SAN DIEGO – San Diego State junior Malachi Flynn has been named a 2020 Consensus All-American, the NCAA announced Tuesday. Flynn is the third Aztec to earn consensus All-America honors, joining San Diego State Athletic Hall of Fame members Kawhi Leonard who earned the distinction in 2011, and Michael Cage who garnered it in 1984.
Consensus All-American honors are determined in the following manner. The four organizations which are used to determine consensus All-Americans are The Associated Press, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and The Sporting News. A player is given one point for each first-team honor he receives from the four organizations. Two and three points are awarded for each second-team and third-team designation, respectively.
The five players with the lowest point totals are consensus first-team All-Americans, and any player who has a total of four points is considered a unanimous first-team selection. The next five players, with the lowest point totals, are second-team honorees.
With an All-America award from the NABC this morning, Flynn was named to the second team of each of the four organizations.
In addition to today's recognition, and the second team designations he received from the AP, USBWA and The Sporting News, Flynn earned first-team All-American honors from Sports Illustrated and STADIUM and second-team recognition from CBS Sports and NBC Sports, and The Athletic.
A 6-1, guard, Flynn finished the regular season ranked No. 14 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.86:1), No. 43 in assists (163) and free throw percentage (85.7), No. 48 in steals (56), No. 50 in assists per game (5.1), No. 76 in total points (564), No. 79 in steals per game (1.8), No. 93 in points per game (17.6) and No. 95 in three-point field goals made (76) among others.
Among Mountain West performers, Flynn ranked first in assists, steals (1.75/g) and assist-to-turnover ratio. He was third in scoring and free throw percentage and fifth in field goal percentage (41.1) and three-point field goal per game (2.38). He is the fourth player in Mountain West history to be named a consensus All-American, joining Andrew Bogut (Utah) in 2005, and Jimmer Fredette (BYU) and Leonard in 2011.
In addition to his field goal and free throw percentages, he pulled down 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 37.2 percent from long range. In Mountain West games his scoring average went up to 18.9 points on 45.3 percent shooting, including 34.7 percent from distance, and 91.7 percent from the charity stripe. Earning starting assignments in all 32 games in the 2019-20 season, the junior scored in double figures 31 times and led the team the team in scoring and assists 21 times.
In the team's regular season finale, an 83-76 win at Nevada, Flynn poured in 36 points, which are the most by an Aztec player since Brandon Heath tallied 37 against UNLV on Jan. 15, 2005. He was just the eighth player in college basketball in 2019-20 to produce a stat line of 36 points, five rebounds and five assists and the only one from a Mountain West Conference team. His 36 points are the second most by an Aztec player this century.
On the program's single-season lists, Flynn finished 2019-20 No. 4 in free throw percentage (85.7), No. 6 is scoring (564 points), three-point field goal attempts (204) and efficiency points (619), No. 7 in assists (163), No. 8 in three-point field goals (76), No. 9 in points, rebounds, assists (870), No. 10 efficiency average (19.34), No. 11 in victories (30), No. 13 in points, rebounds, assists average (27.19), No. 15 in field goal attempts (417), No. 18 in scoring average (17.6), No. 19 in minutes (1,072), No. 23 in field goals (184) and free throws (120).
Malachi Flynn 2019-20 Awards and Honors
* All-America teams recognized by the NCAA for consensus designation
- 2020 Consensus All-American (AP, USBWA, NABC, The Sporting News)
- Lute Olson National Player of the Year finalist
- Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year finalist
- John R. Wooden Award finalist (national player of the year)
- *The Associated Press Second-Team All-American
- *USBWA Second-Team All-American
- *NABC Second-Team All-American
- *The Sporting News Second-Team All-American
- Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
- STADIUM First-Team All-American
- CBS Sports Second-Team All-American
- NBC Sports Second-Team All-American
- The Athletic Second-Team All-American
- Mountain West Player of the Year (coaches & media)
- First-Team All-Mountain West (coaches & media)
- Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (coaches)
- Mountain West Newcomer of the Year (media)
- Mountain West All-Tournament Team
- USBWA All-District IX
- NABC First-Team All-District 17
- The Sporting News Second-Team Midseason All-American
- Continental Tires Las Vegas Invitational Most Valuable Player
- Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Most Valuable Player
- Two-Time Mountain West Player of the Week
- Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List
- Citizen Naismith Trophy Midseason Team
- John R. Wooden Award Late Season Watch List
- John R. Wooden Award Midseason Watch List
- Lute Olson National Player of the Year Watch List
- Lute Olson Award Midseason Watch List
2020 Consensus All-America Teams
First Team
*Luka Garza, Junior, Iowa
*Markus Howard, Senior, Marquette
*Obi Toppin, Sophomore, Dayton
Myles Powell, Senior, Seton Hall
Payton Pritchard, Senior, Oregon
* Unanimous selection
Second Team
Udoka Azubuike, Senior, Kansas
Devon Dotson, Sophomore, Kansas
Vernon Carey, Jr., Freshman, Duke
Malachi Flynn, Junior, San Diego State
Cassius Winston, Senior, Michigan State
Others Receiving Votes
Jared Butler, Sophomore, Baylor
Tre Jones, Sophomore, Duke
Jordan Nwora, Junior, Louisville
Daniel Oturu, Sophomore, Minnesota
Filip Petrušev, Sophomore, Gonzaga
Jalen Smith, Sophomore, Maryland
-SDSU-