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Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff wins first career Big Ten Coach of Year award

brianna mac kay, columbus dispatch
·3 min read
Feb 28, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff cuts down the net as the team celebrates winning the Big Ten regular season title after the 67-51 win over the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA women’s basketball game at Value City Arena.
Feb 28, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff cuts down the net as the team celebrates winning the Big Ten regular season title after the 67-51 win over the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA women’s basketball game at Value City Arena.

For the first time in his 11-year career with Ohio State's women's basketball, Kevin McGuff has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Ohio State ended the regular season 25-4 overall and 16-2 in conference play, both career-highs for McGuff with the program. Under his leadership, the Buckeyes were ranked as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25 for several weeks this season and captured the Big Ten regular-season title.

On the player side, Celeste Taylor was voted co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches, along with the media's pick, Serah Williams from Wisconsin.

Taylor, a graduate transfer, was Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year last year while at Duke.

Averaging a conference-high 2.2 steals per game, Taylor helped Ohio State lead the Big Ten in steals (10.7 per game). She also played a significant role in the Buckeyes being ranked second in the conference for opponent points per game, averaging 63.2.

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Feb 28, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Celeste Taylor (12) ties up the ball with Michigan Wolverines guard Laila Phelia (5) as forward Cotie McMahon (32) looks for a travelling call during the first half of the NCAA women’s basketball game at Value City Arena.
Feb 28, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Celeste Taylor (12) ties up the ball with Michigan Wolverines guard Laila Phelia (5) as forward Cotie McMahon (32) looks for a travelling call during the first half of the NCAA women’s basketball game at Value City Arena.

The last time Ohio State women's basketball had both the Big Ten coach of the year and a defensive player of the year was in the 2008-09 season, when Jim Foster and Shavelle Little won their awards. McGuff is the first Buckeyes coach to be given the award since Foster, while Amber Stokes was the last Buckeye to receive the defensive honor, in 2012.

Jacy Sheldon, Cotie McMahon named to all-conference first-team

Ohio State's top two scorers, Jacy Sheldon and Cotie McMahon, were named to the All-Big Ten first-team by both the coaches and media. Sheldon was a unanimous vote among the coaches.

This is Sheldon's second appearance on the all-conference first-team after being a unanimous coaches' vote during her junior season in 2021-22.

Feb 28, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jacy Sheldon (4) hits a three pointer over Michigan Wolverines forward Alyssa Crockett (20) during the second half of the NCAA women’s basketball game at Value City Arena. Ohio State won 67-51.
Feb 28, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Jacy Sheldon (4) hits a three pointer over Michigan Wolverines forward Alyssa Crockett (20) during the second half of the NCAA women’s basketball game at Value City Arena. Ohio State won 67-51.

Coming off a senior year that was impacted by injury, Sheldon returned and had a full season and led Ohio State in scoring with 18.2 points per game and assists with 3.8 per game. The Dublin native ranked third in scoring in the Big Ten, behind Iowa's Caitlin Clark and Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes.

Sheldon was second on the Buckeyes in steals per game with 2.1, just behind Taylor. Sheldon and Taylor were named to the All-Big Ten defensive team by the media, with Taylor receiving the nod from the coaches as well.

Feb 28, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Cotie McMahon (32) shoots over Michigan Wolverines forward Chyra Evans (22) during the first half of the NCAA women’s basketball game at Value City Arena.
Feb 28, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Cotie McMahon (32) shoots over Michigan Wolverines forward Chyra Evans (22) during the first half of the NCAA women’s basketball game at Value City Arena.

McMahon, last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is averaging 14.1 points and a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game.

Taylor was named to the All-Big Ten second-team by the coaches and media, along with Ohio State junior Taylor Thierry, who is receiving the honor for the second consecutive time.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kevin McGuff named Big Ten Coach of the Year for women's basketball