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ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS NAMED; UTHOFF EARNS FIRST TEAM HONORS, JOK NAMED TO 2ND TEAM

The conference handed out top honors on Monday -- which Hawkeyes were named the best of the best by the league's coaches and media?

By RossWB
We major.
We major.
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Big Ten regular season wrapped up yesterday, which must mean it's award season time. On Monday the league handed out individual awards and all-conference designations -- and several Iowa players were honored.  As expected, Jarrod Uthoff earned All-Big Ten first team* honors from the coaches and media -- and did so unanimously, the first Iowa player to do so since Andre Woolridge almost 20 years ago.

While Uthoff's inclusion on the first team was expected, it's still a big deal and worthy of celebration.  Uthoff finished in the top ten in the Big Ten in scoring (18.8 ppg, 2nd), rebounding (6.5 rpg, 10th), and blocked shots (2.7, 1st), while also making 39% of his 3-point attempts (1.9 pg).  As we pointed out earlier this season, Uthoff has an utterly unique skill set and his stellar play carried Iowa to the top of the Big Ten for much of the season.  Uthoff joined Aaron White (2015) and Roy Devyn Marble (2014) in earning All-Big Ten first team honors for Iowa in recent years; there hasn't been a run of first-team success like that in Iowa City in a very, very, very long time.

While Uthoff was named to the All-Big Ten first team, his sharpshooting sidekick, Peter Jok, earned some very deserved All-Big Ten second team honors. Jok finished 6th in the Big Ten in scoring in conference games, averaging 17.3 ppg. He was also 9th in the conference in 3FG%, draining 42.3% of his long range efforts. He was also money at the free throw line (63/74, or 85.1%) and was an accomplished thief, grabbing 1.5 steals per game (3rd best in the conference). Those efforts very deservedly earned Jok a spot on the All-Big Ten second team.

Iowa didn't place any other players on the second or third teams, but Jarrod Uthoff was selected to the All-Defense Team (it would probably be awkward to leave out the leading shotblocker in the Big Ten).

Mike Gesell and Adam Woodbury were named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the Big Ten media, but neither was so honored by the Big Ten coaches.  Which is a rather curious omission, considering their accomplishments this season. Woodbury finished second in the Big Ten in rebounding (10.0 per game, a mere 0.1 rebounds per game behind Michigan State's Matt Costello), led the league in defensive rebounds per game (6.5) and was second in offensive boards per game (3.5).  Gesell finished third in the league in assists per game (5.7), tied for sixth in steals per game (1.3), and led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.5, ahead of Denzel Valentine at 3.0).  Both players also excelled in the areas of the game that aren't always reflected in the stats. Woodbury was the defensive anchor for Iowa, effectively locking down the paint and directing traffic for his teammates, while Gesell was the key offensive facilitator for Iowa -- when Iowa's offense was humming, it was usually when things were flowing through Gesell.  You might have thought that coaches would have appreciated those facets of their game... but apparently not.

The full All-Big Ten first and second teams and individual awards are below and also available here:

FIRST TEAM
Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
A.J. Hammons, Purdue
Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin

SECOND TEAM
Peter Jok, Iowa
Malcolm Hill, Illinois
Melo Trimble, Maryland
Bryn Forbes, Michigan State
Shavon Shields, Nebraska (coaches) / Matt Costello, Michigan State (media)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
A.J. Hammons, Purdue

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
Max Bielfeldt, Indiana

COACH OF THE YEAR
Tom Crean, Indiana

* Uthoff also earned All-America honors on Monday and I assure we're not overlooking that, but we'll discuss that in greater detail in an upcoming post -- likely after a few more All-America teams have been announced.

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