IRVING, Texas ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Baylor men's basketball senior Rico Gathers has been selected to the 2015-16 Preseason All-Big 12 team, as announced by the league office Thursday. Fellow senior Taurean Prince was one of six players named honorable mention.

Baylor now has six preseason All-Big 12 selections in the last six seasons, and there has been at least one Bear on the five-player Preseason All-Big 12 team in five of the last six years. Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson were honored in 2013-14, Pierre Jackson was chosen in 2012-13, Perry Jones III in 2011-12 and LaceDarius Dunn prior to the 2010-11 season. Prior to that stretch, Curtis Jerrells was the only Baylor player named to a Preseason All-Big 12 team when he was chosen in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Gathers was named a second-team All-American and a first-team All-Big 12 honoree following his 2014-15 junior season. He led the Big 12 Conference and broke Baylor's single-season rebounding record with 394 boards, and he was the only power-5 conference player to average 11-plus points and 11-plus rebounds per game. The workhorse forward has played in all 109 games during his three years at Baylor, and he started all 37 games a season ago.

Prince was named national and Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year following a breakout junior season in 2014-15. A second-team All-Big 12 honoree, Prince led the team with 13.9 points in just 26.3 minutes per game, and he ranked third in the Big 12 with 15.6 points per game in conference play. Following the season he earned a spot on Team USA for the 2015 Pan American Games, where he started every game and helped the team to a bronze medal.

Baylor returns nine letterwinners from last season's team that finished 24-10 and advanced to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Bears have three starters returning in Gathers, Johnathan Motley and Lester Medford, along with Prince, who started six games and played the fifth-most minutes last season. BU also returns two more players with multiple years of experience in the program in Ishmail Wainright and Al Freeman, along with Austin Mills, Terry Maston, John Heard and five newcomers.

The Bears open the 2015-16 season on Nov. 13 when they host Stephen F. Austin at the Ferrell Center. That game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT and will air on FOX Sports Southwest-Plus. For season tickets, call the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office at 254-710-1000, or visit www.BaylorBears.com/tickets for more information.

2015-16 PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
Rico Gathers, Baylor
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Perry Ellis, Kansas
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Isaiah Taylor, Texas
Honorable mention: Taurean Prince, Baylor; Jameel McKay and Monte Morris, Iowa State; Frank Mason, Kansas; Phil Forte, Oklahoma State; Devin Williams, West Virginia.

Preseason Player of the Year: Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Deonte Burton, Iowa State
Preseason Freshman of the Year: Cheick Diallo, Kansas

BAYLOR'S PRESASON ALL-BIG 12 SELECTIONS (since 2002-03)
2007-08 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Curtis Jerrells, G
2008-09 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Curtis Jerrells, G
2010-11 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" LaceDarius Dunn, G
2011-12 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Perry Jones III, F
2012-13 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Pierre Jackson, G
2013-14 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Isaiah Austin, C
2013-14 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Cory Jefferson, F
2015-16 ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Rico Gathers, F