Winner of six National Player of the Year awards, Denzel Valentine’s collection of individual accolades continued to grow on Wednesday as he was named the recipient of the Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year Award. Valentine learned of the honor while in New York City, on the eve of the 2016 NBA Draft.
Valentine is just the sixth men’s basketball player to win the award, joining Steve Alford (Indiana - 1987), Glen Rice (Michigan - 1989), Glenn Robinson (Purdue - 1994), Evan Turner (Ohio State - 2010) and Draymond Green (Michigan State – 2012).