Men’s Basketball All-Conference Teams and Individual Awards Announced – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/6/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2000
Park Ridge, IL – Michigan State senior Morris Peterson and Indiana senior A.J. Guyton share Big Ten Player of the Year honors. Peterson earns his first player of the year award as voted upon by the Conference coaches, while Guyton is named the player of the year as voted upon by a panel of League media voters. This is the second straight year and only the third time in Conference history that co-Big Ten players have been selected.
Peterson and Guyton also headline the All-Big Ten Team. Peterson led Michigan State to a share of its third-straight regular-season title and ninth Conference championship. The Spartans will be the second seed in the third annual Big Ten Conference Tournament, held March 9-12 at the United Center in Chicago. Guyton, who won the Big Ten scoring title (21.6 ppg), hit numerous Big Ten milestones this season, including becoming only the 57th player to score 1,000 points in Conference play.
Other individual honors include Illinois’ Brian Cook and Michigan’s LaVell Blanchard being named Conference Freshmen of the Year by the coaches, while Blanchard alone was selected for this honor by the media. Ohio State senior Ken Johnson, who set the Big Ten records for blocks per game (5.63) and in a single season (90), was tabbed the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches. He is the first Ohio State player to garner this honor. For the seventh time in his career, Purdue head coach Gene Keady was recognized as the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Keady has led his nationally-ranked Boilermakers to a 21-8 overall record, a 12-4 Conference mark and third seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Both the coaches’ and media First-Team All-Big Ten squads feature these players: Guyton, Peterson, Michigan State’s Mateen Cleaves, Ohio State’s Scoonie Penn and Penn State’s Jarrett Stephens. Michael Redd earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors by the coaches, while Cleaves and Stephens tied for the fifth spot on that same team. Peterson was a unanimous selection by the coaches, while Guyton was a unanimous pick by the media. Cleaves became the 16th player in Big Ten history and only the second in Spartan lore to have been named a first-team honoree three straight years. The last Conference player to garner this honor was Northwestern’s Evan Eschmeyer and the only other Michigan State player to have been named a three-time All-Big Ten honoree was Mike Robinson (1972-74).
As Selected by the Big Ten Coaches
FIRST TEAM
Morris Peterson, Michigan State*
A.J. Guyton, Indiana
Scoonie Penn, Ohio State
MICHAEL REDD, Ohio State
Jarrett Stephens, Penn State (tie)
Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State (tie)
* unanimous
SECOND TEAM
Brian Cardinal, Purdue
CORY BRADFORD, Illinois
KIRK HASTON, Indiana
Ken Johnson, Ohio State
JOE CRISPIN, Penn State
THIRD TEAM
CHARLIE BELL, Michigan State
George Reese, Ohio State
DEAN OLIVER, Iowa
Mike Robinson, Purdue
Michael Lewis, Indiana
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Morris Peterson, Michigan State
FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR:
BRIAN COOK, Illinois/LaVELL BLANCHARD, Michigan
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Ken Johnson, Ohio State
Repeat Performers from 1998-99
First Team: Peterson, Penn, Cleaves
Second Team: Guyton, Redd
Third Team: Oliver, Bradford, Cardinal
As Selected by the Media
FIRST TEAM
A.J. Guyton, Indiana*
Morris Peterson, Michigan State
Scoonie Penn, Ohio State
Jarrett Stephens, Penn State
Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State
* unanimous
SECOND TEAM
MICHAEL REDD, Ohio State
Brian Cardinal, Purdue
KIRK HASTON, Indiana
CORY BRADFORD, Illinois
JOE CRISPIN, Penn State
THIRD TEAM
Ken Johnson, Ohio State
CHARLIE BELL, Michigan State
George Reese, Ohio State
Mike Robinson, Purdue
LaVELL BLANCHARD, Michigan
HONORABLE MENTION
Michael Lewis, Indiana
DEAN OLIVER, IOWA
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
A.J. Guyton, Indiana
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
LaVELL BLANCHARD, Michigan
COACH OF THE YEAR:
Gene Keady, Purdue
Repeat Performers from, 1998-99
First Team: Peterson, Penn, Cleaves
Second Team: Guyton, Redd
Third Team: Oliver
