Big East Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year

Last updated

The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year, known as Big East Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year from 1989 to 2015, is a Rookie of the Year award given annually by the Big East Conference to one or more men's basketball players in their first year of competitive play. It was first awarded by the original Big East Conference at the end of its inaugural 1979–80 season. [1] When the conference split along football lines in 2013, the seven schools of the original Big East that did not play FBS football joined with three other schools and formed a new Big East Conference, with the FBS schools remaining in the former Big East structure under the new name of American Athletic Conference (The American). While both offshoot conferences claim the same 1979 starting date and administrative history, the athletic history of the original league is claimed only by the current Big East.

Contents

The award, like the other conference awards, is voted on by conference coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for players on their teams. [2] The recipient of the award is announced at a press conference immediately preceding the Big East men's basketball tournament, at the same time as the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year and the Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. The ceremony takes place at Madison Square Garden during the tournament. [2] The most recent award recipient was Cam Whitmore of Villanova University. [3]

The award was introduced following the conference's first season in 1980, awarded to David Russell of St. John's. [4] Until the 1988–89 season, the award was known as the "Freshman of the Year"; [5] from then through the 2014–15 season, it was known as "Rookie of the Year", and first-year transfers were eligible for the award alongside freshmen. The award once again became "Freshman of the Year" in 2016, with eligibility restricted to freshmen. [6] The award has been shared twice—first after the 2004–05 season by Rudy Gay and Jeff Green, and again after the 2007–08 season by Jonny Flynn and DeJuan Blair. As such, the award has been presented 40 times. As only freshmen are eligible (with first-year transfers also eligible from 1989–2015), it is impossible to win the award more than once. However, the coaches in the conference also award a Preseason Rookie of the Year to one or more players before the start of the NCAA basketball season.

Winners

SeasonPlayerSchool
1979–80 David Russell St. John's
1980–81 Fred Brown Georgetown
1981–82 Patrick Ewing Georgetown
1982–83 Earl Kelley UConn [a 1]
1983–84 Dwayne Washington Syracuse
1984–85 Charles Smith Pittsburgh
1985–86 Dana Barros Boston College
1986–87 Derrick Coleman Syracuse
1987–88 Sean Miller Pittsburgh
1988–89 Brian Shorter Pittsburgh
1989–90 Nadav Henefeld UConn [a 1]
1990–91 Bill Curley Boston College
1991–92 Lawrence Moten Syracuse
1992–93 Othella Harrington Georgetown
1993–94 Doron Sheffer UConn [a 1]
1994–95 Allen Iverson Georgetown
1995–96 Scoonie Penn Boston College
1996–97 Tim Thomas Villanova
1997–98 Khalid El-Amin UConn [a 1]
1998–99 Troy Murphy Notre Dame
1999–00 Troy Bell Boston College
2000–01 Eddie Griffin Seton Hall
2001–02 Chris Thomas Notre Dame
2002–03 Carmelo Anthony Syracuse
2003–04 Chris Taft Pittsburgh
2004–05 Rudy Gay UConn [a 1]
2004–05 Jeff Green Georgetown
2005–06 Dominic James Marquette
2006–07 Scottie Reynolds Villanova
2007–08 Jonny Flynn Syracuse
2007–08 DeJuan Blair Pittsburgh
2008–09 Greg Monroe Georgetown
2009–10 Lance Stephenson Cincinnati
2010–11 Cleveland Melvin DePaul
2011–12 Moe Harkless St. John's
2012–13 JaKarr Sampson St. John's
2013–14 Billy Garrett Jr. DePaul
2014–15 Ángel Delgado Seton Hall
2015–16 Henry Ellenson Marquette
2016–17 Justin Patton Creighton
2017–18 Omari Spellman Villanova
2018–19 James Akinjo Georgetown
2019–20 Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Villanova
2020–21 Posh Alexander St. John's
2021–22 Ryan Nembhard Creighton
2022–23 Cam Whitmore Villanova
2023–24 Stephon Castle UConn [a 1]

Winners by school

Georgetown University leads the award count as of 2023 with seven. The Big East split into two conferences in July 2013. One of the leagues, which initially included only schools that do not sponsor FBS football, retained the Big East name. This group of schools, whose core members are collectively known as the "Catholic 7", includes Georgetown. The other league, which was made up entirely of FBS football schools until non-football school Wichita State University joined in 2017, maintains the charter of the original Big East but now operates as the American Athletic Conference. The University of Connecticut, which initially remained in the renamed conference before rejoining in 2020, has the second most winners, with six. Only 13 of the 23 teams that have participated in Big East Conference men's basketball have had players win the Rookie of the Year award. Member schools which have never won the award include Providence College (in the current Big East), Rutgers University (which left The American for the Big Ten Conference in 2014), the University of Louisville (which left The American for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014), the University of South Florida (now in The American), and two schools which joined the current Big East from other conferences in 2013: Butler University and Xavier University. Schools which left the Big East without winning the award include the University of Miami, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University. Boston College was a founding member in 1979, and left the Big East for the ACC in 2005. [7] Because the college basketball season spans the new year, the year awarded is the year in which that season ended.

School (year joined) [8] WinnersYears
Georgetown (1979)71981, 1982, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2009, 2019
UConn (1979, 2020) [a 2] 61983, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2005, 2024
Pittsburgh (1982) [a 3] 51985, 1988, 1989, 2004, 2008
Syracuse (1979) [a 3] 51984, 1987, 1992, 2003, 2008
Villanova (1980)51997, 2007, 2018, 2020, 2023
Boston College (1979) [a 4] 41986, 1991, 1996, 2000
St. John's (1979)41980, 2012, 2013, 2021
DePaul (2005)22011, 2014
Notre Dame (1995) [a 3] 21999, 2002
Seton Hall (1979)22001, 2015
Marquette (2005)22006, 2016
Cincinnati (2005) [a 2] 12010
Creighton (2013)12017

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The University of Connecticut used "Connecticut" as its primary athletic brand until the 2013–14 school year, when it officially adopted its long-used short form of "UConn".
  2. 1 2 Following the split of the conference, Cincinnati and UConn (along with three other schools that never had a winner: Louisville, Rutgers, and South Florida) remained in the football-sponsoring portion now known as The American. UConn returned to the reconfigured Big East in 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse left for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2013.
  4. Boston College left for the ACC in 2005.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big East Conference (1979–2013)</span> U.S. college athletic conference, 1979–2013

The Big East Conference was a collegiate athletics conference that consisted of as many as 16 universities in the eastern half of the United States from 1979 to 2013. The conference's members participated in 24 NCAA sports. The conference had a history of success at the national level in basketball throughout its history, while its shorter football program, created by inviting one college and four other "associate members" into the conference, resulted in two national championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NCAA Division I FBS independent schools</span> Four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference. This means that FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition like conference schools do.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NCAA Division I</span> Highest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic powers, with large budgets, more elaborate and nicer facilities and a few more athletic scholarships than Divisions II and III as well as many smaller schools committed to the highest level of intercollegiate competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UConn Huskies</span> College athletic program of the University of Connecticut, US

The UConn Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's football team plays at Rentschler Field, and the men's and women's basketball teams play on-campus at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and off-campus at the XL Center.

The UConn Huskies football team is a college football team that represents the University of Connecticut in the sport of American football. The team competes in NCAA Division I FBS as an independent. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000, and became a full-fledged Division I-A team in 2002. From 2000 to 2003, the team played as an independent. The school's football team then joined the conference of its other sport teams, the Big East, taking effect in 2004, through 2019. In 2019, the UConn football team left the American to again play as an independent, as the school's current primary conference, the current Big East, does not sponsor the sport. The Huskies currently are coached by Jim Mora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision</span> Top level of college football in the U.S.

The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As of the 2024 season, there are 10 conferences and 134 schools in FBS.

The Big East Conference gave five football awards at the conclusion of every season. The awards were first given in 1991 following the conference's first football season, and last given in 2012 before the conference was restructured as the American Athletic Conference. The five awards included Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Recipients were selected by the votes of the conference's eight head coaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 NCAA conference realignment</span>

The 2005 NCAA conference realignment was initiated by the movement of three Big East Conference teams to the Atlantic Coast Conference, which set events into motion that created a realignment in college football, as 23 teams changed conferences and Army became an independent.

The Big East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year award is given to the women's basketball player in the Big East Conference voted as the top performer by the conference coaches. It was first awarded at the end of the 1982–83 season, the first in which the Big East sponsored women's basketball. The current Big East claims the history of the original Big East Conference, which split along football lines in 2013, with three members leaving to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, the seven members that did not field teams in NCAA Division I FBS leaving to form a new Big East Conference, and the remaining FBS schools continuing to operate under the original Big East charter with the new name of American Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment</span> Administrative process in the NCAA

The 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment was a set of extensive changes in conference membership at all three levels of NCAA competition—Division I, Division II, and Division III—beginning in the 2010–11 academic year.

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year is an award given to the freshman basketball player in the Atlantic Coast Conference voted by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association as the most outstanding freshman player.

The 2012–13 Big East Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2012 and ended with the 2013 Big East men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden March 12–16, 2013 in Manhattan, New York. The regular season began in November, with the conference schedule starting on December 31, 2012. 2012-13 marked the 34th year of the Big East, and the 2013 men's basketball Championship marked the 31st anniversary of the Big East at Madison Square Garden, the longest-running conference tournament at one venue in the country. With West Virginia now in the Big 12, the 2012-13 Big East Conference schedule included 4 repeat games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big East Conference</span> U.S. college athletic conference that began in 2013

The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the 11 full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and Midwest metropolitan areas. The conference was officially recognized as a Division I multi-sport conference on August 1, 2013, and since then conference members have won NCAA national championships in men's basketball, women's cross country, field hockey, men's lacrosse, and men's soccer. Val Ackerman is the commissioner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Athletic Conference</span> US college sports conference

The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate athletic conference in The United States of America featuring 13 full member universities and six affiliate member universities that compete in The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, with its football teams competing in The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Member universities represent a range of private and public research universities of various enrollment sizes located primarily in urban metropolitan areas in the Northeastern, Midwestern, and Southern regions of the United States.

The 2013–14 Big East Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2013, followed by the start of the followed by the start of the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. This was the 35th year in the conference's history, but the first as a non-football conference, which officially formed on July 1, 2013. Conference play started on New Year's Eve 2013, and concluded in March with the 2014 Big East Conference men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the American Athletic Conference's most outstanding player, as chosen by the league's head coaches. The conference formed in 2013–14 after many schools departed from the original Big East Conference to form a new Big East Conference.

The American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year is a basketball award given to the American Athletic Conference's one or more best men's basketball players in their first year of competitive play. The conference formed in 2013–14 after many schools departed from the original Big East Conference to form their own conference. Austin Nichols of Memphis was the first-ever winner. This award is voted for by the coaches and can only be awarded once to any player.

The American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year is a basketball award given to the American Athletic Conference's most outstanding head coach. The conference formed in 2013–14 after many schools departed from the original Big East Conference to form their own conference. Mick Cronin of Cincinnati was the first-ever winner.

The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year award is given to the men's basketball player in the Big East Conference voted as the top defender by the conference coaches. It was first awarded at the end of the 1981–82 season.

The Big East Conference Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year, known as the Big East Conference Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year from 1989 to 2003, is an annual college basketball award presented to the top women's basketball freshman in the Big East Conference.

References

  1. "2008-09 Big East Media Guide" (PDF). p. 143. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Anthony, Mike (March 11, 2009). "Thabeet, Blair Share Big East Player Of Year Award". The Hartford Courant . Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  3. "Marquette Earns Player, Coach of the Year Honors" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 8, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  4. "Great Names In St. John's Basketball History". St. John's Red Storm. 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  5. "Big East Basketball Rookie of the Year". Orange Hoops. March 11, 2009. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  6. "BIG EAST Announces Men's Basketball Major Awards" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 19, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  7. "About the ACC". Atlantic Coast Conference. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  8. "The Big East Conference". Big East Conference. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.