<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Impact;
panose-1:2 11 8 6 3 9 2 5 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
h1
{mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
margin:0in;
text-align:justify;
page-break-after:avoid;
layout-grid-mode:char;
font-size:16.0pt;
font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;
font-weight:normal;
text-decoration:underline;}
h2
{mso-style-link:"Heading 2 Char";
margin:0in;
text-align:center;
page-break-after:avoid;
layout-grid-mode:char;
font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:italic;}
p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText
{mso-style-link:"Body Text Char";
margin:0in;
text-align:justify;
layout-grid-mode:char;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.Heading2Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 2 Char";
mso-style-link:"Heading 2";
font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;
font-style:italic;}
span.BodyTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Body Text Char";
mso-style-link:"Body Text";
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Oct. 13, 2021<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h1 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">Baylor MBB Trio Earns Preseason All-Big 12 Honors<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-style:normal">Mayer, Akinjo and Brown recognized with preseason awards</span></b><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">David Kaye, 254-709-5147,
</span><a href="mailto:David_Kaye@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">David_Kaye@baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">IRVING, Texas –
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Baylor men’s basketball senior Matthew Mayer has been named to the 2021-22 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, while senior James Akinjo is an honorable mention choice and Kendall Brown is the Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the
Year, as announced Wednesday by the conference office. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Preseason All-Big 12 Teams are voted on by the league’s head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own players. The Preseason All-Big 12 Team is typically
five players, but a tie in voting created a sixth spot for 2021-22.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Mayer is joined by Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji, Remy Martin and David McCormack, as well as Texas’ Marcus Carr and Texas Tech’s Terrence Shannon to form the six-man Preseason
All-Big 12 Team. Honorable mention selections include Akinjo, Oklahoma State’s Avery Anderson and Moussa Cisse, TCU’s Mike Miles, Texas’ Andrew Jones and Tre Mitchell and West Virginia’s Taz Sherman.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Brown is the first player in program history selected as Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year. A five-star guard/forward from Cottage Grove, Minn., he joined the Bears
after being ranked No. 12 nationally in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the class of 2021. He was named to the 2021 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team and participated in 2021 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup team training camp.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Akinjo is a transfer who has played 66 games and made 65 starts over three collegiate seasons, spending his first two years at Georgetown before playing at Arizona during
the 2020-21 season. He started all 26 games for Arizona during the 2020-21 season, earning All-Pac 12 First Team honors after leading the Wildcats to a 17-9 record.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Akinjo ranked second in the Pac-12 in assists per game (5.4), 11<sup>th</sup> in points per game (15.6), seventh in 3-point percentage (.408), fifth in 3-pointers made
per game (2.0), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.35), ninth in free throw percentage (.819), seventh in steals per game (1.4) and third in minutes per game (34.9).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Mayer is the 11<sup>th</sup> Baylor player since 2007-08 selected to the traditionally five-player Preseason All-Big 12 Team. He joins Jared Butler, Tristan Clark, Johnathan
Motley, Rico Gathers, Cory Jefferson, Isaiah Austin, Pierre Jackson, Perry Jones III, LaceDarius Dunn and Curtis Jerrells.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">An Austin, Texas, native, Mayer has played off the bench in 93 games over his first three seasons at Baylor, averaging 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per
game. He increased his scoring production by 68 percent from his sophomore to junior year, averaging 8.1 points per game as a junior last season after posting 4.8 points per game as a sophomore in 2019-20.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Mayer has come off the bench to post double-figure scoring 21 times in his career, including 11 times in 30 games while helping the Bears to the 2021 National Championship
a season ago. He shot 40 percent from 3-point range (30-of-76) and nearly doubled his rebounding total from the prior season, increasing from 1.9 rebounds per game to 3.7 boards per contest. He added 36 steals for an average of 3.1 steals per 40 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Baylor opens the 2021-22 season on Friday, Nov. 12, with a home game against Incarnate Word. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+, and there will be a pregame
National Championship banner unveiling and ring ceremony at the Ferrell Center.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Follow @BaylorMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the year.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">2021-22 PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Matthew Mayer, Baylor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Ochai Agbaji, Kansas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Remy Martin, Kansas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">David McCormack, Kansas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Marcus Carr, Texas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Terrence Shannon, Texas Tech<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Honorable mention: James Akinjo (Baylor), Avery Anderson (Oklahoma State), Moussa Cissa (Oklahoma State), Mike Miles (TCU), Andrew Jones (Texas), Tre Mitchell (Texas), Taz Sherman
(West Virginia).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Preseason Player of the Year:
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Remy Martin, Kansas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Preseason Newcomer of the Year:
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Marcus Carr, Texas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Preseason Freshman of the Year:
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Kendall Brown, Baylor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><u><span style="font-size:11.0pt">BAYLOR’S PRESASON ALL-BIG 12 SELECTIONS (since 2002-03)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2007-08 – Curtis Jerrells, G<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2008-09 – Curtis Jerrells, G<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2010-11 – LaceDarius Dunn, G<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2011-12 – Perry Jones III, F<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2012-13 – Pierre Jackson, G<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2013-14 – Isaiah Austin, C<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2013-14 – Cory Jefferson, F<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2015-16 – Rico Gathers, F<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2016-17 – Johnathan Motley, F<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2019-20 – Tristan Clark, F<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2020-21 – Jared Butler, G<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">2021-22 – Matthew Mayer, G/F<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">www.BaylorBears.com<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">-- <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#385623">David Kaye</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#385623">
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt">| Assistant AD for Communications<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">C: 254-709-5147<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D7C03E.30D66020" alt="signature_1205949654"></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>