Brian Reddy: Beyond the Box Score – Awards Season

Since I just learned that the Academy Awards (the Oscars) are happening this Sunday evening, I believe it is time for me to present the Big East Awards (the Gavitts). Some of these categories just pooped into my head, so I apologize if they do not make sense. I will also state that in terms of college production, this is the most talented group of players in any year since realignment, which necessitates more recognition.

Big East Player of the Year – Devin Carter, Providence

There is no shortage of qualified candidates this year, probably the largest group of potential winners in recent memory. Normally, a consensus develops around a player or two by the end of February, but this year it appeared the field grew as the season progressed. I considered reigning POY Tyler Kolek, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer from UConn, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheirman, and Trey Alexander from Creighton, and Kadary Richmond of Seton Hall in addition to Carter. The interesting part is most of these players will also appear on my all-defensive team, demonstrating the versatility of the group. If any of them wins the award, a compelling case can be made to justify the pick.

The bottom line is I believe Carter is by far the primary focus of the opposing team’s defenses, and usually is tasked with stopping the best player on the opposing team. There are also the numbers. In Big East play, Carter leads the conference in scoring, is third in rebounding, tenth in assists, eighth in field goal percentage, fifteenth in free throw percentage, second in three point percentage, fourth in steals, and third in three pointers made.

All Big East Conference First Team

Devin Carter-Providence, Cam Spencer-UConn, Tristen Newton-UConn, Kadary Richmond-Seton Hall, Baylor Scheierman-Creighton, Ryan Kalkbrenner-Creighton, Tyler Kolek-Marquette

I know I am cheating with seven players instead of six, but it was hard enough to eliminate Trey Alexander from this group. Besides the reason for Carter (listed above), the rest of the group could win or share Player of the Year, and no one would be shocked. Spencer has been the best portal addition in the conference, and his commitment along with the return of Newton is why UConn is the favorite to win a second consecutive national championship next month. Creighton seemed to change their offense after getting crushed at Connecticut, with Scheierman making quicker decisions and Steven Ashworth taking more control. The results were striking, as their scoring average in Big East games went from 66 ppg to 85 ppg. Scheierman has played the best ball of his career since then, and Kalkbrenner has averaged 20 points and 4 blocks per game over this period. My finalists for POY besides Carter may have been Kolek and Richmond, but since both players missed time in Big East play, it hurt their candidacies.

All Big East Conference Second Team

Trey Alexander-Creighton, Dre Davis-Seton Hall, Kam Jones-Marquette, Donovan Clingan-UConn, Josh Oduro-Providence, Quincy Olivari-Xavier

This was equally difficult, as each of these players would have earned a spot on the first team most years, and there are players on the third team that could supplant then here. One spot that may reflect my personal bias is Josh Oduro. He appears to be the player who would not be appreciated fully unless you watch every game, and I am sure fans of other teams feel the same way about their players. The choice for me was between Oduro and Eric Dixon, another player who earns more appreciation the more he’s watched.

All Big East Conference Third Team

Eric Dixon-Villanova, Alex Karaban-UConn, Oso Ighodaro-Marquette, Posh Alexander-Butler, Desmond Claude-Xavier

Any of these players have a legitimate case for second team, and this is why I hope the Big East goes beyond a first and second team this year. UConn fans will be upset if Karaban does not make first team, and Marquette and Villanova fans expect Dixon and Ighodaro to make at least second team. Posh has reinvigorating his play and brought Butler back, which is good for the league.

All Big East Conference Honorable Mention

Jahmyl Telfort-Butler, Pierre Brooks-Butler, Stephon Castle-UConn, Stevie Mitchell-Marquette, Steven Ashworth-Creighton, Daniss Jenkins-St. John’s, Al-Amir Dawes-Seton Hall

This list, plus several others not mentioned, shows the depth of talent in the league.

All Big East Defensive Team

Defensive Player of the Year – Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton

All Defensive Team – Devin Carter-Providence, Stevie Mitchell-Marquette, Cam Spencer-UConn, Donovan Clingan-UConn, Posh Alexander-Butler, Kadary Richmond

For me, this came down to Kalkbrenner, Carter, and Alexander. Since Kalkbrenner has won the award the past two seasons and appears to be better defensively this year, it was hard not to pick, but feel both Carter and Alexander can make strong cases. Carter has consistently shut down the best player on opposing teams, and Alexander provides a similar level of disruption from the guard spot that Kalkbrenner does down low. Clingan is similar to Kalkbrenner while Mitchell and Richmond are comparable to Carter. Spencer seems to get big steals and keeps opposing players from getting the ball in scoring position.

Big East Freshman of the Year

Stephon Castle-UConn

Big East All Freshman Team

Rowan Brumbaugh-Georgetown, Finley Bizjack-Butler, Trey Green-Xavier, Rich Barron-Providence, Isaiah Coleman-Seton Hall

I suspect it is because of the high number of fifth year players in the league, but there is a substantial gap between Castle and everyone else. Most of these players would not merit consideration in previous years. Castle has shown that the UConn hype machine was correct on him, and he will likely be hearing his name called in the NBA draft come June.

Big East Coach of the Year

Dan Hurley-UConn

Hurley is easy to overlook, but this is his best coaching job, including his Rhody years and last season’s national championship. He lost the NCAA Tournament MOP and two others to the NBA, plus a couple of role players. He replaced that with two freshman and a player two years removed from the Patriot League yet has a better team this year. It is easy to forget that the Huskies weren’t picked either first or second before the season. They were a distant third, only three points above Villanova.

In most years, Shaheen Holloway and Thad Matta would be obvious choices, as they took teams expected to be at the bottom of the Big East into NCAA consideration. The fact that Hurley has the best team in the country gives him the nod.

Finally, I was going to pick the Big East Worst Coach of the Year, but I felt that would be a negative shot at Ed Cooley. The reality though, is that he earned this recognition. The Hoyas were picked eighth in the preseason poll, and a number of people expected them to be a bubble or at least an NIT level team. I did not think they were that good, but expected them to be competitive, winning 5 or 6 games, with steady improvement as the year progressed. Instead, they are roughly equal to last year’s team, with a defense that is significantly worse this year. I think Dontrez Styles is a quality player, and Supreme Cook worked hard from day one, producing despite being undersized for the Big East. Unfortunately, Rowan Brumbaugh was the only player that improved as the season evolved. I still don’t see him as a high-level Big East point guard, but he can contribute for a good team. The off-season for Georgetown will be fun to watch, as they seem to be counting on big portal spending to bring in talent. Of course, that was their plan last year.

After next week’s Big East Tournament, I will be rooting for every Big East team in the NCAA tournament.