March 12, 1996 Madison -- Basketball coaches and the writers who cover their teams rarely, if ever, agree on anything.
Coaches believe the writers know little; writers believe coaches think they know everything.
Those groups agreed on one matter Monday: Wisconsin's Sam Okey is the freshman of the year in the Big Ten this season.
Okey, who leads the Badgers in points (12.8), rebounds (6.7), assists (3.2) and blocks (1.1), was named the top freshman by both the media and the Big Ten coaches. He is first Wisconsin men's basketball player to win the award.
"It's a great honor, especially with all the ups and downs I had this season," Okey said Monday after practice. "It's definitely a team award and it goes to coach (Dick Bennett) for letting me play enough to even have a chance to win this award.
"I thought I played pretty well at times. And I had a lot of down times as well."
Okey was the only Wisconsin player named to either all-conference team, garnering honorable mention on the media team.
"He should be extremely pleased and I am very happy for him," said Bennett, "because it's not like we could protect him and keep him out of situations where he would potentially look bad.
"We had to play him through his fatigue. We had to ask him to do some things that he might not have even been ready to do. I think the big payoff is not the award itself but all of the experience in different areas that he's gotten."
Indiana senior Brian Evans, who led the Big Ten in scoring at 21.7 points per game, was named player of the year on both teams.
Joining Evans on the media's all-conference first team was: Jess Settles and Andre Woolridge of Iowa, Kiwane Garris of Illinois and Northwestern's Geno Carlisle.
Joining Evans on the coaches' first team was: Matt Gaudio of Penn State and Carlisle, Settles and Woolridge.
Okey, who was the high school player of the year in Wisconsin after leading Cassville to state titles as a junior and senior, will make history if he finishes the season leading the Badgers in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots. No player in Big Ten history has accomplished that feat.
Mosezell Peterson trails Okey in scoring (11.4); Sean Daugherty is No. 2 on the team in rebounding (6.3); Hennssy Auriantal and Jeremy Hall trail in assists (2.1); and Booker Coleman is closest in blocks (0.7).
How much does Okey mean to the Badgers?
"All you've got to do is look at the stats," Bennett said. "We've had our best wins when he's had his best games. I think you could pick out a few kids, but he, as much if not more than anybody . . . We would not have been able to function without (him)."
How good can he become?
"I think his development from here on in is going to be from the neck up," Bennett said. "Once that becomes a major strength, there is absolutely no holding him back.
"He needs to be able to continue to mature mentally, in terms of his grasp of the game, how he deals with frustration. And he's come a long way in that regard, but as he develops further, then the sky is the limit."