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NCAA Basketball

Gillespie Named Big East Player of Year

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Villanova graduate guard Collin Gillespie was named the 2021-2022 Big East Player of the Year. Gillespie, who shared the award in 2020-2021 with his Villanova teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili, is the first repeat winner of the award since Providence’s Kris Dunn in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.

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Gillespie led the Wildcats to a 16-4 record in Big East play with 16.1 points and 3.1 assists per game. He was the fourth leading scorer in the league, trailing only DePaul’s Javon Freeman-Liberty, St. John’s Julian Champagnie and Marquette’s Justin Lewis.

Gillespie led the Big East in free throw percentage, at a 91.5% clip, and three-point percentage, at 43.1%. He was sixth in the league in field goal percentage, making 44.7% of his shots. He was also named the Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year, on Wednesday, for his strong academic performance this year. He was one of two 4.0 student athletes on the Wildcat roster for the fall semester, along with fellow graduate student Jermaine Samuels.

The awards are the latest of a long list of accolades for Gillespie. Earlier this week, Gillespie was the only unanimous choice for the All-Big East First Team, and nationally he was named as a Third Team All-American by the USBWA and the NABC in 2021.

Gillespie is one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award, given to the Most Outstanding Player in College Basketball. If chosen, Gillespie would be the first Wooden Award winner from Villanova since Jalen Brunson in 2017-2018.

BIG EAST Individual Award Winners

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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

Visit BIG EAST for complete coverage of Men’s Basketball in the conference

BIG EAST Names All-Conference Teams

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – St. John’s guard-forward Julian Champagnie and Villanova guard Collin Gillespie are repeat members on the All-BIG EAST First Team.  The conference has released the All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams, Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team.  The league’s head coaches choose the all-conference squads and are not permitted to vote for their own players.

The four other All-BIG EAST First Team honorees are: R.J. Cole and Adama Sanogo of Connecticut, Justin Lewis of Marquette and Jared Rhoden of Seton Hall.

The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from the All-BIG EAST First Team.  The conference will announce Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, March 9, at Madison Square Garden at 2:30 p.m. ET.  Other league individual awards, including BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced Monday, March 7, at 11 a.m.

Champagnie, a 6-8 junior, leads the Johnnies with an 18.9 scoring average and ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring in league play with an 18.1 mark.  He is the league scoring champion for a second straight year. Champagnie is also averaging 6.6 rebounds.

Villanova’s Gillespie shared BIG EAST Player of the Year honors last year with former teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili. This season, Gillespie ranks fourth in the league in scoring with a 16.3 average. He also ranks first in 3-point shooting, making 43.1 percent and is first in free throw shooting at 91.5 percent.

UConn’s Cole and Sanogo helped lead the Huskies to a 22-8 overall record and a third-place finish in the BIG EAST regular season. Cole, a 6-1 graduate student, ranks fifth in the league in scoring with a 15.8 average. His 2.2 assist/turnover ratio was fourth in the BIG EAST. Sanogo, a 6-9 sophomore, has averaged 15.3 points and a league-leading 8.6 rebounds. He is shooting 51.5 percent from the field, which ranks second in the league.

Marquette’s Lewis became the BIG EAST scoring champion on the last day of season, finishing with an 18.2 scoring mark in league games. In all games, he is the only player in the BIG EAST to rank in the top five in scoring and rebounding. Lewis ranks third in overall scoring at 17.1 points per game, fourth in rebounding at 8.0 and fourth in field goal shooting, connecting on 45.2 percent.

Seton Hall’s Rhoden has led his team to a 20-9 record and an 11-8 BIG EAST mark. The 6-6 senior guard-forward is averaging a team-leading 16.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. He was a Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection.

The All-BIG EAST Second Team includes two players from regular-season champion Providence, Jared Bynum and Nate Watson, along with Ryan Hawkins of Creighton, Javon Freeman-Liberty of DePaul and Justin Moore of Villanova.

Watson also earned second team honors last season. This year, the 6-10 center is averaging 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and ranks first in the league in field goal shooting, making 56.0 percent. Bynum enjoyed a strong second half of the season with his superb point guard play. He started only three league games but finished the regular season with a 12.9 scoring mark and ranked third in the league in assists with a 4.5 average.

Hawkins was the top scorer and rebounder on a Creighton team had returned no starters, but is very likely headed to the NCAA Tournament. The 6-7 transfer from Northwest Missouri State is averaging 14.3 points and 7.7 boards.

DePaul’s Freeman-Liberty led all BIG EAST players with a 21.9 scoring average in all games. He scored 20 or more points in 16 of the 23 games played. In league play, he was two games short of qualifying for the scoring crown, averaging 22.6 points.

Villanova’s Moore was seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring, averaging 15.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. He is second to Gillespie in scoring and third in rebounding for the second-place Wildcats. The 6-5 junior led Villanova in minutes played with a 34.2 average.

All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention includes four players: Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton, Darryl Morsell of Marquette, Posh Alexander of St. John’s and Jack Nunge of Xavier.

Three of the six members of the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team were unanimous picks – Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard, Georgetown’s Aminu Mohammed and Marquette’s Kam Jones. The other All-Freshman Team selections are Jordan Hawkins of UConn, and Creighton’s Trey Alexander and Arthur Kaluma.

Nembhard averaged 11.3 points and 4.4 assists for Creighton and was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week six times. Mohammed was the league’s top freshman scorer (13.8) and rebounder (8.1). A sharp-shooting guard, Jones averaged 7.5 points. Of his 77 field goals made, 53 of were from 3-point range, hitting on 39.6 percent.

Hawkins was in the backcourt rotation for UConn and averaged 6.7 points. Kaluma was a freshman starter for the Bluejays. The 6-7 forward averaged 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. Alexander was the top reserve off the bench, averaging 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game.

The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year will come from the All-Freshman Team.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM+

R.J. Cole, Connecticut, G, Gr., 6-1, 185, Union, N.J.

Adama Sanogo, Connecticut, F, So., 6-9, 240, Bamako, Mali

Justin Lewis, Marquette, F, So., 6-7, 245, Baltimore, Md.

Julian Champagnie, St. John’s, G-F, Jr., 6-8, 215, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall, G-F, 6-6, 210, Baldwin, N.Y.

*Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Gr., 6-3, 195, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

 

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

Ryan Hawkins, Creighton, F, Sr., 6-7, 222, Atlantic, Iowa

Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul, G, Sr., 6-4, 180, Chicago, Ill.

Jared Bynum, Providence, G, R-Jr., 5-10, 180, Largo, Md.

Nate Watson, Providence, F, Gr., 6-10, 260, Portsmouth, Va.

Justin Moore, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-4, 210, Ft. Washington, Md.

 

ALL-BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, So., 7-0, 256, St. Louis, Mo.

Darryl Morsell, Marquette, G, Gr., 6-5, 205, Baltimore, Md.

Posh Alexander, St. John’s, G, So., 6-0, 200, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jack Nunge, Xavier, C, Jr., 7-0, 245, Newburgh, Ind.

 

BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Jordan Hawkins, Connecticut, G, 6-5, 175, Gaithersburg, Md.

Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, 6-4, 185, Oklahoma City, Okla.

*Ryan Nembhard, Creighton, G, 6-0, 167, Aurora, Ont.

Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, F, 6-7, 220, Glendale, Ariz.

*Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown, G, 6-5, 210, Temple Hills, Md.

*Kam Jones, Marquette, G, 6-4, 185, Cordova, Tenn.

 

*Denotes unanimous selection

Big East Honors for Final Week

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Marquette guard Justin Lewis has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week and Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma has been selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the final week of the regular season.

BIG EAST Player of the Week

Justin Lewis, Marquette, G, So. – Lewis averaged 27.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week. In an 85-77 win against St. John’s in the season finale, he had a game-high 28 points and seven rebounds. He became the BIG EAST scoring champion with an 18.2 average in league play. Earlier in the week, Lewis posted his sixth double-double with 26 points and 10 boards in a 91-80 loss at DePaul.

BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, F, Fr. – Kaluma averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Bluejays. He posted 15 points and five rebounds in a 64-62 victory against Connecticut.

The forward had nine points and five boards in a 65-60 loss to Seton Hall. Kaluma takes Freshman honors for the second time this season.

BIG EAST Honor Roll

Adama Sanogo, UConn, F, So. – In a 1-1 week, averaged 19.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks while posting a pair of double-doubles.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, So. – Averaged 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week. Tied his career scoring high with 22 points in a victory versus UConn (64-62).

Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul, G, Sr. – In a 1-1 week, averaged 24.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Had 26 points and nine rebounds in a win over Marquette (91-80).

Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall, G, Gr. – Averaged 17.5 points in a 2-0 week. Had 13 of his 19 points in the second half of a win at Creighton (65-60).

Caleb Daniels, Villanova, G, Jr. – Averaged 15.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in a 2-0 week. Scored a season-high 20 points in a win over Providence (76-74).

 

HoopHall Names Abdul-Jabbar Finalists

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SPRINGFIELD – (Staff Report from Official News Release0 – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named the finalists for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Endowed after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor is in its eighth year.  The award recognizes the top centers in men’s college basketball.

The five finalists for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award are Walker Kessler (Auburn), Adama Sanogo (UConn), Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky).

“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is widely regarded as the best college basketball player of all time,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame in a statement. “To be acknowledged as a finalist for an award that bears his name is a phenomenal achievement and these student athletes should be celebrated. As a player, person and talent evaluator, Kareem has always operated at an elite level and we are grateful for his continued involvement in the Naismith Starting Five.”

A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in late January and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on today, March 4 on hoophallawards.com.

“This is a tremendous crop of student-athletes that are each deserving of winning this award,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1995. “It’ll be a lot of fun to watch these young men play their hardest when the stakes at their highest as we come into the home stretch of the season.”

The winner of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Karl Malone Power Forward Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.

Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include two-time winner Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).

Five Named as Malone Award Finalists

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SPRINGFIELD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named five finalists for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.

The five finalists for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award are Jabari Smith (Auburn), Paolo Banchero (Duke), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga), Keegan Murray (Iowa) and EJ Liddell (Ohio State).

“We’re excited to recognize these five tremendous power forwards as the best in the collegiate game today, not only at their positions, but in the game in general,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Unfortunately, only one can take home the award come April and we’re grateful to have Karl Malone spearheading a committee that will take great care when evaluating these players in the games that matter most.”

A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in late January and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, March 4 on hoophallawards.com.

“Regardless of who takes home this award, I’m honored to have an award with my name attached to it be carried on with the legacy of any of these outstanding five young men,” said Utah Jazz great Karl Malone, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010. “This may be the best crop of candidates in my eight years associated with this award and I’m as honored as I am excited to present it to one of the most premier players in the country.”

The winner of the 2022 Karl Malone Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.

Previous winners of the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award include Drew Timme, Gonzaga (2021), Obi Toppin, Dayton (2020), Zion Williamson, Duke (2019), Deandre Ayton, Arizona (2018), Johnathan Motley, Baylor (2017), Georges Niang, Iowa State (2016) and Montrezl Harrell, Louisville (2015).

HoopHall Names Dr. J Award Finalists

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SPRINGFIELD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the five finalists for the 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.

The five finalists for the 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award are Hyunjung Lee (Davidson), Wendell Moore (Duke), Ron Harper Jr. (Rutgers), Julian Champagnie (St. John’s) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA).

“The five student-athletes nominated as finalists for this honor have been tremendous assets to their teams throughout the course of this season,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “These young men truly play with the same spirit that Dr. J brought to the court each day and are elated to honor them with an award that bears Julius Erving’s name.”

A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in late January and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

“Having had a chance to watch these tremendous student-athletes play this year, we certainly have a difficult decision to make coming down the stretch of the season,” said Julius Erving, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1993. “I’m excited to see how the remainder of the season plays out and look forward to selecting our winner in the coming weeks.”

The winner of the 2022 Julius Erving Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.

Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (2021), Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).

HoopHall Names West Award Finalists

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SPRINGFIELD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the five finalists for the 2022 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball.

The five finalists for the 2022 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award are Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona), Ochai Agbaji (Kansas), Jaden Ivey (Purdue), Johnny Juzang (UCLA) and Johnny Davis (Wisconsin).

“It is a tremendous honor to be nominated as a finalist for the Jerry West Award and these five student athletes have done their part to play themselves into consideration,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “It’s never easy to determine a winner in a competition as closely contested as this, but we’re extremely thankful to have Jerry West’s insights from each of the player, coach and executive’s perspective.”

A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in late January and now to just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2021 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

“This is a truly special class of student-athletes that have shown the world why they are deserving of this award,” said Jerry West, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1980. “I look forward to watching these young men continue to compete as they come down the stretch playing for a national championship.”

The winner of the 2022 Jerry West Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.

Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Chris Duarte, Oregon (2021), Myles Powell, Seton Hall (2020), RJ Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).

 

Providence Rises in Rankings

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PROVIDENCE – In Monday’s release of the Associated Press and USA Today Polls, Providence moved up to ninth/eighth place, respectively. Villanova is 11th in both polls, while UConn moved up to No. 18/19. Marquette is receiving votes in both polls. Creighton and Seton Hall have votes in USA Today.

On Sunday, UConn held its third-place standing with an 86-77 road win over Georgetown. The Huskies (21-7, 12-5 BE) shot 11-of-20 from beyond the arc and were led by R.J. Cole’s 18 point-effort. Dante Harris scored a game-high 23 points for Georgetown (6-22, 0-17 BE).

In Sunday’s night game, DePaul outlasted St. John’s in an offensive battle, 99-94. Javon Freeman-Liberty (39 points) and David Jones (24 points and 10 rebounds) combined for 63 points, 18 rebounds, nine steals and seven assists in the victory for DePaul (14-14, 5-13 BE). Julian Champagnie led St. John’s (15-13, 7-10 BE) with 26 points, while Aaron Wheeler added 20.

The final week of the regular season begins Tuesday night at the Finneran Pavilion, when Villanova (21-7, 14-4 BE) hosts Providence (24-3, 14-2 BE) in a top-15 showdown at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. On Saturday, Providence topped Creighton to secure its first BIG EAST regular season title and the overall No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. Villanova returns to the court for the first time in a week, while looking to claim the regular season series over Providence, previously beating the Friars 89-84 on Feb. 15.

HoopHall Names Cousy Award Finalists

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SPRINGFIELD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the five finalists for the 2022 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer andformer Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its 19th year recognizes the toppoint guards in Division I men’s college basketball.

The five finalists for the 2022 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award are James Akinjo (Baylor), Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga), Sahvir Wheeler (Kentucky), Tyger Campbell (UCLA) and Collin Gillsepie (Villanova).

“The five point guards who have been selected as finalists for this prestigious award have proven themselves as the most premier floor generals in the country,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “They have continually demonstrated the playmaking and leadership skills that Bob Cousy was famous for, which will help them and their teams as they finish out the season in search of a national title.”

A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which was narrowed to 10 in late January, and now to the five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

“It has brought me great joy to watch many young men develop from collegiate athletes to professionals, with some of the very best having received an award that humbly bears my name,” said Bob Cousy, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1971. “There is certainly a unique brotherhood between recipients and it’s always a privilege to work with the committee to determine our annual winner.”

The winner of the 2022 Bob Cousy Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.

Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois (2021), Payton Pritchard, Oregon (2020), Ja Morant, Murray State (2019), Jalen Brunson, Villanova (2018), Frank Mason III, Kansas (2017), Tyler Ulis, Kentucky (2016), Delon Wright, Utah (2015), Shabazz Napier, Connecticut (2014), Trey Burke, Michigan (2013), Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (2012), Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011), Greivis Vasquez, Maryland (2010), Ty Lawson, North Carolina (2009), DJ Augustin, Texas (2008), Acie Law, Texas A & M (2007), Dee Brown, Illinois(2006), Raymond Felton, North Carolina (2005) and Jameer Nelson, St.Joseph’s (2004).