ROSEMONT, Ill. — Iowa senior center Luka Garza has been chosen as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year heading into the 2020-21 men’s basketball season, as voted on by a panel of conference media members. Garza was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2019-20 after leading the Hawkeyes to a 20-11 overall record with an 11-9 finish in Big Ten play. He is the second consecutive student-athlete to earn Player of the Year and then be selected as the Preseason Player of the Year the following season. Former Michigan State Spartan Cassius Winston received the preseason accolade in 2019-20 after claiming postseason honors following the 2018-19 season.
The media also selected a 10-member Preseason All-Big Ten Team with eight conference programs represented.
Garza, along with Illinois junior guard Ayo Dosunmu, were unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Illinois sophomore center Kofi Cockburn, Indiana sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, Iowa junior guard/forward Joe Wieskamp, Michigan State junior forward Aaron Henry, Minnesota junior guard Marcus Carr, Purdue junior forward Trevion Williams, Rutgers senior guard Geo Baker and Wisconsin senior forward Nate Reuvers also earned preseason accolades.
Garza and Dosunmu earned first-team media All-Big Ten honors in 2019-20. Carr, Cockburn, Jackson-Davis, Reuvers and Wieskamp were third-team media selections while Baker and Williams collected honorable mention plaudits last year. Cockburn and Jackson-Davis were also All-Freshman Team honorees.
2020-21 PRESEASON BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Luka Garza, Senior Center, Iowa
2020-21 PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
Kofi Cockburn, Sophomore Center, Illinois
Ayo Dosunmu, Junior Guard, ILLINOIS (Unanimous)
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Sophomore Forward, Indiana
Luka Garza, Senior Center, Iowa (Unanimous)
Joe Wieskamp, Junior Guard/Forward, Iowa
Aaron Henry, Junior Forward, Michigan State
Marcus Carr, Junior Guard, Minnesota
Trevion Williams, Junior Forward, Purdue
Geo Baker, Senior Guard, Rutgers
Nate Reuvers, Senior Forward, Wisconsin