Big Ten Basketball

Iowa star Luka Garza has capped his storied college career by earning the 2021 Naismith Men's Player of the Year award.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the news Saturday. He beat out Oklahoma State's Cade Cunningham, Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu and Gonzaga's Corey Kispert to win the award. 

Garza issued a statement upon being named the winner:

"Winning an award in Naismith's name is an honor my family and I will always treasure. Naismith changed my life, and so many others, by creating the game that so many love. In 2015, when my dad and I watched Frank Kaminsky accept the Naismith Trophy in Indianapolis, I never thought I would be in this position six years later.

I am forever thankful to the University of Iowa, Coach [Fran] McCaffery, the rest of the coaching staff, my teammates, my family and the countless other people and coaches who have helped me along the way. This is not an individual honor but a team award, and I am so proud to be able to bring this award home to Iowa City. Thank you to the Atlanta Tipoff Club for this prestigious award and thank you to Naismith for changing my life and so many others with the game of basketball."

This is the second time in three years that the Hawkeyes have had a Naismith Player of the Year winner. Megan Gustafson won the women's award as a senior in 2018-19 to cap off her iconic career. 

Garza was a finalist for the Naismith Men's Player of the Year award last season but lost to Obi Toppin of Dayton. 

There was some doubt about whether Garza would be with Iowa this season. He declared for the 2020 NBA draft in April but decided not to hire an agent to retain his college eligibility. 

Garza announced in August that he was running it back with the Hawkeyes. The move paid off for him and the team. The 22-year-old post 24.1 points per game. He also shot a career-high 44 percent from three-point range, averaged 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per contest. 

Iowa went 22-9, spent most of the year ranked in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA men's tournament. 

While the Hawkeyes' hopes for a title ended in the second round, Garza capped off his college career by scoring 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting in the 95-80 loss against Oregon. 

Center Qudus Wahab is reportedly transferring from Georgetown to Maryland. 

Per Stadium's Jeff Goodman, the Terrapins are getting the 6'11" junior, with the addition coming just one week after he entered the transfer portal. 

Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing issued a statement on March 25 after Wahab entered the transfer portal.

“Q was an important piece of our success this year, and he needs to do what he feels is best for him," said Ewing. "I want to wish him luck in his future. After an exciting postseason, we are ready to focus on the 2021-22 season.”

Wahab was named to the All-Big East tournament team this season for helping the Hoyas secure an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 14.3 points on 61.3 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds in those four games. 

The 2020-21 season was a breakout year for Wahab. He led Georgetown with 8.2 rebounds and ranked second on the team with 12.7 points per game. 

Maryland is coming off a disappointing season with a 17-14 record. The Terps finished eighth in the Big Ten standings but made the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed. They beat Connecticut in the Round of 64 before losing to Alabama. 

Iowa men's basketball guard Jordan Bohannon said Tuesday he will return to the Hawkeyes next season if the bill that would allow collegiate athletes to profit on their name, image and likeness passes the state Senate.

"We have worked tremendously hard on Senate File 245, which would allow college athletes in Iowa to make money off their Name, Image and Likeness," Bohannon said in a statement. "The bill's deadline is this Thursday to be voted on or it will die. I am still undecided on what I will do next year. However, if this bill were to pass, I would come back to Iowa next year."

All college athletes who participated in the 2020-21 season were granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bohannon, a former Iowa Mr. Basketball, would be returning for his fifth year as a starter for the Hawkeyes.

While Bohannon is not considered an NBA prospect, his return would be a major boost to the Hawkeyes, who are set to lose National Player of the Year favorite Luka Garza. Bohannon averaged 10.6 points and 4.4 assists during the 2020-21 season while shooting 39.0 percent from three-point range.

Several states have begun considering or have passed NIL laws, which would allow college athletes to profit off their name, image or likeness for the first time. Iowa's proposal would go into effect July 1, the same day as Florida's already-passed law.

A federal NIL bill was introduced to Congress in February by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Massachusetts). While it's possible that bill passes and becomes law, making it unlawful to restrict athletes in any of the 50 states from making money off their name, image or likeness, no date has been set for when the bill may be passed.

Getting legislation passed at the state level would be the fastest way to ensure players are immediately able to be compensated. 

New Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson is considering adding one of the state's most legendary coaches to his Hoosiers staff. 

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Woodson has discussed bringing former Indiana Pacers coach Larry Brown to Bloomington in a non-recruiting role:

The 80-year-old's last college job was as the head coach at SMU from 2012-16. He spent the 2018 season coaching in Italy. 

Brown won an NCAA title with the Kansas Jayhawks in 1988 and an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, served as the head coach for Team USA at the 2004 Olympics and as an assistant at the 2000 Olympics. He is a member of both the Basketball Hall of Fame (2002) and College Basketball Hall of Fame (2006). 

After putting together three consecutive 25-win seasons at SMU, Brown stepped down in 2016 following failed contract extension negotiations. Prior to the 2015-16 season, an NCAA investigation found that Brown had failed to report numerous violations including academic fraud.

The NCAA banned SMU from the postseason and suspended Brown for nine games. 

Brown left Kansas shortly after winning the NCAA tournament in 1988 following the NCAA levying multiple sanctions against the Jayhawks tied to a number of recruitment violations. 

That kicked off an NBA coaching career that spanned seven franchises and nearly three decades. Brown's stint with the Pacers included back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994 and 1995 at the height of the team's rivalry with the New York Knicks. 

Woodson would join Brown's coaching staff shortly after, as the coach transitioned to the Philadelphia 76ers and Pistons. 

As Woodson begins his college coaching career with this alma mater, he's hoping there's room to bring one of his mentors back with him. 

Michigan star Isaiah Livers is done for the year, even if Michigan isn't. 

Livers, who suffered a foot injury in the Big Ten tournament and hasn't played since, has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament, Tracy Wolfson of CBS Sports reported Sunday, as Michigan prepared to face Florida State in Sweet 16 play (h/t Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports). 

Livers said before the tournament that he didn't expect to return, according to Orion Sang of the Detroit Free Press.

"If I do [return], that's miraculous," Livers said in an appearance on The Michigan Insider, per Sang. "It will get talked about, the world is full of possibilities. Honestly, you never know, but it's definitely one of those things where it takes a minute to fully recover." 

The 6'7" wing started every game before he was sidelined leading up to the Big Ten semifinals. He averaged 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 43.1 percent from deep. 

The Wolverines bowed out of the Big Ten Tournament with a semifinal loss to Ohio State after losing Livers, but they've managed throughout the NCAA tournament thus far. After cruising to a 82-66 victory over 16th-seeded Texas Southern in first-round play, Michigan edged No. 8 LSU, 86-78, thanks to 21 points from Eli Brooks. 

Freshman Hunter Dickinson has starred, averaged 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds through 26 games, while Brooks, Franz Wagner and Chaundee Brown have had to take on a bigger role in the absence of Livers. 

New York Knicks assistant coach Mike Woodson is headed home.

Woodson, one of the most prolific players to come out of Indiana, has been named the school's next head coach.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Woodson will sign a six-year contract with the Hoosiers.

Along with Woodson, Indiana also hired former Ohio State head coach Thad Matta to serve as associate athletic director for men's basketball administration.

The Hoosiers embarked on a search to replace Archie Miller upon firing the coach in mid-March, and it was rumored to include a number of current and former collegiate coaches in John Beilein, Chris Beard of Texas Tech and Scott Drew of Baylor as well as Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, who repeatedly denied that he would be returning to the collegiate ranks.

Woodson was a 2,000-point scorer in four seasons at Indiana from 1976 to 1980 and earned a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior, when he averaged 21.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

The No. 12 pick of the New York Knicks in 1980, Woodson played 11 NBA seasons for six different franchises, with the bulk of his career spent with the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings. In addition to his current role as a Knicks assistant coach, Woodson has served as an assistant in Milwaukee, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Detroit and Los Angeles (Clippers).

He was head coach of the Atlanta Hawks from 2004 to 2010 and the Knicks from 2011 to 2014.

Meanwhile, Matta was the subject of conflicting reports regarding the Indiana coaching search last week.

Jim Coyle of The Hoosier reported Matta was offered the head coaching job but failed a physical, which nixed the deal, but Tom Brew of Sports Illustrated cited a source who refuted the report. Health issues forced Matta to leave Ohio State in 2017, and he hasn't coached since.

Woodson, who at 63 is the oldest Indiana head coach since at least World War II (per Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star), inherits a team that went 12-15 in 2020-21.

Days after revealing racist and threatening messages directed toward him following a first-round loss in the NCAA tournament, Ohio State star E.J. Liddell explained why he went public about the harassment. 

"I'm not the only one going through things like this," Liddell told reporters. "It's better to use my voice than to stay quiet all the time. I can take criticism, people telling me I suck and things, but I just used my voice and I feel like [with] a lot of other athletes using their voices this [harassment] is going to slow down and in the future go to an end."

Liddell was far from the only player in the tournament to receive that type of targeted harassment. Illinois star Kofi Cockburn also shared a racist and xenophobic message directed at him following the Illini's second-round loss to Loyola-Chicago. 

Big Ten players have rallied around the OSU forward in recent days with players from opposing schools like Rocket Watts, Trevion Williams, Malik Hall and D'Mitrik Trice all reaching out to offer support. 

But the Buckeyes star made clear that these types of comments aren't new to him. He said it's a pattern that is continually intensifying, and after playing through a pandemic, these comments felt more uncalled for than ever to him:

"When a season ends you don't need to hear negative comments, especially not threatening comments. I'd rather people see us like humans and pick us up, because we sacrificed so much for this season ... really lost our social lives during the season.

"I definitely don't think people really see how much we gave up. We were hesitant about everything — going to the mall, food court, had to stay away from people and get away from life honestly, just for us to sacrifice and play basketball and this thing we love. I don't regret anything."

Campus police are looking into the threats sent to Liddell, but when asked, the forward said he wasn't likely to join any prosecution that comes from the investigation.

"Not really," Liddell said. "I'm trying not to think about it."

In the wake of a report that suggested former Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta agreed to become Indiana's new head coach but failed a physical, Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star reported that was not the case.

According to Osterman, someone within the Indiana athletic department said the school did not have an agreement with Matta. As it stands, "it's unclear" whether Matta has gone through the hiring process in any capacity, per Osterman.

The search for Archie Miller's replacement is ongoing.

Matta's coaching career spanned 17 years and three programs. He amassed a 439-154 record at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State, with the bulk of his career spent with the Buckeyes. From 2004 to 2017, he led Ohio State to nine NCAA tournament appearances, two Final Four games and an NIT championship while earning three Big Ten Coach of the Year nods (2005-06, 2006-07, 2009-10).

Matta had back surgery in 2007 and felt negative long-term effects from the procedure a decade later. Before Matta and the Buckeyes mutually parted ways, the team—which had gone 38-29 through two years—lost seven rostered players in two years and struggled to land top recruits, with their top player in the class of 2018 reopening his recruitment.

According to Osterman, Matta—who will turn 54 in July—is ready to return to coaching. But as of now, reports that he'll do so with Indiana are apparently false.

Illinois center Kofi Cockburn drew attention to a racist and xenophobic comment he received following the Fighting Illini's loss to Loyola-Chicago in the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

"Go back home ya bum," an Instagram user commented (via USA Today's Chris Bumbaca). "F--king lost to Loyola. Go sit your monkey ass on the couch."

While posting a screenshot of the comment in his Instagram story, Cockburn wrote: "I blame his parents."

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg confirmed with an Illinois spokesman the university is "looking into the situation" and already identified who wrote the comment.

Cockburn led all scorers with 21 points and was one rebound short of a double-double in Illinois' second-round exit. The Kingston, Jamaica, native is only a sophomore, so he could return to Illinois to bounce back from the upset next season.

Cockburn's Instagram post came days after Ohio State star E.J. Liddell shared screenshots of threatening messages to his account after Ohio State fell to Oral Roberts in the first round (warning: contains slurs and profanity):

ESPN's Myron Medcalf reported Ohio State contacted local authorities regarding the matter.

With Brad Stevens making it clear he's remaining with the Boston Celtics, the search for the next Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball head coach moves on.

According to Rick Bozich of WDRB.com, New York Knicks assistant coach Mike Woodson "is believed to have interviewed with IU athletic director Scott Dolson on Saturday," while former Ohio State coach Thad Matta "moved into the middle of the discussion" for the Indiana vacancy Sunday.

Indiana parted ways with former head coach Archie Miller following the season. In four years at the helm of the Hoosiers, he finished 67-58 and never made an NCAA tournament. 

There was growing buzz that Stevens might abandon his NBA post to return to his home state of Indiana and take the Hoosiers' head coaching gig. But he shot that down in no uncertain terms Friday. 

"I said it the other day: I am not [considering the Indiana job]," he told reporters. "I tried to say it as clearly as I could and make sure people understand that that place, to me, is special."

"But I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a 44-year-old Massh--e," he added. "I swerve around others when I'm driving. I eat Dunkin' Donuts and I root for the Patriots. I've unfortunately been skewed in a lot of ways, I guess."

Like Stevens, the 62-year-old Woodson would bring NBA experience to the Indiana gig. He's served as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks (2004-05 to 2009-10) and the New York Knicks (2011-12 to 2013-14), along with stints as an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers. 

He's also an Indiana alum and former Hoosiers player, so he has strong ties to the program, though he's never coached or recruited at the college level. 

On the other hand, Matta, 53, spent a season as Butler's head coach (2000-01), three seasons at the helm for Xavier (2001-02 to 2003-04) and 13 seasons leading Ohio State (2004-05 to 2016-17), with 13 NCAA tournament appearances and two Final Four berths to his name.

The question with Matta is whether his body can withstand the rigors of coaching. He left Ohio State in 2017 for health reasons and hasn't coached since, despite teams reportedly interested in his services. It remains to be seen if he would consider a return to the profession now with the Hoosiers job available.