PRESS RELEASE
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (March 9, 2021) – Maryland men’s basketball senior guard Darryl Morsell has been named 2021 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, as voted upon by the league’s 14 head coaches.
Morsell is the first player in program history to win a conference defensive player of the year award. (The ACC did not introduce the award until 2013-14.)
“I am so proud of Darryl for earning this prestigious award as the best defender in the best league in the country,” said head coach Mark Turgeon. “To be recognized by Big Ten coaches shows how much respect he has earned over the last four years. Darryl worked incredibly hard to reach this point and to see it validated is extremely special.”
“It is truly an honor to be selected for this award by Big Ten coaches,” Morsell said. “I would not have achieved this without the support of God, in addition to my family, teammates and coaches. I know this is an individual award, but it is truly a team award. We accomplished this together and I cannot say enough about the guys in our locker room who made it happen.
Additionally, the trio of Morsell (media), Aaron Wiggins (coaches & media) and Eric Ayala (coaches & media) each earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors. It marked the second All-Big Ten selection of Morsell’s career, and the first for both Wiggins and Ayala.
It is the second consecutive year Maryland has had three All-Big Ten players selected, and the fourth time since joining the league seven years ago.
As Defensive Player of the Year, Morsell was also named to the All-Defensive Team. It is the fourth straight year a Maryland player was selected to the team, joining Jalen Smith (2020), Bruno Fernando (2019) and Anthony Cowan Jr. (2018).
Morsell was also selected as the program’s Sportsmanship Award honoree.
The Terrapins open postseason play at the Big Ten Tournament Thursday at 11:30 am EST when they face 9th-seeded Michigan State in the second round on Big Ten Network.
