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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Juniors Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook, sophomore Luka Garza, and freshman Joe Wieskamp earned postseason conference recognition, the Big Ten Conference announced on Monday.
Cook was voted to the All-Big Ten second-team by the media and third-team by the coaches; Bohannon was a third-team selection by the coaches and an honorable mention selection by the media; Garza was also an honorable mention choice by the media; Wieskamp was voted to the five-player All-Big Ten Freshman Team by the league head coaches. Redshirt senior Nicholas Baer was named Iowa men’s basketball Sportsmanship Award recipient for the third consecutive year.
Cook, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, ranks third in the league in free throws attempted per game (6.41), sixth in rebounding (8.1), ninth in field goal percentage (.534), and tied for 11th in scoring (15.0). Cook (6-foot-9, 250 pounds) is one of only two Big Ten student-athletes this season to average at least 15 points and eight rebounds per game (Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ). Cook is one of only nine players in program history to total more than 1,200 points and 600 rebounds. Cook has posted a team-best six double-doubles this season and is one of 15 players in Iowa history to record at least 15 career double-doubles. He recorded at least 15 points and five rebounds over a 10-game span from Nov. 30 to Jan. 12, becoming the first Hawkeye to accomplish the feat since James Winters 25 years ago (1993-94). The junior forward was named to the 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament Team, averaging 17.5 points and nine rebounds in wins over Oregon and Connecticut at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Bohannon, a native of Marion, Iowa, ranks first in the Big Ten in free throw accuracy (.877), fourth in three-pointers made per game (3.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1), tied for sixth in assists per game (3.4), and tied for 30th in points per game (11.8). For the second consecutive season, Bohannon led the league in free throw percentage during conference play. The junior guard missed only seven free throws in 20 Big Ten games this season (64-of-71, .901). Bohannon was 37-of-39 (.949) a year ago. Bohannon’s three-point shooting down the strectch in games versus Indiana (home and away) and Northwestern (home) helped propel Iowa to victories in those three games. He has a team-best 105 assists this season, becoming just the seventh Hawkeye to register three 100-assist seasons, joining Dean Oliver, Mike Gesell, Andre Woolridge, Devyn Marble, B.J. Armstrong, and Jeff Horner. Bohannon (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) leads the Hawkeyes with 73 three-point field goals; his career total of 258 is four shy of tying Jeff Horner for the most in program history.
Garza, a native of Washington, D.C., ranks sixth in the Big Ten in free throw accuracy (.819), 11th in field goal percentage (.525), and tied for 21st in points per game (13.0). Garza has scored in double figures in 17 games, including scoring 20 points or more a team-best seven times, including four straight games (Jan. 16-27). He netted a career-high 25 points in road games at Minnesota (Jan. 27) and Nebraska (March 10). Garza was named the 2K Empire Classic Most Valuable Player after averaging 17 points and 6.5 rebounds in helping lead Iowa to wins over Oregon and Connecticut at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Wieskamp, a native of Muscatine, Iowa, becomes the eighth Hawkeye to be voted to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team since 2007, including the sixth under head coach Fran McCaffery (Eric May in 2010; Melsahn Basabe in 2011; Aaron White in 2015; Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook in 2017). Wieskamp ranks third in the Big Ten in three-point accuracy (.431, 53-of-123), which currently ranks second all-time among Iowa freshmen behind Jake Kelly (.435, 30-of-69). Wieskamp twice earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors this season and sank the game-winning basket on a baseline 3-pointer that grazed the side of the backboard with 0.2 seconds remaining to propel Iowa to a 71-69 triumph at Rutgers on Feb. 16. Wieskamp tied an Iowa’s single-game 3-point percentage record when he made all six 3-point attempts in Iowa’s 24-point win over Illinois (Jan. 20), tying Jeff Horner (2004 versus Penn State) and Jim Bartels (1995 at Ohio State).
Baer earned the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the third straight season. The forward averages 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.25 assists. His 33 blocked shots and 31 steals lead the team, while his 6.6 point per game leads Hawkeye reserves. Baer is the first Hawkeye in program history to surpass 750 points, 500 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 steals, 100 blocked shots, and 100 three-pointers.
Both the media and coaches named Purdue’s Matt Painter and Michigan State’s Cassius Winston the Coach of the Year and Player of the Year, respectively. The coaches selected Penn State senior Josh Reaves as Defensive Player of the Year and Michigan State’s Xavier Tillman as Sixth Player of the Year. Both groups also named Ignas Brazdeikis of Michigan as Freshman of the Year.
Iowa (21-10, 10-10) will open play in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday against either 11th-seed Illinois (11-20, 7-13) or 14th-seeded Northwestern (13-18, 4-16). Game time is approximately 8:30 p.m. (CT) at the United Center in Chicago. Tickets are available at the United Center box office or online at ticketmaster.com.
