Big Ten coaches and media unveiled choices for the top players in the conference Tuesday, tabbing sophomore guard Chris Hill and sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson for Big Ten honors.
Hill was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team while Anderson picked up an honorable mention from the media. It is the first all-conference honor for both players.
Hill leads the Spartans with 14.2 points and 3.7 assists per game this season and is third in the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal accuracy (40.5 percent) and second in 3-pointers made (79). The Indianapolis native was seventh in the conference in steals, averaging 1.6 a contest.
"It's obviously a big honor and I'm very proud of it," Hill said. "At the same time I think a lot of credit goes to my teammates too because had we not been able to make a run in the Big Ten standings, I don't think anyone on our team would've been recognized."
Hill, who was named to the Wooden Award Preseason All-American Team prior to the season, also claimed Academic All-America honors earlier this season. He is just the fourth player in Spartan basketball history to be named to that academic team.
Despite adjusting to main point guard duties on offense and missing three games with a dislocated finger, Anderson averaged 9.7 points and shot 84 percent from the free-throw line, the fourth best mark in the conference. The decision came as news to him.
"I was?" Anderson said. "I missed a couple of games. I don't worry too much about that, though."
Illinois' Brian Cook was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, finishing tops in the conference in scoring (20.1 ppg) and third in rebounding, averaging just over seven a game. Wisconsin's Bo Ryan repeated as Big Ten Coach of the Year and Michigan guard Daniel Horton was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Last season, former Spartan Marcus Taylor was a first team honoree and senior forward Adam Ballinger earned a spot on the third team.
Head coach Tom Izzo summarized the sophomores' season with equal parts disappointment for Hill's placement on the second team and surprise at Anderson's.
"I was a little disappointed in a way," Izzo said of Hill's placement on the second team. "But I understand."
His assessment of Anderson's placement in light of his finger injury wasn't as stoic.
"Two of those teams (of the three games Anderson missed) were only teams we played once," Izzo said. "So why would those coaches vote for him?"
