Three Hoosiers honored to All-Big Ten teams

It's only Wednesday, but Jill Chapman has already endured a one-of-a-kind week.\nFirst, the women's basketball team whomped Northwestern on her senior day Sunday, allowing the Hoosiers (14-13, 8-8 Big Ten) to leap from the eighth seed to the fifth seed within a week.\nSecond, her boyfriend Cody Daily proposed to her before a crowd of 1,724 at Assembly Hall after Sunday's game.\nTuesday, both Big Ten coaches and media deemed Chapman, a center, worthy of the All-Big Ten first team. She led the conference in double-doubles (13) and blocked shots (2.15).\n"I'm honored to be named to both, but individual awards don't mean as much because we don't have a Big Ten championship," said Chapman, who also ranked ninth in scoring (16.1 points), third in rebounding (9.1) and seventh in field-goal percentage (55 percent). "But knowing we are sitting at 0-0 going into the Big Ten tournament and knowing we can go into the NCAA tournament feels good."\nThe coaches also voted Chapman's future bridesmaid, point guard Heather Cassady, to the second team. The media chose Cassady and forward Erin McGinnis as honorable mentions.\nLast season, the media voted Chapman to the first team, while the coaches placed her on the second team. But in the preseason, Chapman was left off the coaches' first team in place of Michigan center LeeAnn Bies (16.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg), who coaches Tuesday picked to the second team. \nBesides ruling offensive categories, Chapman has improved her defense.\n"I don't know how many charges she's taken this year, but she's put herself on the line," associate head coach Trish Betthauser said. "She's gotten into position, taking charges on guards. Offensively, her overall fitness has helped her improve her ability to make great catches."\nA second-team honoree last year, Cassady ranked 22nd in scoring (12.3), 10th for assists (3.85) and sixth for three-point field-goal percentage (38 percent). She also excelled in the less-than-glamorous category of endurance -- averaging 38.1 minutes per game.\n"She has really improved her game since she has been at Indiana," Illinois coach Theresa Grentz said after the Hoosiers 70-66 win over the Illini Thursday. "She has changed her body, and she just never stops. She is a dynamite point guard."\nMcGinnis, who played her first two seasons at Auburn, finished second in the Big Ten for free-throw percentage (82 percent), seventh in three-point field-goal percentage (37 percent) and 23rd in scoring (12.1). She should reap the most praise for adjusting her game from mainly shooting from the perimeter to creating plays in the paint and defending inside, Betthauser said.\n"Without Erin, Jill might not get such easy looks," Betthauser said. "Most of the time, the feeds to Jill are coming from Erin."\nAs for the big awards, Minnesota point guard Lindsay Whalen (22.8 ppg, 6.1 apg) was voted Player of the Year, beating the nation's second-leading scorer in Penn State guard Kelly Mazzante (24.6 ppg). \n"It may be because she has some offensive strengths, broader offensive strengths," Betthauser said of Whalen. "Mazzante's known as more of a three-point shooter, even though she can get to the rim a lot. Whalen has shown she can do all three -- mid, three point, get to the rim."\nGophers first-year coach Brenda Oldfield was named Coach of the Year after guiding the team to third place (21-6, 11-5) after an 8-20, 1-15 record the previous season. Minnesota's Janel McCarville earned Freshman of the Year, and first-place Purdue's Kelly Komara won Defensive Player of the Year.