Brown Picked to First Team All-Big Ten Squads – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 5, 2002
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Release From The Big Ten Office
COLUMBUS, Ohio–Brian Brown, a senior guard on the Ohio State men’s basketball team, was selected by both the Big Ten coaches and media to the 2002 First Team All-Big Ten Team, the league announced Tuesday.
Brent Darby, a junior guard from Detroit, Mich., was selected to the second team by the league coaches and to the third team by the conference media. Boban Savovic, a senior guard from Montenegro, Yugoslavia, earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition by the Big Ten media.
Brown, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., led the Buckeyes in scoring with 15.6 points per game. He played a team-high 33.0 minutes per game, connected on a team-high 148-of-302 field goals (.490) and recorded 92 assists and 20 steals as a senior.
Brown and Savovic are the only seniors in Ohio State history to participate in four-consecutive 20-win seasons and likely will become part of the only senior class, along with center Will Dudley, to participate in four-consecutive NCAA tournaments.
The senior class also set an Ohio State record with 90 victories in their careers, which included a trip to the 1999 Final Four and a pair of Big Ten championships (2000, 2002). Darby was the second-leading scorer for the 20-7 Buckeyes, who tied for the league title with an 11-5 record in conference play. He averaged 12.9 points per contest and led the Buckeyes from the free throw line with a 79.4 percent foul-shooting average (104-131).
Savovic, who like Brown and Darby, started all 27 games during the regular season. He led Ohio State from 3-point range (50-123/.407), in assists (100) and with 34 steals.
Brown (15.6 ppg.), Darby (12.9 ppg.) and Savovic (12.0 ppg.) all had career-high, single-season scoring averages this year.
Jim O’Brien, Ohio State head coach, said the players earned the recognition by the Big Ten coaches and media.
“The thing about Brian is that he earned these awards with his consistent play,” O’Brien said. “His overall game is why he deserved to be recognized. This is a great accomplishment for him considering where he came from as a freshman.
“Brent established himself as one of the better players in the conference this year,” O’Brien said. “He had a very good season for us. Similarly, Boban deserved some recognition for his contributions to our team. He was every bit as valuable to our success.”
Ohio State, the No. 2 seed in the 2002 Big Ten Tournament, plays at 6:40 p.m. Friday in Indianapolis, Ind., against the winner of the Northwestern (No. 7) vs. Michigan (No. 10) game Thursday. The game will be televised locally on WBNS-TV (Ch. 10).
2001-02 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team
As selected by Big Ten coaches
FIRST TEAM
Brian Brown, Ohio State
Jared Jeffries, Indiana*
Kirk Penney, Wisconsin
Marcus Taylor, Michigan State
Frank Williams, Illinois
SECOND TEAM
Brian Cook, Illinois
Tom Coverdale, Indiana
Brent Darby, Ohio State
Reggie Evans, Iowa
Rick Rickert, Minnesota
THIRD TEAM
Robert Archibald, Illinois
Willie Deane, Purdue
Tavaras Hardy, Northwestern
Luke Recker, Iowa
Dusty Rychart, Minnesota
HONORABLE MENTION
Travarus Bennett, Minnesota
Winston Blake, Northwestern
Charlie Wills, Wisconsin
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
JARED JEFFRIES, Indiana
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
RICK RICKERT, Minnesota
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:
Dane Fife, Indiana, and Travarus Bennett, Minnesota
* unanimous
Repeat Performers
First Team: Williams, Second Team: Evans, Third Team: None. Note: Jeffries was named to the coaches’ second-team in 2001, Cook was a third-team pick, and Brown and Recker were honorable mention selections.
As selected by Big Ten media
FIRST TEAM
Brian Brown, Ohio State
Jared Jeffries, Indiana*
Kirk Penney, Wisconsin
Marcus Taylor, Michigan State
Frank Williams, Illinois
SECOND TEAM
Brian Cook, Illinois
Tom Coverdale, Indiana
Willie Deane, Purdue
Reggie Evans, Iowa
Rick Rickert, Minnesota
THIRD TEAM
Adam Ballinger, Michigan State
LaVell Blanchard, Michigan
Brent Darby, Ohio State
Luke Recker, Iowa
Dusty Rychart, Minnesota
HONORABLE MENTION
Robert Archibald, Illinois
Boban Savovic, Ohio State
Sharif Chambliss, Penn State
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Jared Jeffries, Indiana
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
RICK RICKERT, Minnesota
COACH OF THE YEAR:
Bo Ryan, Wisconsin
* unanimous
Repeat Performers
First Team: Williams, Second Team: Cook, Evans, Third Team: None. Note: Blanchard was named to the media second-team in 2001, Brown and Jeffries were third-team picks and Recker was an honorable mention selection.
