The Big Ten will announce the all-conference teams tonight at 7 PM on the Big Ten Network. In honor of the big day I put together my best effort at an All-Big Ten ballot including a first, second, third, defense, and freshmen team as well as a coach of the year. No two conference teams are alike so feedback is encouraged in the comments.
MVP: Kalin Lucas – Best player on the best team gets the MVP in my book.
First Team
- Kalin Lucas – 14.6 ppg, 4.6 apg, 113.2 ORtg, 24.9% Usage
- Talor Battle – 17.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.9 apg, 112.1 Ortg, 27.3% Usage
- Evan Turner -16.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 108.2 Ortg, 28.8% Usage
- Manny Harris – 17.1 ppg, 7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.3 spg, ORtg 106.5, 31.8% Usage
- DeShawn Sims – 15 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 53.4 eFG%, 109.8 ORtg, 24.6% Usage
This one was really tough. Kalin Lucas, Talor Battle, Evan Turner, and Manny Harris were locks in my book. They all carried their teams and put up big numbers. The fifth spot came down to DeShawn Sims, JaJuan Johnson, and Kevin Coble. Yes, I might be a little biased but I really feel like DeShawn Sims’ season was good enough to warrant a spot on the first team. He carried Michigan down the stretch and was top 5 in both scoring and rebounding. I realize that the odds of Sims making the first team are very low because two players from a 9-9 team aren’t going to make it but I think that statistically he stacks up.
Second Team
- Kevin Coble – 15.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, ORtg 111.8, 24% usage
- JaJuan Johnson – 13.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 56.6 eFG%, 113.3 ORtg, 23.8% Usage
- Jamelle Cornley – 13.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 54.3 eFG%, 102.1 ORtg, 22.5% Usage
- Marcus Landry – 12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 55.3 eFG%, ORtg 111.8, 23.3% Usage
- Craig Moore – 14.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 60.1 eFG%, 114.2 ORtg, 20.6% Usage
Coble and Johnson were both just left off of the first team but both had terrific seasons and easily could have been included, maybe the Big Ten needs a 6 person first team like the Big East. Johnson really stepped up for Purdue with Hummel out and is going to be a force in the Big Ten over the next couple years. Craig Moore has great numbers and a ridiculous effective field goal percentage. Cornley and Landry are two guys that don’t get a lot of mentions but basically hold their teams together.
Third Team
- Jake Kelly -11.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, ORtg 103.3, 26% Usage
- Mike Davis – 11.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 53.3 eFG%, 106.3 ORtg, 20.5 Usage
- Raymar Morgan – 11.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 110.7 ORtg, 24.1% Usage
- Robbie Hummel – 12.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 119.4 ORtg, 54.8 eFG%, 21% usage
- Goran Suton – 9.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 119.2 ORtg, 56.6 eFG%, 18.7% Usage
Jake Kelly has been hitting ridiculous shots down the stretch despite playing out of position (or maybe at his new position) at the point guard. Raymar Morgan and Robbie Hummel probably both would have been first team guys if their seasons weren’t damaged by injuries. Suton is a beast on the glass and effective enough on the offensive end, the conference champions deserve representation here. Mike Davis is a guy I really like and there were times when that midrange jumper was just dominant (and others when the Illini scored 33 points).
Honorable Mention: Demetri McCamey, Trevon Hughes, E’TWaun Moore, Lawrence Westbrook, Mike Tisdale, Durrell Summers, Stanley Pringle
All Defense: Travis Walton, Chester Frazier, Chris Kramer, JaJuan Johnson, Damian Johnson
Travis Walton is my defensive player of the year, he has locked down plenty of the best scorers in the country despite being smaller than most of them.
All-Freshmen: Matt Gatens, Delvon Roe, William Buford, Tom Pritchard, John Shurna
This freshmen class wasn’t nearly as dominant as last year’s but there are some nice players. Roe was a beast and he continued to improve as he got healthy, he is going to be something else next year. Gatens can flat out shoot the rock and also does a surprisingly good job of getting to the free throw line. Buford probably shoots too much but there is no denying his talent.
Coach of the Year: Bill Carmody. This one is really close because there are so many great coaches in the league. Bruce Weber, Ed DeChelis, and John Beilein all led their teams to dramatic improvement this year. 7-22 (1-17) to 17-12 (8-12) speaks for its self. Especially when you consider how many quality wins are on Northwestern’s resume and the fact that they won on the road against the top two teams in the league.
