Big Ten Basketball: Predicting award winners for 2021-22 season
By Greg Waddell
Sixth Man of the Year – Zach Edey, Purdue
Edey is such a unique force in the Big Ten. As a 7’4″, 285-pound freshman, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in just 14.7 minutes per game. He won’t be guaranteed a larger role with Trevion Williams back in the frontcourt, but he might only need a boost of 5-6 more minutes a game to run away with Sixth Man of the Year.
Playing with Team Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup this summer, Edey averaged 15.1 points, 14.1 rebounds a d 2.3 blocks per game and generally looked like an unstoppable force on a national scale. Like other Purdue monsters Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms before him, there will always be questions of how many minutes he can handle. But his role for next season off the bench could be a perfect fit, setting him up as the best sixth man in the conference.
Freshman of the Year – Caleb Houstan, Michigan
Another player who shined with Team Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup, Caleb Houstan proved this summer that he has a more complete game than the sharpshooting skillset he is lauded for. He finished the tournament with averages of 17.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.
In a loaded incoming freshman class across the conference (Max Christie, Bryce McGowens, Malaki Branham, Moussa Diabate also warranted consideration), Houstan gets my vote for Freshman of the Year for his combination of college-readiness with a surefire role on one of the best teams in the Big Ten. He will step into 30 minutes per game in a very similar role to previous Michigan sniper Isaiah Livers, and it’s hard to see Houstan not reaching 12-15 PPG on good percentages within the Michigan offense.
He may not do as much on-ball as fellow newcomers Christie and McGowens, but I expect his efficiency to be higher with similar production overall, en route to a likely lottery selection for Houstan in the 2022 NBA Draft.