As the 2025-26 Big East regular season comes to a close, it’s time for the third annual pcbb1917.com Gavitt Awards, known in the industry as the Gavvies. Again, at the urging of the “authorities”, we are foregoing our red-carpet gala to celebrate Big East greatness. These selections are based on my opinions,and I am not trying to guess who will actually get named by the conference.
Big East Coach of the Year
There are a number of potential options this season, all of whom are worthy. Last year’s winner, Rick Pitino, has been outstanding again, adjusting to early season unfamiliarity to winning 17 of their final 18 games after a loss to Providence. Dan Hurley has the UConn Huskies back in contention for a one or two seed and a third national championship in four years.Chris Holtman has continued to rebuild DePaul after a 0-20 season two years ago. Kevin Willard has Villanova back in the NCAA Tournament after a three-year absence. To the committee however, there is only one choice. Seton Hall was a near-unanimous choice for finishing last in the Big East. Instead,they’ve won 20 games and finished fourth in the conference at 10-10. For these and other reasons, the Big East Coach of the Yeat is Shaheen Holloway.
Big East All Freshmen Team
Acaden Lewis – Villanova
Nigel James – Marquette
Jamier Jones – Providence
Stefan Vaaks – Providence
Najai Hines – Seton Hall
Braylon Mullins – UConn
Similar to the national scene, the Big East has an outstanding freshman class. Eric Reibe would be a lock for rookie honors in most seasons but really was not under consideration for the six-man lineup. Braylon Mullins, Jamier Jones, and Stefan Vaaks would be favorites for the Freshman of the Year award in many seasons, but likely will not receive a vote from any of the conference’s eleven coaches. The award comes down to the two freshman point guards in the league. Nigel James has been incredible, leading Marquette in scoring and assists while being a plus defender. Meanwhile, Acaden Lewis has run the floor at Villanova from day one and being a defensive spark as well. While his three-point shooting has not been great, he’s had a knack for hitting big shots for the Wildcats. I originally planned on picking co-winners, and would be justified in doing so, I have decided to break the tie and choose as the Big East Freshman of the Year, Nigel James.
Big East Defensive Player of the Year
With the graduation of Ryan Kalkbrenner after a stellar 12 years at Creighton, the best defenders in the conference for the most part have been guards. Duke Brennan, Zuby Ejiofor, Tarris Reed, and Oswin Erhunmwunse (despite criticisms from parts of Friartown) are among the bigs who have been strong on the defensive side, but my finalists are a pair of guards. Silas Demary has brought back a level of toughness that was missing last year after the graduation of Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton. His contributions on offense have revitalized the Husky offense, but his defense brought them fully back. Despite all of this, there is only one choice for DPOY. Seton Hall based their team on methodical offense and constant pressure on defense. Budd Clark contributions on the defensive side of the ball go well beyond the statistics and his 2+ steals per game. He was often a one-man press in the backcourt and forced more bad passes than anyone in the country. Without him, the preseason projections for Seton Hall might have been correct. This is why the Gavvy goes to Budd Clark.
Big East Sixth Man of the Year
This is the easiest selection of the Gavvy Awards this year. Devin Askew began his career at Kentucky as a five-star recruitand struggled throughout his college career, with stops at Texas, California, and Long Beach State. In his final year of eligibility, Askew has willingly come off the bench and contributed in all aspects of the game, averaging over 10 points per game, shooting 43% from three in conference games, and playing excellent defense. This is why the Gavvy goes to Devin Askew.
Big East All-Conference Teams
Third Team
Oziyah Sellers – St. John’s
Bryce Hopkins – St. John’s
CJ Gunn – DePaul
KJ Lewis – Georgetown
Finley Bizjack – Butler
Second Team
Duke Brennan – Villanova
Alex Karaban – Connecticut
Tre Carroll – Xavier
Tarris Reed – Connecticut
Tyler Perkins – Villanova
First Team
Zuby Ejiofor – St. John’s
Jaylin Sellers – Providence
Nigel James – Marquette
Silas Demary – Connecticut
Budd Clark – Seton Hall
Acaden Lewis – Villanova
Michael Ajayi – Butler
This was not easy again, as there were many comparable players among the three team groupings. I also cheated a little with a seven-member first team, but I could not leave any of them off. I also could have justified adding Tre Carroll and Tyler Perkins to the first team but had to draw the line somewhere. Budd Clark was a candidate I simply could not leave off with the fact that he might have been the single most valuable player to his team in the conference. For player of the year, again the decision went beyond statistics, although the winner did lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and blocks. I strongly considered my preseason choice Jaylin Sellers and freshman Nigel James, but I could not overlook a deserving player on the best team. That is why the Gavvy for Big East Player of the Year goes to Zuby Ejiofor.
Next week hope will spring up again for our Friars, who are just four wins away from an NCAA Tournament bid. Go Friars.
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