Jeffries, Haston receive Big Ten honors

The know-it-alls of men's basketball -- coaches and select media -- put their numbers and notes together this weekend and came up with the Big Ten's elite men's basketball players. Near the top of the list was freshman forward Jared Jeffries, who was unanimously chosen Big Ten Freshman of the Year.\nWith a tattoo that reads, "King of the Court" and the best numbers of any freshman in the Big Ten, there was little doubt of Jeffries' confidence or talent. But if IU interim head coach Mike Davis had the last word, there's no question junior center Kirk Haston would've been named Player of the Year, an honor that went to Illinois sophomore guard Frank Williams. \nBut Haston, the conference's leading scorer, was recognized. He was named Big Ten Player of the Week for a league-high fourth time this season and unanimously earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. The coaches voted Jeffries to the second team, while the media voted him to the third team.\n"I'm really happy with Haston and Jeffries' selections," Davis said Monday. "They carried us this year. They played awfully well. I'm also happy with the way we're playing right now as a basketball team. Our confidence is high."\nJeffries led all Big Ten freshmen in scoring (14.5 points per game), rebounding (7.9) and blocked shots (1.57) this season. The last Hoosier to earn the title was A.J. Guyton in 1997. Jeffries has scored 419 points, which ranks fifth all-time among IU freshmen. Mike Woodson holds the record with 500 points.\nHaston, also following Guyton's path, finished the regular season as the conference's leading scorer with an average of 20.3 points per game. He scored his 13th double-double of the season Saturday, leading IU with 22 points and 15 rebounds against the Boilermakers. Haston has scored in double digits in each of his last 26 games and has back-to-back double-doubles with 43 points and 29 rebounds in his last two games.\n"I think Haston is the player of the year," Davis said after Saturday's game against Purdue. "Without a doubt because he's carried us. He's brought Jared Jeffries along, who I also think is the freshman of the year. Offensively he's hit shots to win games for us. He's playing great."\nBoth Jeffries and Haston scored career highs in the Hoosiers' 72-59 win Feb. 11 against Michigan. The two combined for 56 points and Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said Jeffries has improved during the latter half of the season. \n"He's shown the ability to be very versatile on the offensive end -- facing the basket, being able to take people off the dribble, and his size is a wonderful quality," Ellerbe said. "He got a lot better at scoring in the post in the second half of the year. Jared is a special player, and Mike has done a great job of getting him involved in the offense and giving him the opportunity to exploit his abilities."\nHORNSBY HURT\nSophomore guard Kyle Hornsby sprained his right ankle Saturday, but Davis said Hornsby will start Friday against Wisconsin in the Hoosiers' first game of the Big Ten Tournament. Davis said Hornsby is listed as day-to-day but should return to practice Wednesday. X-rays taken Monday did not reveal a break.\nHornsby has started 11 times this season and is averaging 9.3 points per game. He has scored in double digits in seven of those 11 starts, and the Hoosiers are 10-1 in his 10 starts.