Men’s Basketball Player Honored – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/31/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio–Ohio State senior center Ken Johnson (6-11, Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford) continued to build a case for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year with his seven blocks against Purdue (1/29). Johnson now has 93 blocks on the season, which ranks third all-time at Ohio State for blocks in a season. Johnson also holds the single-season record, set last year when he swatted 100 shots as a junior. He is currently leading the nation in blocks per game at 5.5 per game. Johnson’s seven rejections vs. Purdue marked the sixth time this season he has turned back seven or more shots. He has 18 blocks in the last two games, including his OSU single-game record of 11 at St. John’s last week. Johnson’s defense is only part of the story. Offensively, he is much improved over last season when he connected on 52 percent of his shots. This season he has upped that mark to 58 percent after a 5-9 outing vs. the Boilermakers. He also recorded his third double-double of the season vs. Purdue with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson is the first OSU player to receive a Big Ten Player of the Week Award since Feb. 22, 1999 when Scoonie Penn earned the honor.
