It’s official.
Rutgers Basketball’s guard/forward Caleb McConnell is the 2021-22 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
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The Big Ten Conference announced the news on Tuesday that McConnell, one of the Scarlet Knights captains, has been named the winner of the award given annually to the league’s top defender.
“I feel like I stepped up to that role this summer,” McConnell recently said. “I told (coach Steve Pikiell I wanted to be defensive player of the year because I knew that would help us. I love my identity and being able to take on that challenge but I feel like I’m not done here yet and have so much more room to grow.”
This is a well deserved award for the Scarlet Knights four-year wing from Florida as night in and night out he was tasked with defending some of the nation’s top offensive threats such as Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis and a few others within the conference.
TOTAL STEALS: 67 (7th in nation / 1st in B1G)
STEALS PER GAME: 2.2 (Tie 6th / 1st in B1G)
DEFENSIVE BOX PLUS/MINUS: 5.3 (1st in B1G)
On top of all that, he also had 21 total steals over a five game stretch which tied him for the second most in the Big Ten Conference since the 2002-03 season.
McConnell is a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.
As far as other Rutgers honors go, Ron Harper Jr. was named All-Big Ten Second Team and Geo Baker was named All-Big Ten Third Team. Baker, Paul Mulcahy, McConnell, and Cliff Omoruyi were named Honorable Mentions, too.
"In my 30-plus years of coaching, I have coached a lot of great defenders and I can truly say Caleb McConnell is a one-of-a-kind defensive player, who can guard all five spots," Pikiell said in a statement. "I want to congratulate Caleb on this prestigious award. I truly believe he is not only the best defender in the Big Ten Conference, but the best defender in the country."
Big Ten Men's Basketball Honors, 2021-22
Player of the Year
Johnny Davis, Wisconsin
All-Big Ten First Team
Johnny Davis, Wisconsin
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
Keegan Murray, Iowa
Jaden Ivey, Purdue
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State
All-Big Ten Second Team
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Zach Edey, Purdue
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
Brad Davison, Wisconsin
All-Big Ten Third Team
Alfonso Plummer, Illinois
Bryce McGowens, Nebraska
Malaki Branham, Ohio State
Trevion Williams, Purdue
Gabe Brown, Michigan State
Geo Baker, Rutgers
Defensive Player of the Year
Caleb McConnell, Rutgers
Freshman of the Year
Malaki Branham, Ohio State
Sixth Man of the Year
Trevion Williams, Purdue
Coach of the Year
Greg Gard, Wisconsin
All-Defensive Team
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Eric Hunter Jr., Purdue
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Wisconsin
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State
Caleb McConnell, Rutgers
All-Freshman Team
Malaki Branham, Ohio State
Max Christie, Michigan State
Moussa Diabate, Michigan
Chucky Hepburn, Wisconsin
Bryce McGowens,
Honorable Mentions
Xavier Johnson, Indiana
Race Thompson, Indiana
Jordan Bohannon, Iowa
Fatts Russell, Maryland
Eric Ayala, Maryland
Eli Brooks, Michigan
Malik Hall, Michian State
Jamison Battle, Minnesota
Payton Willis, Minnesota
Pete Nance, Northwestern
John Harrar, Penn State
Sasha Stefanovic, Purdue
Geo Baker, Rutgers
Caleb McConnell, Rutgers
Paul Mulcahy, Rutgers
Cliff Omoruyi, Rutgers
Tyler Wahl, Wisconsin
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