NEW YORK -- Providence guard Kris Dunn has been selected 2015-16 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s head coaches. Villanova freshman guard Jalen Brunson has been named BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Dunn, a 6-4 junior, has already been mentioned on numerous Preseason All-America Teams. Last season, he shared BIG EAST Player of the Year honors with Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono. Dunn also was shared BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year accolades. He was the first guard in BIG EAST history to earn Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season.
Last year, Dunn averaged 15.6 points and 5.5 rebounds. His 7.5 assist average and his 2.7 steals mark ranked first in the BIG EAST. Dunn was third nationally in assists and fifth in steals. One of the league’s top all-around performers, he also became the 14
th player in BIG EAST history to record a triple-double in a league game when he posted 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over DePaul last year. A native of New London, Conn., Dunn is the second Providence player to earn BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year honors. Ryan Gomes was the Preseason Player of the Year in 2004-05.
Villanova’s Brunson, a heralded 6-2 freshman guard, has already earned plaudits by helping the USA Basketball U-19 team win a gold medal at the World Championships over the summer. As a prep senior at Adlai Stevenson H.S. in Lincolnshire, Ill., he was a McDonald’s All-American and Mr. Basketball in Illinois.
The 2015-16 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team includes Villanova’s Arcidiacono, Georgetown’s D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Xavier’s Jalen Reynolds and two Butler standouts, Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones.
Arcidiacono helped lead Villanova to a BIG EAST regular-season title, a BIG EAST Tournament crown and a 33-3 overall record last season. The 6-3 senior guard averaged 10.1 points and ranked second in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio at 2.7. He has been the Wildcats’ team captain since the middle of his freshman season.
Smith-Rivera has been a four-year contributor for the Hoyas. The 6-3 senior is coming off a season of averaging 16.3 points and helping his team reach the third round of the NCAA Tournament and finishing with a 22-11 record. He was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection.
Reynolds was a key contributor off the bench last season in Xavier’s NCAA Sweet 16 run. The 6-10 junior averaged 9.9 points and 6.1 rebounds for the year, but played his best basketball at the end of the season when he averaged 12.0 points in the Musketeers’ six postseason games. He made the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team.
Dunham and Jones were critical to Butler’s return to the postseason last March. Dunham, one of the BIG EAST top perimeter shooters, earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors after averaging 16.5 points. The 6-6 guard is the conference’s top returning scorer. He shot 41 percent from 3-point range. Jones is a versatile performer who usually fills up his line in the box score. The 6-4 forward averaged 12.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He averaged 35.5 minutes of playing time, second in the BIG EAST.
The Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team includes a senior from Villanova, a junior from DePaul, a pair of sophomores from Seton Hall, and a freshman from Marquette.
Daniel Ochefu is the Villanova upperclassman on the second team. The 6-11 senior forward averaged 9.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in only 24.0 minutes per game last season. He shot a league-leading 64.4 percent from the floor.
The DePaul junior is guard Billy Garrett, Jr., who made All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention last year after averaging 12.3 points and 3.9 assists. He was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year two seasons ago.
The Seton Hall sophomore duo is forward Angel Delgado and guard Isaiah Whitehead. Delgado was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year after averaging 9.3 points and 9.8 rebounds. The 6-9 sophomore won the BIG EAST rebounding crown by averaging 10.7 boards in league play. Whitehead was the BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year last season. He missed part of the campaign with a foot injury but still made the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team by averaging 12.0 points and 3.9 rebounds.
Henry Ellenson, a 6-10 freshman from Marquette was a McDonald’s and Parade All-American as a prep senior at Rice Lake, Wis. and the Co-Winner of the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball honor. He is the first freshman to earn preseason All-BIG EAST First or Second Team honors since the Preseason All-Rookie Team was discontinued in 1992-93.
The Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention group of four players includes Villanova’s Brunson along with sophomore forward Isaac Copeland of Georgetown, junior center Luke Fischer of Marquette and Xavier sophomore guard Trevon Bluiett. Copeland and Bluiett made the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team. Fischer averaged 11.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots.
2015-16 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Kris Dunn, Providence, G, Jr., 6-4, 220, New London, Conn.
2015-16 BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year
Jalen Brunson, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-2, 199, Lincolnshire, Ill.
2015-16 BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Kellen Dunham, Butler, G, Sr., 6-6, 200, Pendleton, Ind.
Roosevelt Jones, Butler, F, Sr., 6-4, 225, O’Fallon, Ill.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown, G, Sr., 6-3, 214, Indianapolis, Ind.
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-3, 195, Langhorne, Pa.
Jalen Reynolds, Xavier, F, Jr., 6-10, 232, Detroit, Mich.
2015-16 BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Billy Garrett, Jr., DePaul, G, Jr., 6-6, 205, Chicago, Ill.
Henry Ellenson, Marquette, F, Fr., 6-10, 245, Rice Lake, Wis.
Angel Delgado, Seton Hall, F, So., 6-9, 230, Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic
Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall, G, So., 6-4, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Daniel Ochefu, Villanova, F, Sr., 6-11, 245, Baltimore, Md.
2015-16 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Isaac Copeland, Georgetown, F, So., 6-9, 220, Raleigh, N.C.
Luke Fischer, Marquette, C, Jr., 6-11, 245, Germantown, Wis.
Jalen Brunson, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-2, 199, Lincolnshire, Ill.
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier, G, So., 6-6, 215, Indianapolis, Ind.