O’Brien Earns 2nd Big Ten Coach of the Year Honor – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 5, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio–The Big Ten media selected Ohio State’s Jim O’Brien as the 2001 Big Ten Coach of the Year for the second time in his four years at Ohio State. The Buckeyes finished the 2000-01 regular season with a 20-9 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Big Ten. Ohio State lost its top three scorers from its Big Ten Championship team in 1999-00 and did not return a double-digit scorer in 2000-01.%^$
%^$The Buckeyes have won 20 games for the third-consecutive season and are vying for the program’s third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.%^$
%^$O’Brien was selected for the same Big Ten coaching honor in 1999 after guiding the Buckeyes to a second-place finish in the Big Ten following a last place finish in 1998.%^$
%^$O’Brien has four coach-of-the-year honors in three NCAA Division I conferences. He was the 1983 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year while at St. Bonaventure and was the BIG EAST co-Coach of the Year in 1995-96 at Boston College.%^$
%^$Johnson tabbed First Team All-Big Ten by coaches, media
%^$Ohio State senior center Ken Johnson (6-11, Detroit, Mich./Henry Ford) earned a spot on coaches’ and media All-Big Ten First Team following his best season as a Buckeye. Johnson averaged career-highs with 12.4 points a game and 7.1 rebounds a contest. He also had his best season on the offensive end of the court. He shot 58 percent from the field (139-241) and 70 percent from the free throw line (81-117).%^$
%^$His 25 assists and 12 steals also were career bests for a single season. Defensively, Johnson blocked 118 shots to become the Big Ten career leader in blocked shots with 437. That total also ranks No. 4 all-time in NCAA history.%^$
%^$He also became the 39th player in OSU history to reach 1,000 career points.%^$
%^$Johnson repeats as Big Ten’s best defensive player
%^$In the eyes of the Big Ten coaches, Ken Johnson is the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Johnson also earned the distinction last year as a junior, when he blocked a Big Ten and Ohio State single-season record 161 shots and led the nation with a 5.37 blocks per game average. As a senior, Johnson has blocked 118 shots to up his Big Ten and Ohio State record total to 437.%^$
%^$Brown selected to All-Big Ten Third Team, honorable mention squad
%^$Junior Brian Brown (6-4, G., Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) has his most productive season as a Buckeye to earn Third Team All-Big Ten accolades as selected by the Big Ten media. League coaches placed Brown on the honorable mention squad. Brown lead the Buckeyes in scoring with 14.5 points a contest. He also led Ohio State in field goals made (149), free throws made (86), assists (120), steals (43) and minutes played (975). He shot 46 percent from the field and 72 percent from the foul line while averaging 4.4 rebounds a contest.%^$
%^$2000-01 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team
%^$As selected by Big Ten coaches
%^$(players names in ALL CAPS have 2001-02 eligibility)%^$
%^$FIRST TEAM
%^$Joe Crispin, Penn State
%^$KIRK HASTON, Indiana
%^$Ken Johnson, Ohio State
%^$JASON RICHARDSON, Michigan St.
%^$FRANK WILLIAMS, Illinois
%^$
%^$SECOND TEAM
%^$Charlie Bell, Michigan State
%^$LAVELL BLANCHARD, Michigan
%^$REGGIE EVANS, Iowa
%^$Andre Hutson, Michigan State
%^$JARED JEFFRIES, Indiana
%^$
%^$THIRD TEAM
%^$Roy Boone, Wisconsin
%^$BRIAN COOK, Illinois
%^$Marcus Griffin, Illinois
%^$Titus Ivory, Penn State
%^$Dean Oliver, Iowa
%^$
%^$HONORABLE MENTION
%^$JOHN ALLISON, Purdue
%^$BRIAN BROWN, Ohio State
%^$Gyasi Cline-Heard, Penn State
%^$LUKE RECKER, Iowa
%^$
%^$PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
%^$FRANK WILLIAMS, Illinois
%^$
%^$FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
%^$JARED JEFFRIES, Indiana
%^$
%^$DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
%^$Ken Johnson, Ohio State
%^$
%^$Repeat Performers
%^$First Team: Crispin, Haston, Johnson, Second Team: Bell, Third Team: Oliver. Note: Crispin, Haston and Johnson were named to the coaches’ second-team in2000, Bell was a third-team pick.%^$
%^$As selected by Big Ten media
%^$(players names in ALL CAPS have 2001-02 eligibility)%^$
%^$FIRST TEAM
%^$Charlie Bell, Michigan State
%^$KIRK HASTON, Indiana*
%^$Ken Johnson, Ohio State
%^$JASON RICHARDSON, Michigan St.
%^$FRANK WILLIAMS, Illinois*
%^$
%^$SECOND TEAM
%^$LAVELL BLANCHARD, Michigan
%^$BRIAN COOK, Illinois
%^$Joe Crispin, Penn State
%^$REGGIE EVANS, Iowa
%^$Andre Hutson, Michigan State
%^$
%^$THIRD TEAM
%^$BRIAN BROWN, Ohio State
%^$Gyasi Cline-Heard, Penn State
%^$JARED JEFFRIES, Indiana
%^$Dean Oliver, Iowa
%^$Titus Ivory, Penn State
%^$
%^$HONORABLE MENTION
%^$Roy Boone, Wisconsin
%^$CORY BRADFORD, Illinois
%^$Marcus Griffin, Illinois
%^$Mike Kelley, Wisconsin
%^$LUKE RECKER, Iowa
%^$
%^$PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
%^$FRANK WILLIAMS, Illinois
%^$
%^$FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
%^$JARED JEFFRIES, Indiana*
%^$
%^$COACH OF THE YEAR:
%^$Jim O’Brien, Ohio State
%^$
%^$* unanimous%^$
%^$Repeat Performers
%^$First Team: Bell, Haston, Johnson, Second Team: Blanchard, Crispin, Third Team: Oliver.%^$Note: Haston was named to the coaches’ second-team in 2000, Bell, Blanchard and Johnson were third-team picks, Oliver was an honorable mention selection.
