Four Illini earn All-Big Ten honors

Junior+Ayo+Dosunmu+attempts+to+pivot+around+two+defenders+during+the+game+against+Wisconsin+on+Feb.+6.+Dosunmu+won+the+Bob+Cousy+Award+Saturday+afternoon.

Cameron Krasucki

Junior Ayo Dosunmu attempts to pivot around two defenders during the game against Wisconsin on Feb. 6. Dosunmu won the Bob Cousy Award Saturday afternoon.

By Gabby Hajduk, Sports Editor

Illinois basketball racked up several awards Tuesday morning as the conference announced its All-Big Ten teams and individual honors voted on by coaches and select media. Senior Trent Frazier, junior Ayo Dosunmu, sophomore Kofi Cockburn and freshman Andre Curbelo were all given awards.

Dosunmu was one of two unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selections, joining Iowa’s Luka Garza who won Big Ten Player of the Year. The junior guard made the list two years in a row, joining former Illini guard Dee Brown. Dosunmu finished the regular season averaging a team-high 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. 

While not a unanimous selection, Kofi Cockburn was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team by both coaches and media. Averaging 17.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, Cockburn has solidified himself as one of the tops bigs in the country, let alone the Big Ten.

Illinois was the only team to feature two players on the first team. Cockburn and Dosunmu’s honors also mark the first time two Illini have been selected to the conference first team since Dee Brown and James Augustine in 2005.

Frazier earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team for the first time in his career, an honor the senior has been working towards since he first wore an Illini uniform. He was also an All-Big Ten honorable mention for the third time in his career. Frazier is constantly tasked with guarding the opponent’s best guard and consistently shuts down some of the Big Ten’s best players. 

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Thank you for subscribing!

The Illini had one of their players selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team for the fourth season in a row as Curbelo earned the honor. He follows Cockburn, Dosunmu and Frazier, who were all named to the team their freshman years. Curbelo also was selected as the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. The freshman guard, who came off the bench, averages 8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Curbelo has stepped up for Illinois down the stretch of the regular season, averaging 15 points over the last five games. 

@gabby_h11

[email protected]