Michigan Cashes in With Several Major Big Ten Basketball Awards

When you go 29-2, win the Big Ten outright by four games, and have three potential NBA draft picks — you're likely going to earn some awards at the end of the season.

On Tuesday, the Big Ten Conference released its end of the season awards and Michigan cashed in.

Coaches Selection

First Team:

F Yaxel Lendeborg

Third Team:

F Morez Johnson Jr.
C Aday Mara

All-Freshman Team:

G Trey McKenney

All-Defensive Team:

F Morez Johnson Jr.
F Yaxel Lendeborg
C Aday Mara

Player of the Year: Yaxel Lendeborg
Defensive Player of the Year: Aday Mara

Media Selections

First Team:

F Yaxel Lendeborg

Second Team:

F Morez Johnson Jr.

Third Team:

C Aday Mara

Honorable Mention:

G Elliot Cadeau

Player of the Year: Yaxel Lendeborg
Coach of the Year: Dusty May

More on the award winners

While Coach May was named the Media's Coach of the Year, it was Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg who was selected as the Coaches' Coach of the Year. May is Michigan's sixth Big Ten Coach of the Year.

In May's second season at the helm, he already led Michigan to a Big Ten Tournament title last season, and now he has the Wolverines in position to capture the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament if they can make a run in the Big Ten Tournament. Under May, the Wolverines won 19 conference games — the most ever.

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) hugs forward Will Tschetter (42) after a play against Michigan State. — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yaxel Lendeborg is Michigan's first Big Ten Player of the Year since Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas won the award in back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014. The new Big Ten Player of the Year is the Wolverines' ninth player ever to be named Big Ten POY.

Lendeborg led Michigan, scoring 14.7 points this season. He also grabbed 7.2 rebounds and dished out 3.2 assists.

Mara also cashes in with his defensive presence

The UCLA transfer is just the second Wolverine to ever win the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Aday Mara is the first Michigan player to win the award since Gary Grant did so back in 1986 and 1987.

Mara averaged 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and was one the best shot blockers in college basketball, averaging 2.6 blocks per game.

Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) reacts after the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. — Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Mara joined Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. — who was also named to the All-Big Ten team — on the All-Defensive Team. Entering this season Michigan only had three players who were on the All-Defensive Team: Ekpe Udoh (2008), Jordan Morgan (2013), and Zavier Simpson (2019).

Michigan will now enter the Big Ten Tournament and is set to play its first game on Friday.