the first AP first-team All-American to average less than 10 points per game. He is averaging 9.3 points and 6.4 rebounds while anchoring Kentucky's defense.

Russell averaged 19.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

Information for this article contributed by the Associated Press.

Sports on 03/31/2015

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