White, Gordon Picked as League's Best

Bloomington, Ind. – D.J. White has been tabbed as the Big Ten’s Player of the Year and teammate Eric Gordon was selected as the league’s Freshman of the Year, the Big Ten Conference announced Monday.

White is the first Hoosier to receive the honor since Jared Jeffries captured the award after IU’s 2002 Final Four season. The Hoosiers’ 6-9, 251-pound senior ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring (17.1) and led the league in rebounding (10.3) and became the first Hoosier to average a double-double since Alan Henderson in 1993.

White was a unanimous choice by the league coaches and was also tabbed by selected conference media members. He was joined on both the coaches’ and media’s first-team all-conference squad by Gordon, Purdue’s Robbie Hummel and Wisconsin’s Brian Butch. The coaches also included Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel on its first-team squad, while the media picked Ohio State’s Jamar Butler.

Also recognized were Armon Bassett (third team choice by both coaches and media) and Jamarcus Ellis (honorable mention by media).

Gordon, meanwhile, became the eighth IU player to earn the league’s Freshman of the Year award. The conference’s leading scorer 21.5 points/game, Gordon joins White (2005), Jeffries (2001), A.J. Guyton (1997), Damon Bailey (1991), Eric Anderson (1989), Jay Edwards (1988) and Dean Garrett (1987). Gordon was joined in the all-freshman team by Michigan’s Manny Harris, Ohio State’s Kosta Koufos, and Purdue’s E’twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel.

Purdue, meanwhile, had a couple of individual award winners as well. Coach Matt Painter was selected as the league’s coach of the year after leading the Boilermakers to a 24-7 record and 15-3 mark in conference action. In addition, Chris Kramer was the league’s choice as Defensive Player of the Year.

Kramer was joined on the league’s all-defensive team by Michigan State’s Travis Walton, Wisconsin’s Michael Flowers and Joe Krabbenhoft and Michigan’s Ekpe Udoh.

The final award recipient was Wisconsin’s Jason Bohanon, who was picked as the league’s top sixth man.