The Gophers men’s basketball team’s much-improved season in league play helped Dawson Garcia and Cam Christie earn All-Big Ten honors Tuesday.
Gophers’ Dawson Garcia, Cam Christie named to All-Big Ten teams
The Gophers men’s basketball team’s leading scorer, Dawson Garcia, and top freshman, Cam Christie, were named to All-Big Ten basketball teams Tuesday.
Garcia, a 6-11 forward, was named to the All-Big Ten second team by media and third team by coaches. The junior from Savage led the Gophers in scoring (17.7 points) and rebounding (6.7) for the second time in his career during the regular season.
Christie, a 6-6 guard, became the first Gophers player to earn All-Big Ten freshman honors since Amir Coffey in 2016-17. Christie averaged 11.3 points on 40.9% shooting from three-point range, to go along with 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists this regular season.
Purdue’s Zach Edey was named Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Also honored by the Big Ten was Gophers junior point guard Elijah Hawkins, who was selected all-league honorable mention after leading the conference and ranking second nationally by averaging 7.5 assists per game. His 224 assists this season are a single-season team record.
The Gophers’ Big Ten sportsmanship award went to redshirt senior forward Parker Fox, who became the team’s sixth man this season after missing two consecutive years because of knee surgeries.
Minnesota’s bench scored 50 points, including a team-leading 18 points from graduate transfer Annika Stewart, showcasing the depth that coach Dawn Plitzuweit promised.