ROSEMONT, Ill. — University of Michigan men’s basketball center Hunter Dickinson was selected as the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year, Juwan Howard was named Coach of the Year by the conference, and three total Wolverines earned Big Ten honors as the league released its men’s basketball awards today (Tuesday, March 9).
In addition to his Freshman of the Year accolade, Dickinson was named to the All-Big Ten first team (media) and the second team (coaches) and to the All-Freshman squad, while senior guard/forward Isaiah Livers earned a spot on the All-Big Ten second team (coaches and media) and sophomore guard/forward Franz Wagner was an All-Big Ten second team (coaches) and third team (media) selection. For the second straight year, graduate student forward Austin Davis was named the Wolverines’ selection for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Dickinson becomes U-M’s second freshman to earn a spot on the All-Big Ten first team and first in 43 years (Mike McGee, 1978). He also becomes the eighth Wolverine to earn the conference’s rookie of the year honor and first since Ignas Brazdeikis in 2019.
A seven-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree, Dickinson leads U-M in scoring (14.4), rebounding (7.8), double-doubles (5) and 10+ rebounding games (5). He helped U-M extend its list to three straight years with a player on the All-Freshman team, joining Brazdeikis (2019) and Wagner (2020).
After guiding the Wolverines to their first Big Ten title in seven years, Howard becomes the first U-M coach to be named coach of the year since John Beilein earned the honor by the media in 2014. Howard is the fourth coach in U-M history to receive the award, joining Johnny Orr (1974, ’77), Bill Frieder (1985) and Beilein.
Navigating the COVID-19 season, Howard led the Maize and Blue to an 11-0 start for a second straight season, and the Wolverines went on to a 19-3 regular-season mark with a 14-3 conference record for their first Big Ten title since 2014. Howard’s 38 wins in his first two seasons make him the winningest Michigan coach through two seasons, passing his former coach, Steve Fisher (37).
After receiving All-Big Ten honorable mention last season, Livers garnered All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and media. Posting 16 double-figure games with a team-high five 20+ point games, he is averaging 13.9 points per game. Livers has made a team-high 50 three-pointers, reaching 50+ in a season for a second time in his career. He is averaging a career-best 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists, and he added a pair of double-doubles — at Purdue (22 points, 10 rebounds) and at Indiana (16 points, 10 rebounds).
A Big Ten All-Freshman team honoree a year ago, Wagner was named to the All-Big Ten second team (coaches) and third team (media) as a sophomore. With 14 double-figure games and four 20+ point games, he is averaging 13.0 points per game with 6.3 rebounds, a team-high 30 steals and a second-best 23 blocks.
2020-21 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Awards
(Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS)
COACHES SELECTIONS
FIRST TEAM
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
AYO DOSUNMU, ILLINOIS
LUKA GARZA, IOWA
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State
Trevion Williams, Purdue
SECOND TEAM
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Joe Wieskamp, Iowa
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Isaiah Livers, Michigan
Franz Wagner, Michigan
THIRD TEAM
Marcus Carr, Minnesota
Aaron Henry, Michigan State
Duane Washington Jr., Ohio State
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
D’Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin
HONORABLE MENTION
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Jordan Bohannon, Iowa
Eric Ayala, Maryland
Aaron Wiggins, Maryland
Geo Baker, Rutgers
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Andre Curbelo, Illinois
Keegan Murray, Iowa
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Zach Edey, Purdue
Jaden Ivey, Purdue
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Darryl Morsell, Maryland
Aaron Henry, Michigan State
Jamari Wheeler, Penn State
Myles Johnson, Rutgers
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Luka Garza, Iowa
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Darryl Morsell, Maryland
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR: Andre Curbelo, Illinois
COACH OF THE YEAR: Juwan Howard, Michigan
BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES: Trent Frazier, Illinois; Aljami Durham, Indiana; CJ Frederick, Iowa; Darryl Morsell, Maryland; Austin Davis, Michigan; Joshua Langford, Michigan State; Gabe Kalscheur, Minnesota; Thorir Thorbjarnarson, Nebraska; Ryan Greer, Northwestern; Kyle Young, Ohio State; John Harrar, Penn State; Sasha Stefanovic, Purdue; Paul Mulcahy, Rutgers; Carter Higginbottom, Wisconsin.
MEDIA SELECTIONS
FIRST TEAM
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
AYO DOSUNMU, ILLINOIS
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
LUKA GARZA, IOWA
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
SECOND TEAM
Joe Wieskamp, Iowa
Isaiah Livers, Michigan
Marcus Carr, Minnesota
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State
Trevion Williams, Purdue
THIRD TEAM
Franz Wagner, Michigan
Aaron Henry, Michigan State
Duane Washington Jr., Ohio State
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
D’Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin
HONORABLE MENTION
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Jordan Bohannon, Iowa
CJ Fredrick, Iowa
Eric Ayala, Maryland
Darryl Morsell, Maryland
Aaron Wiggins, Maryland
Teddy Allen, Nebraska
John Harrar, Penn State
Myreon Jones, Penn State
Myles Johnson, Rutgers
Jacob Young, Rutgers
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Luka Garza, Iowa
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
COACH OF THE YEAR: Juwan Howard, Michigan
COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
