‘It’s unbelievable’: MSU’s Jaren Jackson big winner of Big Ten awards
Michigan State clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship Sunday with a victory at Wisconsin, and on Monday the Spartans picked up their share of individual accolades.
Sophomore Miles Bridges was a unanimous choice to the All-Big Ten first team voted by the coaches and media, while Jaren Jackson Jr. was named freshman of the year and defensive player of the year.
Jackson and sophomore Cassius Winston were named to the All-Big Ten third team by the coaches and media, while sophomore Nick Ward was named to the third team by the media.
The 6-foot-11 Jackson established a Michigan State record with 102 blocks this season, including eight in a victory over Rutgers. He also averaged 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds.
More: Spartans will welcome their own ‘spring break’ after Big Ten tournament
"Man, it’s unbelievable,” Jackson said on the Big Ten Network. “I probably can’t even really put it into words. It’s something I would only dream of getting, especially getting two (awards) in the same season as a freshman. It’s unbelievable.”
Behind Jackson, Bridges, Winston, Ward and sophomore Joshua Langford, the Spartans won their first outright Big Ten title since 2009 and head into this week’s conference tournament in New York as the No. 1 seed.
“It was straight chaos because we were jumping around getting hype,” Jackson said of how the team celebrated its championship Sunday. “We had to celebrate the moment. Then we just wanted to reflect on the season but also recognize that we’re not done yet and still have more goals we want to accomplish.”
More:UM's Moritz Wagner earns second-team All-Big Ten
Bridges, who was freshman of the year last season, averaged 16.8 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Spartans.
He wasn't Big Ten player of the year. That went to Ohio State's Keita Bates-Diop.
Winston averaged 12.5 points and 6.98 assists during the regular season and led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting at 56.5 percent (70-for-124). Ward scored 13 points a game while grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game. He finished second on the team with 45 blocks.
BIG TEN AWARDS
(*unanimous selection)
COACHES
FIRST TEAM
Miles Bridges, Michigan State*
James Palmer Jr., Nebraska
Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State*
Tony Carr, Penn State
Carsen Edwards, Purdue
SECOND TEAM
Juwan Morgan, Indiana
Moritz Wagner, Michigan
Jae’Sean Tate, Ohio State
Vincent Edwards, Purdue
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin
THIRD TEAM
Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland
Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State
Cassius Winston, Michigan State
Jordan Murphy, Minnesota
Isaac Haas, Purdue
HONORABLE MENTION
Leron Black, Illinois
Robert Johnson, Indiana
Tyler Cook, Iowa
Kevin Huerter, Maryland
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Michigan
Nick Ward, Michigan State
Nate Mason, Minnesota
Isaac Copeland Jr., Nebraska
Lamar Stevens, Penn State
Mike Watkins, Penn State
Dakota Mathias, Purdue
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Bruno Fernando, Maryland
Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State*
Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State
Brad Davison, Wisconsin
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland
Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State*
Josh Reaves, Penn State
Mike Watkins, Penn State
Dakota Mathias, Purdue
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR: Duncan Robinson, Michigan
COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris Holtmann, Ohio State
MEDIA
FIRST TEAM
Miles Bridges, Michigan State*
Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State*
Tony Carr, Penn State
Carsen Edwards, Purdue
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin
SECOND TEAM
Juwan Morgan, Indiana
Moritz Wagner, Michigan
Jordan Murphy, Minnesota
James Palmer Jr., Nebraska
Vincent Edwards, Purdue
THIRD TEAM
Anthony Cowan Jr., Maryland
Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State
Nick Ward, Michigan State
Cassius Winston, Michigan State
Isaac Haas, Purdue
HONORABLE MENTION
Leron Black, Illinois
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Jordan Bohannon, Iowa
Tyler Cook, Iowa
Kevin Huerter, Maryland
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Michigan
Nate Mason, Minnesota
Isaac Copeland Jr., Nebraska
Bryant McIntosh, Northwestern
Dererk Pardon, Northwestern
Jae’Sean Tate, Ohio State
Lamar Stevens, Penn State
Mike Watkins, Penn State
Dakota Mathias, Purdue
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State
COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris Holtmann, Ohio State
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