COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Ten Conference announced its postseason conference awards and the Ohio State Buckeyes were well represented in a season that saw the team shock everyone with a 15-3 league record and a No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
Forward Keita Bates-Diop was named conference Player of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten while teammate Jae'Sean Tate was named to the second team (media). Freshman Kaleb Wesson would be honored in his first year as a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team. First-year head coach Chris Holtmann also got in on the action as he was named the Big Ten's Coach of the Year.
Bates-Diop has averaged 19.2 points per game along with 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists for the Buckeyes. In the regular season finale, KBD scored 24 points at Indiana as the Buckeyes won a double-overtime thrilled, 80-78 in Bloomington (Ind.). No shot may be remembered more this season than Bates-Diop's putback at Purdue to give the Buckeyes a 64-63 upset win over the then No. 3 Boilermakers on their home floor.
KBD was named as an honorable mention all-league performer after the 2015-16 season and missed much of the 2016-17 season due to injury. He has made the most out of this season with multiple conference player of the week awards, being named to the Naismith late-season award list, the Wooden Award late season watch list, the Oscar Robertson midseason award list as well as being a Julius Erving Award candidate.
Bates-Diop currently has 1,195 career points for the Buckeyes and should reel in several more Ohio State greats with a strong tournament run including names like John Havlicek, Larry Siegfried and Ronnie Stokes all within striking distance.
This marks the 7th conference player of the year award winner by Ohio State, breaking a tie with Indiana (the award was first presented after the 1984-85 season). Only Michigan State has more, with eight. Evan Turner was the last Ohio State player to win the award after the 2009-10 season.
KBD has one more year of eligibility remaining after this season, but it seems quite likely that this will be Bates-Diop's final year with the Buckeyes.
Tate has been recognized by the Big Ten in each of his previous three seasons with the Buckeyes, twice as an honorable mention All-Big Ten and once as a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
He had been a steady performer throughout his career in amassing 1,483 career points, 750 rebounds and 210 assists as Tate has seen time both as a power forward and as a primary ball-handler during his time with the Buckeyes.
Tate has some big names to catch in the scoring record books as well with Jerry Francis just three points away and Evan Turner only 34 points ahead of him.
The Buckeyes have not had a coach win the conference coach of the year award since the 2010 season when Thad Matta shared the award with Purdue's Matt Painter. That streak is over with the easy choice of Chris Holtmann this season.
The first-year Ohio State head coach inherited a team that went 7-11 in league play last season and just seemed to have lost its upward trajectory. Holtmann and his staff came in, late within the process, and turned the Buckeyes around to a 15-3 conference mark and a top-15 ranking in the national polls.
While this is Holtmann's first Coach of the Year honors with the Buckeyes it is not the first time he has won a league award with a Big South COY award coming in 2013 and a Big East COY award in 2017. Holtmann would go on to win the John McLendon National Coach of the Year award as well. The jury is still out if Holtmann will win a national award this year, but he has made the cut on many lists as he led an Ohio State team that was lightly regarded this season into a team that challenged for a conference title and could be a tough out in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Freshman Kaleb Wesson also found his way into the season honors as he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. The Westerville (Ohio) native averaged 11 points per game along with 5.2 rebounds per game.
