Kris Murray Headlines Hawkeye All-Big Ten Honors
Another year, another All-Big Ten Murray brother.
Iowa junior forward Kris Murray was named first-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media, making this the fourth-straight season Iowa has placed someone on the first team (Luka Garza, 2020 and 2021; Keegan Murray, 2022).
Payton Sandfort also took home an All-Conference honor as the Sixth Man of the Year; Sandfort came off the bench in 24 of the Hawkeyes' last 25 games, but still averaged 10.2 points per game and scored at least 20 points in five contests this season — four of which came against Big Ten opponents.
Senior center Filip Rebraca was also honored as a member of the media's All-Big Ten third team; he was an honorable mention by the coaches. Rebraca is joined in honorable mention by Connor McCaffery and Tony Perkins, who were selected by both the coaches and media.
RIVALS.COM ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS: MURRAY, SANDFORT, REBRACA HONORED
"It's a great feeling as a coach to have your players recognized on a national level in such a prestigious league," head coach Fran McCaffery said at a Tuesday press conference. "You look at the list of players, there's so many good players, and to have our guys recognized, certainly it's well-deserved."
Murray, a first-year starter, leads the Hawkeyes with 20.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game; he also averages a block and a steal per game. Murray is a quintessential "go-to player"; he's the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten this season and the conference leader in field goal attempts per game at 15.6.
"You look at Kris, he decided to come back," McCaffery said. "He probably would have gone in the second round, and he came back to make a statement. It's hard to be first-team all-league in this conference, and he did that. So really proud of him."
Rebraca made the most of his extra season of eligibility by averaging 13.9 points per game, in addition to 7.6 rebounds and a block per game. Rebraca, a 6'9" senior in his second year with the Hawkeyes after starting his career at North Dakota, scored in double figures in 26 of his 31 games played this season and posted a team-high nine double-doubles.
Perkins, a junior from Indianapolis, IN, was third on the team with 12.4 points per game, while fourth in rebounding (4.0), second in assists (2.9) and first in steals (1.4). He has averaged over 16 points per game in Iowa's last nine contests, including team-highs in wins against Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan and Indiana.
Connor McCaffery averaged 6.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in his final season of eligibility with the Hawkeyes this year, and also recorded 1.4 steals per game (while functionally tied, Perkins has one more on the year, with 43). McCaffery led the nation with a 4.11 assist-to-turnover ratio this season, and currently averages 3.61 for his career, specializing in the often-difficult entry passes that facilitated Garza's prolific scoring in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.
Last, Patrick McCaffery was Iowa's selection for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second-straight season. McCaffery is one of five Hawkeyes who averaged double-figure scoring this season, finishing with 10.1 points per game in 25 contests. His struggles with anxiety, which would lead to a six-game absence from the team, helped renew conversations about mental health in athletes and young men in general, areas where significant stigmas still remain.
"For Patrick to be recognized again in terms of sportsmanship is also a testament to his character and everything he's been through," Fran McCaffery said. "So very happy for him."
The full list of Sportsman Ship Award honorees for this season is below:
