NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The BIG EAST Conference named the winners of four individual awards for its 2021-22 men’s basketball season on Monday. Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Justin Lewis of Marquette has been selected BIG EAST Most Improved Player. Jared Bynum of Providence has won the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award. Georgetown’s Donald Carey has been named the winner of the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.
The BIG EAST will announce the remaining individual awards: BIG EAST Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete on Wednesday, March 9.
The league’s head coaches select the award winners and they are not permitted to vote for their own players.
Kalkbrenner, a 7-1 sophomore center from St. Louis, Mo., has been the leader of a Creighton squad that has transformed into a strong defensive club. His 80 blocked shots lead the BIG EAST and his blocked shot average of 2.7 ranks second. Kalkbrenner has been the anchor of a Bluejay defense leading the BIG EAST in field goal percentage defense, allowing only 40.0 percent shooting. Creighton ranks second in scoring defense in conference play, yielding only 67.5 points per game.
Marquette’s Lewis took the leap from top reserve in 2020-21 to elite player and scoring champion this season. Last year, the 6-7 forward from Baltimore, Md., averaged 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds as a top reserve. This season, Lewis earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors after averaging 17.1 points and 8.0 rebounds. His scoring average ranked third in the league and he was fourth in rebounding. Lewis is the only player in the league to rank among the top five in both categories. On the final day of the regular season, Lewis became the scoring champion, averaging 18.2 points in BIG EAST games.
Providence’s Bynum has been the dynamic backcourt leader who has helped propel the Friars to their first regular-season BIG EAST title with a 14-3 conference mark. They are 24-4 overall. The 5-10 point guard from Largo, Md., started only three conference contests, but led the Friars in scoring in league play with a 15.6 average. He shot 46.5 percent from 3-point range and ranked third in the BIG EAST in assists with a 4.9 mark, all in league games. Bynum became the first league player in 25 years with three games of 25 or more points off the bench in the same season.
Georgetown’s Carey was the first team captain chosen in the Patrick Ewing era. The 6-5 graduate student is in his second season with the Hoyas and is known for his productive and sportsmanlike play. This year, the native of Upper Marlboro, Md., has averaged 13.6 points in all games and 14.2 points in BIG EAST play. His .909 free throw percentage ranks second in the BIG EAST.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
BIG EAST Most Improved Player
Justin Lewis, Marquette
BIG EAST Sixth Man Award
Jared Bynum, Providence
BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award
Donald Carey, Georgetown
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