Curtis Jones wins Big 12 sixth man, three others recognized in Big 12 awards

Iowa State guard Curtis Jones (5) goes for a layup around Colorado forward Assane Diop (35) at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 18, 2025 in Ames.

The following is a press release from the Big 12 Conference:

IRVING, Texas – Four Iowa State Cyclones were named to various All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball Teams Monday by the league coaches.

Senior Curtis Jones was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, while also earning a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team. Junior Joshua Jefferson was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, while also earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. Junior Tamin Lipsey was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team, while also being named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Senior Keshon Gilbert rounded out Iowa State’s selections by being named to the All-Big 12 Third Team.

Jones is the third Cyclone to be named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, joining Tyrus McGee (2013) and Lindell Wigginton (2019). Jones is also the third Cyclone under T.J. Otzelberger to be named to the first team, joining Izaiah Brockington (2022) and Lipsey (2024). In league play, Jones averaged 17.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He led five Cyclones in double figures in league play. In 22 games off the bench this season, Jones averaged 17.3 points per game. He is one of just eight players in the country since 1996-97 to average at least 17.3 points when coming off the bench in 20 or more games. Jones was named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Jan. 13 after scoring 23 (Utah) and 26 (Texas Tech) points off the bench that week.

Jefferson became Iowa State’s 12th selection to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team, while it marks the fourth-straight year a Cyclone has been named to the team. Iowa State and Baylor are the only schools in the Big 12 to have someone named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team in each of the last four years. Jefferson was the second-leading scorer for the Cyclones in Big 12 play at 13.5 points, while leading the Cyclones with 7.0 rebounds per game. He tied an Iowa State single-game conference record with eight steals at Colorado this season, as he finished league play with a team-high 47 steals. Jefferson was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week five times, the most of any player in the league.

Lipsey and Gilbert are the first Cyclones since Rasir Bolton in 2020 and 2021 to earn all-conference honors in back-to-back seasons. Lipsey is the sixth Cyclone in school history, and third in the last three years, to be named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Lipsey was also named to the team last season, becoming the first player in school history to be named to the all-defensive team twice. Lipsey averaged 10.9 points, 2.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game in Big 12 play this season.

Gilbert missed three conference games, but finished with the third-best scoring average on the team in league play at 11.9 points per game. He led the Cyclones with 62 assists in league play, while also averaging 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He tied Jefferson’s conference school record with eight steals against BYU on Senior Night. Gilbert earned back-to-back Big 12 Player of the Week honors during non-conference play. Gilbert was a second team selection last season.

The Cyclones return to action Wednesday morning, as fifth-seeded Iowa State faces either 12th-seeded Oklahoma State or 13th-seeded Cincinnati in the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Second Round at the T Mobile Center in Kansas City. Tipoff is set for 11:30 a.m. on ESPN or ESPN2.

Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Freshman of the Year: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Newcomer of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Defensive Player of the Year: Joseph Tugler, Houston
Sixth Man Award: Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Most Improved Player: Richie Saunders, BYU
Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson, Houston

All-Big 12 First Team
Caleb Love, Houston
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Richie Saunders, BYU
LJ Cryer, Houston
J’Wan Roberts, Houston
Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
Javon Small, West Virginia

All-Big 12 Second Team
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Keyshawn Hall, UCF
Milos Uzan, Houston
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Chance McMillian, Texas Tech

All-Big 12 Third Team
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Zeke Mayo, Kansas
Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State

All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Arizona: Tobe Awaka, Henri Veesaar; Baylor: Robert Wright; BYU: Egor Demin; UCF: Darius Johnson; Cincinnati: Jizzle James; Colorado: Julian Hammond III; Houston: Emanuel Sharp; Kansas: Dajuan Harris Jr.; Kansas State: David N’Guessan; Oklahoma State: Bryce Thompson; TCU: Noah Reynolds, Ernest Udeh Jr.; Utah: Gabe Madsen

Big 12 All-Defensive Team
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
J’Wan Roberts, Houston
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Sencire Harris, West Virginia

Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Keyshawn Hall, UCF
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Zeke Mayo, Kansas
JT Toppin, Texas Tech

Big 12 All-Freshman Team
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Robert Wright, Baylor
Egor Demin, BYU
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech