McCamey Earns First-Team All-Big Ten Honors
Richardson Named Freshman of the Year by Coaches; Tisdale and Davis also Recognized
Champaign, Ill. — Big Ten postseason awards were announced this evening on the Big Ten Network and the Fighting Illini had four players recognized. Junior Demetri McCamey earned first-team All-Big Ten honors by both the coaches and media. D.J. Richardson was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the coaches and to the All-Freshman team. Junior Mike Tisdale received honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades by the coaches and media, while junior Mike Davis was named All-Big Ten by the media.
McCamey is the first Illini to earn first-team all-conference honors since Dee Brown in 2006. McCamey leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.9 points, and ranks second in the nation in assists with an average of 6.8 apg. He accounted for 51 percent of the Illini offense in Big Ten play, scoring 274 points and assisting on another 312 points for a combined 596 out of Illinois’ team total of 1,167 points. McCamey tied a school record with 16 assists at Purdue, equaling the most assists in the NCAA this season and ranking as the No. 3 all-time performance in a Big Ten game. He has registered nine 20-point games on the year and has been the UI’s top scorer in a team-leading 15 contests. McCamey is just the third Illinois player ever to reach career milestones of 1,000 points and 400 assists in three seasons, joining Frank Williams and Deron Williams in this exclusive club.
Richardson is the first Illini to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year since Brian Cook in 2000. Richardson has started 30 games, the third-most starts by a true freshman in UI history. He is the Illini’s fourth-leading scorer and the No. 2 freshman scorer in the conference, averaging 10.3 points. Richardson ranks ninth in the league in 3-point field goal shooting at 39 percent and his 55 three-pointers are the fourth-highest total ever by a UI freshman.
Tisdale receives honorable mention recognition for the second straight season. The only Illini player to start every game this year, he is second on the team in both scoring (11.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg). Tisdale ranks third in the conference in field goal shooting at 57 percent and second in free throw shooting at 84.4 percent. He also stands fifth in the league in blocked shots, averaging 1.7 bpg. Tisdale has scored in double figures in 19 games on the year, led by a career-high 31-point effort vs. Northwestern.
Davis was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media after ranking second in the Big Ten in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and third on the Illini in scoring (10.3 ppg). He has been the UI’s leading rebounder in 23 games, with 14 double-digit performances. Davis has recorded 12 double-doubles on the season, ranking second in the Big Ten. He also ranks second in the conference with 21 career double-doubles.
Illinois returns to action on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, taking on Wisconsin at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.