Paul Davis Named First-Team All-Big Ten
3/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State sophomore center Paul Davis (Rochester, Mich.) was named First-Team All-Big Ten on Tuesday morning as selected by both the league's coaches and media. Junior guard Chris Hill (Indianapolis, Ind.) earned a spot on both all-conference second teams, while junior guard Kelvin Torbert (Flint, Mich.) was a third-team pick by the media and an honorable mention selection by the coaches. Freshman guard Shannon Brown (Maywood, Ill.) was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Michigan State is the only team with three players on the top three teams.
"Anytime you get four guys on some type of All-Big Ten team, it's very impressive," said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. "I was very happy the media found a way to get Kelvin Torbert on the third team. He was very deserving. For Chris Hill to be a repeat Second-Team All-Big Ten player and Paul Davis to be a First-Team All-Big Ten player and Shannon Brown to be on the All-Freshman team, I think it's great for our program and great for our guys. There's a lot of guys that deserve the accolades and usually if the team does well, you get more people honored. Our team has done pretty well, so we have pretty good representation."
Davis leads the Spartans in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg). He ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring, seventh in rebounding, fifth in field-goal percentage (.562) and sixth in free-throw percentage (.804). In league games, he ranked fourth in scoring (16.4 ppg), tied for eighth in rebounding (6.1 rpg), third in field-goal percentage (.595) and fourth in free-throw percentage (.848). An NABC All-District honoree, Davis is the only Spartan to start every game this year. He has scored in double figures in 22 of 27 games, scoring 20 or more points eight times, including a career-best 32 points vs. Indiana (1/31). Davis has also recorded three double-doubles this year.
"It's a great honor," said Davis. "It was a pretty good season, but obviously, we didn't come out on top like we wanted to. We played great as a team and half of my honors should go to my teammates because they were the ones giving me the ball. They were the ones playing great and I was just right there with them.
"There's always room for improvement. This year, I played better than last year because I was more confident. But, there's still room for improvement, like getting stronger and keep working on my game."
Hill ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game and leads the team with 3.9 assists per contest. He leads the league in 3-point field goals made per game (2.89) and ranks second in 3-point field-goal percentage (.456). In league games, he ranked first in 3-point field goals made (2.88) and fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage. He has made 78 3-pointers this season, which ranks sixth on the MSU single-season chart. He ranks second at MSU in career 3-point field goals made (239) and career 3-point field goals attempted (554). A 2004 First-Team Academic All-American, Hill ranks 19th in MSU career scoring (1,214 points). He also earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2003.
"I'm a big believer that any time you have team success, individuals will receive accolades," said Hill. "We got some guys on the list because we were able to do well and turn things around as a team in the Big Ten season."
Torbert is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top 10 of the league's statistics in field-goal percentage (9th, .529), 3-point field-goal percentage (1st, .500) and free-throw percentage (8th, .795). He also accomplished the same feat in league games leading the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage (1st, .588), ranking third in free-throw percentage (.870) and sixth in field-goal percentage (.543). Torbert has scored in double figures in 14 games this season, with MSU posting a 12-2 record in those contests.
"You're always glad to win some type of award," said Torbert. "A lot of the credit goes to my teammates and guys that have contributed to me playing well and getting me the ball. We had four players honored and that says a lot about the team. Hopefully, we can build off that."
Brown earned All-Freshman Team honors after finishing the regular season averaging 7.7 points and 2.6 rebounds. He started 21 of the last 22 games, sitting only during MSU's Senior Day. Brown's best offensive game of the year was a 15-point, seven-rebound effort at Syracuse (1/3). In Big Ten games, Brown scored 13 points each against Penn State (1/14) and Minnesota (2/14).
"Because of my personal expectations, I didn't feel that I had the kind of season I wanted to have," said a surprised Brown. "I think I could have done a little more to help the team, but it's still a great honor to receive the award. I hope to build from this and continue to work hard, because there is still a lot of room for improvement. Without my teammates, this award would not have been possible."
Wisconsin's Devin Harris was named Big Ten Player of the Year by both the coaches and media. Harris and Davis were joined by Minnesota's Kris Humphries, Illinois' Deron Williams and Northwestern's Jitim Young on the first team. Humphries was named Freshman of the Year by both the coaches and media. The media also selected Northwestern's Bill Carmody as Coach of the Year. The league's coaches named Purdue's Kenneth Lowe Defensive Player of the Year.
The second team includes Hill, Lowe, Illinois' Dee Brown, Wisconsin's Mike Wilkinson and Indiana's Bracey Wright. The media's third team was comprised of Torbert, Michigan's Lester Abram and Bernard Robinson Jr. and Iowa's Jeff Horner and Pierre Pierce. On the coaches' ballot, Ohio State's Velimir Radinovic replaced Torbert.
2003-04 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team
As selected by Big Ten coaches(players names in ALL CAPS have 2004-05 eligibility)
FIRST TEAMPaul Davis, Michigan StateDEVIN HARRIS, Wisconsin*KRIS HUMPHRIES, MinnesotaDERON WILLIAMS, IllinoisJitim Young, Northwestern
SECOND TEAMDEE BROWN, IllinoisChris Hill, Michigan StateKenneth Lowe, PurdueMIKE WILKINSON, WisconsinBRACEY WRIGHT, Indiana
THIRD TEAMLESTER ABRAM, MichiganJEFF HORNER, IowaPIERRE PIERCE, IowaVelimir Radinovic, Ohio StateBernard Robinson, Jr., Michigan
HONORABLE MENTIONJAMES AUGUSTINE, IllinoisJAN JAGLA, Penn StateROGER POWELL, IllinoisMARSHALL STRICKLAND, IndianaDAVID TEAGUE, PurdueKelvin Torbert, Michigan St.VEDRAN VUKUSIC, Northwestern
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAMShannon Brown, Michigan St.DION HARRIS, MichiganKRIS HUMPHRIES, MinnesotaCOURTNEY SIMS, MichiganMARLON SMITH, Penn State
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:DEVIN HARRIS, Wisconsin
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:KRIS HUMPHRIES, Minnesota
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:Kenneth Lowe, Purdue
Repeat PerformersFirst Team: Harris (2nd in 2003), Young (3rd);Second Team: Brown (3rd), Hill (2nd), Lowe (3rd), Wright (3rd);Third Team: Robinson (3rd).
* unanimous
As selected by Big Ten media(players names in ALL CAPS have 2004-05 eligibility)
FIRST TEAMPaul Davis, Michigan StateDEVIN HARRIS, Wisconsin*KRIS HUMPHRIES, MinnesotaDERON WILLIAMS, IllinoisJitim Young, Northwestern
SECOND TEAMDEE BROWN, IllinoisChris Hill, Michigan StateKenneth Lowe, PurdueMIKE WILKINSON, WisconsinBRACEY WRIGHT, Indiana
THIRD TEAMLESTER ABRAM, MichiganJEFF HORNER, IowaPIERRE PIERCE, IowaBernard Robinson, Jr., MichiganKelvin Torbert, Michigan St.
HONORABLE MENTIONJAMES AUGUSTINE, IllinoisA.J. Moye, IndianaROGER POWELL, IllinoisVelimir Radinovic, Ohio StateVEDRAN VUKUSIC, Northwestern
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:DEVIN HARRIS, Wisconsin
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:KRIS HUMPHRIES, Minnesota*
COACH OF THE YEAR:Bill Carmody, Northwestern
Repeat PerformersFirst Team: Harris (3rd in 2003);Second Team: Brown (2nd), Hill (2nd), Lowe (3rd), Wright (3rd);Third Team: Robinson (3rd).
* unanimous
