Michigan Wolverines HC Dusty May Wins Big Ten Coach of the Year Honors

Michigan won three of the top four Associated Press Big Ten men's basketball awards Tuesday, with Yaxel Lendeborg voted player of the year and top first-year transfer and Dusty May named coach of the year.

Illinois' Keaton Wagler was the unanimous choice for freshman of the year in voting by a panel of 16 media members who cover the Big Ten.

Lendeborg polished what already was a strong all-around game after transferring from UAB and led the third-ranked Wolverines to their first conference regular-season championship since 2021. He finished the regular season with one of his best outings, scoring 27 points and tying his career high with five 3-pointers in a 90-80 win over Michigan State on Sunday.

Lendeborg is averaging 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and has become a willing 3-point shooter. He also leads the Wolverines in steals and guards multiple positions.

May has built on an outstanding first season at Michigan. The Wolverines won 27 games and the Big Ten Tournament title last year and reached the Sweet 16. This season, they sit 29-2 and well-positioned to make a run at the school's first national championship since 1989.

Wagler entered the season under the radar among incoming freshmen. Though he was the state high school player of the year in Kansas, he was not seriously recruited by Kansas or even Kansas State. The nation knows Wagler now. He averages a team-best 17.9 points and 4.3 assists per game and shoots 41% on 3-pointers and 81% on free throws. He scored the most points by a Big Ten freshman over the last 30 years with 46 against Purdue.

Purdue's Braden Smith is an AP All-Big Ten first-team selection for a third straight year. He is joined on the first team by Michigan State's Jeremy