Trio of Indiana basketball players receive All-Big Ten honors as full awards announced

The Big Ten regular season has wrapped up and numerous Indiana basketball player received awards for their great individual seasons.

As it was announced per an Indiana basketball release, Kel’el Ware was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team while Mackenzie Mgbako was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Malik Reneau and Trey Galloway also received honors.  That group helped lead Indiana basketball to an 18-13 overall record and 10-10 record in the conference.

Indiana basketball will play the winner of Michigan-Penn State on Thursday night in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Below is the full release.

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako, sophomore forward Malik Reneau, and sophomore center Kel’el Ware were honored by the Big Ten Conference, and the league’s coaches and media as All-Big Ten selections and specialty teams were announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Mgbako was selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and was awarded Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches. He is the 14th Hoosier since the inception of the team in 2003 to be placed on the All-Freshman Team.

The Hoosiers are the first Big Ten program to win consecutive Freshman of the Year accolades (Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2023) since Michigan State’s Miles Bridges (2017) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (2018).

Mgbako paced the Hoosiers with 49 made 3-pointers and averaged 12.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest. He led all freshman across the Big Ten in total points (377), points per game (12.2), 20-point games (3), and made free throws (82), finished second in made 3-pointers (49), and ended third in total rebounds (123).

Ware, a transfer from Oregon, was selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team by the media and Third Team by the coaches. He was also named to the All-Defensive Team. He is the fourth player in program history to be named to the All-Defensive Team, a team first formed following the 2005-06 season.

The North Little Rock, Ark., native averaged a team-best 16.1 points (11th in the Big Ten), 9.8 rebounds (2nd), and 1.9 blocks (5th) per game while shooting 59.9% (178-of-297) from the field and 44.7% (17-of-38) from behind the arc. Ware posted a program-high 14 double-doubles, eight 20-point, 10-rebound games, 18 multi-block outings, and shot 65.0% or better on at least eight made buckets in 11 games. Over the final seven games of the regular season, Ware averaged 20.7 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks on 69.2% (63-of-91) shooting from the floor. One of the most improved players in the country, he averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and shot 45.7% from the floor as a freshman.

Reneau was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten from both the coaches and the media. He finished the season with a career-best 15.7 points per game (14th in the Big Ten), 5.9 rebounds (19th), and 2.7 assists (t-22nd). He shot 57.0% (191-of-335) from the floor, 32.6% (14-of-43) from the 3-point line, and 66.9% (91-of-136) from the charity stripe.

Senior guard Trey Galloway was selected as the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree for Indiana. Galloway was one of three Hoosiers to start in all 31 games this season. The Culver Academies graduate averaged career highs in points (10.6), assists (4.6), steals (1.2), and minutes played (33.4) during his fourth season.

2023-24 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team (Coaches)

FIRST TEAM

ZACH EDEY, PURDUE

BOO BUIE, NORTHWESTERN

Terrance Shannon Jr., Illinois

Braden Smith, Purdue

Marcus Domask, Illinois

SECOND TEAM

Tyson Walker, Michigan State

AJ Storr, Wisconsin

Jahmir Young, Maryland

Keisei Tominaga, Nebraska

Tony Perkins, Iowa

THIRD TEAM*

Payton Sandfort, Iowa

Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State

Dawson Garcia, Minnesota

Kel’el Ware, Indiana

Rienk Mast, Nebraska

Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern

HONORABLE MENTION

Coleman Hawkins, Illinois; Malik Reneau, Indiana; Owen Freeman, Iowa; Donta Scott, Maryland; Julian Reese, Maryland; Malik Hall, Michigan State; A.J. Hoggard, Michigan State; Elijah Hawkins, Minnesota; Jamison Battle, Ohio State; Bruce Thornton, Ohio State; Nick Kern Jr., Penn State; Qudus Wahab, Penn State; Mason Gillis, Purdue; Lance Jones, Purdue; Fletcher Loyer, Purdue; Clifford Omoruyi, Rutgers; Chucky Hepburn, Wisconsin; Tyler Wahl, Wisconsin

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana

Owen Freeman, Iowa

Cam Christie, Minnesota

John Blackwell, Wisconsin

DeShawn Harris-Smith, Maryland

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM*

Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State

Clifford Omoruyi, Rutgers

Zach Edey, Purdue

Chucky Hepburn, Wisconsin

Kel’el Ware, Indiana

Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Zach Edey, Purdue

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR*

Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

Mason Gillis, Purdue

CO-COACH OF THE YEAR

Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska

Matt Painter, Purdue

CO-FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana

Owen Freeman, Iowa

HOWARD MOORE ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR

Brandon Brantley, Purdue

Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS

*Additional honorees due to ties

2023-24 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team (Media)

FIRST TEAM

ZACH EDEY, PURDUE

BOO BUIE, NORTHWESTERN

Terrance Shannon Jr., Illinois

Braden Smith, Purdue

Jahmir Young, Maryland

SECOND TEAM

Marcus Domask, Illinois

Tyson Walker, Michigan State

Dawson Garcia, Minnesota

AJ Storr, Wisconsin

Kel’el Ware, Indiana

THIRD TEAM

Payton Sandfort, Iowa

Bruce Thornton, Ohio State

Keisei Tominaga, Nebraska

Coleman Hawkins, Illinois

Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State

HONORABLE MENTION

Malik Reneau, Indiana; Josh Dix, Iowa; Owen Freeman, Iowa; Ben Krikke, Iowa; Tony Perkins, Iowa; Julian Reese, Maryland; Malik Hall, Michigan State; A.J. Hoggard; Michigan State; Elijah Hawkins, Minnesota; Rienk Mast, Nebraska; Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern; Jamison Battle, Ohio State; Lance Jones, Purdue; Fletcher Loyer, Purdue; Clifford Omoruyi, Rutgers

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

ZACH EDEY, PURDUE

COACH OF THE YEAR

Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska

Matt Painter, Purdue

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Owen Freeman, Iowa

Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS

SEE ALSO: Tom Izzo vocalizes support of Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson

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