photo by: Associated Press

Kansas State forward Xavier Sneed, right, turns the ball over while covered by Kansas guard Marcus Garrett (0) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Kansas defeated Kansas State 62-58. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Already known as one of the best defenders in the conference and the country, Kansas guard Marcus Garrett on Wednesday was honored for the potential of his all-around game.

The 6-foot-5 senior from Dallas was a unanimous selection as one of six players named to the Big 12’s preseason all-conference team.

Garrett joined Baylor’s Jared Butler — the preseason pick for conference player of the year — as the only unanimous selections on the team.

The reigning national and Big 12 defensive player of the year, Garrett averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 assists per game as a junior and is expected to be the team’s top leader in a variety of ways during the upcoming season.

Asked during last week’s Late Night broadcast if he anticipated Garrett being the team’s primary point guard this season, KU coach Bill Self was emphatic with his answer.

“I definitely do,” Self said. “I think Marcus will have a great year.”

For the third consecutive offseason, Garrett worked hard on his shot this year in an attempt to become a more dangerous and well-rounded offensive player.

“I think there’s still room for improvement,” Self said at Late Night. “But I like how he’s shooting the ball.”

In addition to the all-Big 12 nod, Garrett’s name began appearing on a few preseason All-American lists this week, led by the crew at CBS who listed Garrett as the first player on the preseason third team.

Garrett and Butler were joined on the all-Big 12 team by preseason freshman of the year Cade Cunningham, of Oklahoma State, along with Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves, Texas’ Matt Coleman III and West Virginia’s Oscar Tshiebwe.

The preseason team was voted on by the conference’s 10 coaches, who could not vote for their own players, and it had six players instead of five because of a tie in voting.

Texas Tech’s Marcus Santos-Silva, a graduate transfer from VCU, was selected as the Big 12’s preseason newcomer of the year.

The players who earned honorable mention nods were: MaCio Teague and Mark Vital, of Baylor, Greg Brown III, Courtney Ramey and Jericho Sims, of Texas, Kyler Edwards and Mac McClung, of Texas Tech, and Derek Culver of West Virginia.

The Big 12 coaches’ preseason poll is scheduled to be announced Thursday.