When James Akinjo was cleared by the NCAA to begin playing games immediately once the season began it was clear he would be a catalyst for the Wildcats this year. The Georgetown transfer proved to be instrumental in helping the team achieve 17 victories by leading the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game to go with a team-high 5.4 assists.

Throughout the season head coach Sean Miller often pointed out how vital the Oakland, California native was to his team this season and Tuesday the rest of the league agreed. Akinjo was named a Pac-12 First Team selection as voted on by the coaches in the league.

The junior guard is one of 10 players on the conference's first team and he is the lone Arizona player to make the list.

Akinjo arrived to UA over a year ago when he decided in the winter of 2019 to leave Georgetown. It didn't take long for him to find a home and he spent the spring semester practicing and working behind the scenes while awaiting his opportunity to step on the floor again.

Throughout all of Arizona's ups and downs the UA point guard remained steady and was someone Miller's staff continued to lean on throughout the year. He ultimately finished the season averaging 34.7 minutes and was the only player on the team to average more than 30 minutes this year.

Akinjo did more than his share of the work for the Wildcats this season and it was certainly something Miller kept in mind throughout team's 26 games.

"If we didn't have him ... I think we'd be 8-17" Miller said after Arizona's win over Washington ahead of its final game against Oregon. "We might be 5-20. That's how much he means to our team. Today he dominated the game from our perspective. He's learning how to be a true floor general.

"His big heart, his just perseverance, his ability to both score and distribute, the toughness that he displays ... he is definitely an all-conference player. I don't think I even have to campaign for him, because my peers – the coaches in this league – when they start with Arizona they start with him. He's our heart and soul and he's had a fantastic season."

In addition to being named to the all-conference team from the league, Akinjo was also named to the Associated Press All-Pac-12 Second Team as well on Tuesday. The AP only allows five players per team, but Akinjo was able to secure his spot after his impressive first season with the Wildcats that ended with him leading the Pac-12 in assists during the conference season.

Akinjo, who could have some professional opportunities, declined to comment on his future with the team after the loss to Oregon as he was still focused on the end of the season at that point.

"I wanna go back and reflect with my teammates," he said. "It's too early to think about anything like that."

The junior is the 25th Arizona player to earn a spot on the all-conference team under Miller.

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