FORT WORTH, Texas — Wichita State's Dexter Dennis and Ricky Council IV were named Defensive Player and Sixth-Man of the Year, respectively, and Tyson Etienne became the school's first two-time all-conference pick of The American Era.
Each of the league's 11 coaches cast ballots.
Etienne – a 6-foot-2 guard out of Englewood, N.J. – was voted to the third team. He was the league's sixth-leading scorer (14.9) during the regular season and ranked second in three-point field goals-per-game (2.73).
A first team choice in 2021, Etienne becomes the 27th Shocker to make an all-conference team in multiple seasons.
Dennis – a 6-5 guard from Baker, La. – has been a versatile defensive weapon for the Shockers, capable of guarding positions 1-4 on the basketball court. He shut down some of the league's best scorers this season while totaling 24 blocks and 23 steals in 26 games.
The fourth-year junior is the fourth Shocker to be recognized as a conference defensive player of the year, joining Dwayne Praylow (1989, MVC), Jamar Howard (2003, MVC) and two-time winner Tekele Cotton (2014 & 2015 MVC). He's the first to win it in the American Athletic Conference.
Likewise, Council is the Shockers' first Sixth-Man of the Year in The American and just the third overall, alongside Ben Smith (2011 MVC) and Aaron Hogg (2003 MVC).
The 6-foot-6 guard from Durham, N.C. started just six of the 27 games in his second freshman season, but he was one of the league's most-productive scorers, averaging 11.7 points in 26.7 minutes, along with 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals. Council punished defenses with his ability to get to the rim and the foul line, shooting over 50 percent from inside the arc while knocking down a team-high 83 free throws on 84 percent accuracy.
Wichita State (15-12, 6-9 American) is set to take on Tulsa at just after 2 p.m. CT Thursday in the first round of the Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Championship.