American Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year
Award
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The American Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year is a basketball award given to the American Conference's one or more best men's basketball players in their first year of competitive play. The conference formed in 2013–14 after many schools departed from the original Big East Conference to form their own conference. The conference was called the American Athletic Conference from its inception up until July 21, 2025, at which time it was formally rebranded. Austin Nichols of Memphis was the first-ever winner.[1] This award is voted for by the coaches and can only be awarded once to any player.
Awardedforthe most outstanding rookie basketball player in the American Conference
CountryUnited States
Firstaward2014
Currently held byPJ Haggerty, Tulsa
| American Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | the most outstanding rookie basketball player in the American Conference |
| Country | United States |
| First award | 2014 |
| Currently held by | PJ Haggerty, Tulsa |
Key
| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national Player of the Year award: Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present) or the John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present) |
Winners
| Season | Player | School | Position | Class | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Austin Nichols | Memphis | Forward | Freshman | [1] |
| 2014–15 | Daniel Hamilton | UConn | Swingman | Freshman | [2] |
| 2015–16 | Dedric Lawson | Memphis | Forward | Freshman | [3] |
| 2016–17 | K. J. Lawson | Memphis | Swingman | RS Freshman | [4] |
| 2017–18 | Shawn Williams | East Carolina | Guard | RS Freshman | [5] |
| 2018–19 | Alexis Yetna | South Florida | Forward | RS Freshman | [6] |
| 2019–20 | Precious Achiuwa | Memphis | Forward | Freshman | [7] |
| 2020–21 | Moussa Cissé | Memphis | Center | Freshman | [8] |
| 2021–22 | Jalen Duren | Memphis | Center | Freshman | [9] |
| 2022–23 | Jarace Walker | Houston | Forward | Freshman | [10] |
| 2023–24 | PJ Haggerty | Tulsa | Guard | RS Freshman | [11] |
Winners by school
| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis (2013) | 6 | 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| East Carolina (2014) | 1 | 2018 |
| Houston (2013)[a 1] | 1 | 2023 |
| South Florida (2013) | 1 | 2019 |
| Tulsa (2014) | 1 | 2024 |
| UConn (2013)[a 2] | 1 | 2015 |
| Cincinnati (2013)[a 1] | 0 | — |
| Louisville (2013)[a 3] | 0 | — |
| Rutgers (2013)[a 3] | 0 | — |
| SMU (2013) | 0 | — |
| Temple (2013) | 0 | — |
| Tulane (2014) | 0 | — |
| UCF (2013)[a 1] | 0 | — |
| Wichita State (2017) | 0 | — |