Fizer leads parade of unanimous choices to AP All-Big 12 squad

Monday, March 6th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Marcus Fizer, whose forceful presence led Iowa State to its first conference championship in 55 years, heads a parade of unanimous selections for The Associated Press All-Big 12 basketball team.

In an unprecedented show of unanimity, a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters who cover the Big 12 on a regular basis also
named Oklahoma State's Desmond Mason, Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera and Texas 7-footer Chris Mihm to every first-team ballot.

For the fifth first-team spot, Iowa State point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who ranked in the top three in the Big 12 in both steals and assists, outpolled Colorado guard Jaquay Walls.

Mason, 6-foot-6, and Najera, 6-8, are the only seniors on the first team. Fizer, 6-8, Mihm and Tinsley, a 6-3 junior college transfer, are juniors.

Fizer -- leaner, quicker and smarter than he was as a pudgy sophomore who averaged 18 points -- topped the Big 12 with a 22.8-point scoring average.

"He is a man among boys," said Colorado coach Ricardo Patton.

Fizer is barreling into the postseason as one of the hottest players in the nation, averaging 32.6 points over the last five games by shooting 61-of-106 (.575) from the field. In four of his last five games, he has gone over 30 points.

"He's a different guy. He's more mature," said Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy. "He lets the game come to him. He dictates the game. The game dictated him last year."

Fizer and Tinsley were the key players in one of the biggest stories in basketball this season. With Tinsley providing what Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson termed the finest point guard play in the conference, the Cyclones went from 15-15 a year ago to a school-record 26-4. In preseason polls, they were not picked higher than sixth.

In league games, the Cyclones went 14-2 in capturing their first conference title since winning the Big Six in 1945.

The top vote-getters on the second team were Texas forward Gabe Muoneke and Walls, whose 42 points in an overtime victory against
Iowa State set a Big 12 record.

They are joined by Missouri point guard Keyon Dooling, Nebraska center Kimani Ffriend and Texas Tech guard Rayford Young.

Tinsley, who didn't play high school basketball, had 199 assists and made 75 steals.

"Tinsley's the best with the ball in his hands maybe in our league," said Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson. "In terms of creating, Tinsley might be the best."

"He's the best newcomer in the league for sure and has done more things at point guard than anybody else I can think of," said Kansas coach Roy Williams.

Najera, who came to Oklahoma four years ago from his native Mexico hardly able to speak English, will leave as one of the most popular Sooners ever. He was second to Fizer with an 18.5 scoring average and second to Mihm with 9.5 rebounds a game.

He probably leads the conference in bumps and bruises and headlong dives to the floor in pursuit of loose balls.

"There's a significant difference between being a star and being a teammate," said Sampson. "Eduardo is a humble kid, a mild, humble, modest soul. I'm a better person for having had the opportunity to coach him."

For his career, Najera ranks 10th in school history in scoring, sixth in rebounding, seventh in steals and sixth in blocked shots

Mihm led the Big 12 with 19 double-doubles last season and is again at the top with 17 this season. His 10.4 rebound average is the best in the league and his 17.8 points are sixth.

"He's just a monster," said Eustachy. "He scores so easy. He's just so big and has such a nice touch around the basket."

Mason was third in the conference with 18.1 points per game and the most important contributor to Oklahoma State's 24-5 record.

For Baylor coach Dave Bliss, there is little difference in the quality of Najera, Mason and Mihm.

"A coin flip," he said. "Each of the three does so much for the team they're playing on. They bring different things. Najera, very few big men are as good a leader as he is for his team.
Desmond Mason plays well at both ends of the floor and has really stepped up his offense. Chris Mihm is just overwhelming in the post."