| Awarded for | the men's and women's basketballMVPs of theBig Ten Conference |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Chicago Tribune |
| History | |
| First award | 1946 (men) 1988 (women) |
| Final award | 2007 |
TheChicago Tribune Silver Basketball was an award presented annually by theChicago Tribune to the men's and women's college basketballmost valuable players of theBig Ten Conference each season, as voted upon by the league'scoaches andofficials. TheChicago Tribune awarded the Silver Basketball for men's basketball beginning in 1946 while the women's award was first presented in 1988.[1][2] It was considered the pre-eminent Big Ten basketball individual award, eventually being superseded by the present-daymen's andwomen's players of the awards as voted upon by the league's coaches and media.[3] The Silver Basketball was discontinued after the 2006–07 season.
A number of men's and women's honorees were also named the national player of the year (NPOY) by one of the major selectors in the same season of this award. On the men's side, nine unique players represented 10 NPOYs, withOhio State'sJerry Lucas repeating as back-to-back NPOY in 1961 and 1962. On the women's side, two players were also NPOYs:Carol Ann Shudlick (1994) andStephanie White (1999).
| * | Awarded a national player of the year award: Men –Sporting News;Oscar Robertson Trophy;Associated Press;NABC;UPI;Naismith;Wooden;Adolph Rupp Trophy;Helms Foundation Women –Wade;Associated Press;Naismith;Wooden |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded theChicago Tribune Silver Basketball award at that point |
aBobby Jackson's selection was later vacated (along with that season's win total and all other accolades) due toan academic fraud scandal that ruled the entire team ineligible.[65]
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Current Big Ten Conference teams not listed in the winners by school charts above is because they joined the conference after 2007 when theChicago Tribune Silver Basketball was last awarded.
As Indiana sophomore forward Jared Jeffries scanned the list of Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball winners, going all the way back to 1946, his eyes lit up each time they rested upon a familiar name.
[Edwards] will also leave as the overwhelming winner of the Chicago Tribune-Big 10 Silver Basketball trophy, the first time such an award has been given to the league's premier women`s basketball player.