Monk, Fox Add NABC All-District to Growing List of Honors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kentucky’s leading scorers, Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, added to their growing list of postseason accolades with selection to the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 21 First Team. UK’s duo was joined on the five-man first team by South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell and Georgia’s Yante Maten and J.J. Frazier. 

Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC in NCAA Division I, the student-athletes represent the finest basketball players in America. The players are selected from schools that make up the Southeastern Conference.

Together UK’s duo accounts for 41.4 percent of Kentucky’s scoring output. They have combined to lead the Cats in scoring in 34 of UK’s 36 games this season. 

About Monk: Monk has electrified crowds with his prolific scoring outbursts and high-flying violent dunks throughout the season. He’s currently averaging 20.0 points per game and has reached double-figure scoring in all but two games this season.   

 

With 14 points in the second-round game vs. Wichita State, he became UK’s all-time leading freshman scorer with 721 points, passing Jamal Murray’s output of 720 from a season ago. He has 18 games of 20 points or more, including a Kentucky freshman record 47 points vs. North Carolina in December.

The freshman from Lepanto, Arkansas, is the only freshman in program history with four 30-point games, and six times this season he has scored at least 20 points in a half.

Monk’s honors include: 

• SEC Player of the Year (AP)

• SEC Newcomer of the Year (AP)

• SEC Freshman of the Year (Coaches)

• All-SEC First Team (AP/Coaches)

• All-SEC Freshman Team (Coaches)

• USBWA All-America Second Team

• Sporting News All-America Second Team

• Sporting News Freshman All-America Team

• USA Today All-America Second Team

• NBC Sports All-America Second Team

• USBWA District IV Player of the Year

• USBWA All-District IV Team

• Jerry West Award Finalist

• Wooden Award Finalist 

• NABC All-District 21 Team

About Fox: Fox continues to lead the league in assists per game at 4.6 per outing. He also ranks in the top 10 in scoring at 16.1 points per game. He is one of four freshmen in the country to average at least 16.1 points and 4.6 assists per game. 

He made history in November, becoming just the second player in Kentucky history to register a triple-double. Fox had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the historic game vs. Arizona State. It marked the first triple-double since Chris Mills’ had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on Dec. 27, 1988. Against Stephen F. Austin, in the season opener, Fox dished out 12 assists to set two program records. The 12 dimes were the most by any Wildcat in his debut, and the most of any player in a season-opening game since assists began being kept during the 1971-72 season.

During UK’s current 13-game winning streak, Fox has led the team in scoring in six games. Five of those games have come consecutively, beginning with an SEC Tournament championship that culminated in SEC Tournament MVP honors. He’s also led UK in scoring in each of UK’s NCAA Tournament games. 

Fox’s honors include: 

• SEC Tournament MVP 

• SEC All-Tournament Team

• NABC All-District 21 Team

• USBWA All-District IV Team

• All-SEC First Team (AP/Coaches)

• All-SEC Freshman Team (Coaches)

• USA Today All-America Third Team

Kentucky returns to action in the Sweet 16 on Friday. UK will take on UCLA at approximately 9:39 p.m. ET. The game is set to air live on CBS.

For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and on the web at UKathletics.com.