Big Ten honors Illinois' Brown, Weber

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois guard Dee Brown was named Big Ten player of the year Tuesday by the league's coaches and media, and the media selected Illini coach Bruce Weber as the conference's coach of the year.

Brown also was named defensive player of the year by the coaches and joins fellow guards Luther Head and Deron Williams as first-team All-Big Ten selections. Minnesota's Vincent Grier and Mike Wilkinson of Wisconsin are the other players on the coaches' first-team, while the media chose Indiana's Bracey Wright over Grier.

Indiana's D.J. White was chosen freshman of the year by both coaches and media.

Weber, who led the Illini to a record of 29-1 overall and 15-1 in the conference this season, is the first Illinois coach to be named coach of the year since Lou Henson won it in 1993. Weber led the Illini to outright Big Ten titles in each of his first two seasons at the school.

Brown is the third Illinois player in the past five seasons to win the league's top postseason honor. Brian Cook won the honor in 2003 and Frank Williams won it in 2001.

Brown is averaging 14 points per game and leads the conference in three-point shooting percentage. He also has 55 steals this season.

Maurice Ager of Michigan State, Iowa's Greg Brunner, Terrance Dials of Ohio State, Carl Landry of Purdue and Wright were named to the coaches' second team. The media chose Brunner, Landry, Dials, Grier and Alan Anderson of Michigan State.

Illini center James Augustine earned third-team honors on both the coaches' and media ballots. Roger Powell Jr., a senior forward on the team, received honorable mention on both.