Coaches Check In At 2015 BIG EAST Basketball Media Day
By SEAN BRENNAN
Special to BIGEAST.com
NEW YORK -- To no one’s surprise, with the possible exception of Villanova coach Jay Wright, the Wildcats were pegged as the top dogs in the 2015-16 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Yes, the Wildcats were coming off a season which saw them secure their second straight BIG EAST regular-season title while also adding the conference tournament title last March.
But Wright is not fully embracing his program’s lofty status, bestowed on the ‘Cats at Wednesday’s BIG EAST Media Day.
“I respect everybody putting us in that position but I question their voting a little bit,” Wright said. “We lost three great guys (JayVaughn Pinkston, Darrun Hilliard and Dylan Ennis). I’m humbled by their vote. But when you see teams like Georgetown, Xavier and Butler bringing back a lot of guys who are really good and I think DePaul is a team that is bringing back guys who are really good and you have Providence with a National Player of the Year candidate (Kris Dunn) with some really good players coming back, I just don’t think we’re as experienced as we’ve been to be in that spot. I just think you’re probably going to see a year where six teams get in the tournament again but I think the way we’re all rated in the end could be a lot different than people think.”
The Wildcats enjoyed a phenomenal regular season and conference tournament weekend as they rolled to a 33-3 record and an eventual No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But another early-round tourney exit left a bad taste in the Wildcats’ mouth though they refuse to use that bitter disappointment as a source of motivation this year.
“The (tournament) loss leaves a sick feeling because you know you don’t get a chance to fix it,” Wright said. “The one thing you learn, the wisdom you acquire is you don’t get over it, you don’t solve it, you just move on.”
Villanova senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono, an All-BIG EAST First Team selection this year, thinks it’s time to put that talk to bed and concentrate on the upcoming season.
“Honestly I don’t think about it,” Arcidiacono said. “I don’t really listen to what people have to say. People want to bash on people. I don’t know, we won the BIG EAST championship, regular season and tournament, so there’s not much else you can say.”
Then how about this year’s race for the regular-season crown? That’s something Arcidiacono can get into.
“Is it wide open? For sure,” Arcidiacono ssaid. “We appreciate everyone picking us No. 1 but there are no games that have been played. It’s really wide open. We know any team in this conference can win this conference. Everyone is going to battle on any given night.”
Georgetown was selected second in the coaches’ poll with Butler, Xavier and Providence rounding out the top five. Marquette was placed sixth followed by Seton Hall, DePaul, Creighton and St. John’s. But coaches and players are split as to how wide open the field is this year.
“I’d like to think the gap is closing but I’m not naïve enough to say anything other than Villanova is the gold standard of this league and anyone who thinks otherwise, they’re nuts,” said Xavier coach Chris Mack. “I know teams get unfairly judged in March, whether it’s Kentucky who had an incredible run, but Villanova is every bit as good as those guys. It’s unfortunate they bowed out so early but they were a terrific team. They’ve lost some seasoned players but they are still to be the gold standard of our league.”
Butler, which placed both Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones on the All-BIG EAST First Team, is another who could challenge Villanova for the crown. Head coach Chris Holtmann said a few things have to break right for the Bulldogs to be a major player in the conference.
“I think we’re going to have to win close games and stay healthy,” Holtmann said. “I think this league is going to beat each other up and little bit because of how deep it is. I think our league is exceptionally deep and talented. I think clearly there’s a reason Villanova and Georgetown are picked one and two. I think a lot of people would say beyond Villanova it’s wide open but there’s a reason for that. They haven’t lost a whole lot in the last couple of years. But I’m excited about the potential of our group.
But at least one of Holtmann’s players thinks Butler has a puncher’s chance in this heavyweight battle known as the conference season.
“The tradition and winning attitude Villanova has is hard to match but I think with the guys we have this year we’ll be able to provide a little bit more focus and experience on them personally because we haven’t beaten them yet,” Dunham said. “They kind of have that target on their back as being No. 1 all the time. But I think our league is very competitive and I think it’s very tough to remain on top like they have. I definitely think with the talent we have we have a shot at winning this.”
Dunham isn’t alone in thinking his team is poised to be the next conference regular-season titlist. Georgetown’s senior sensation D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera thinks the road to the title could go through Washington D.C.
“They won it last year so it makes sense for them to get the top spot this year,” said Smith-Rivera, who along with Xavier’s Jalen Reynolds, rounds out the All-BIG EAST First Team. “But it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. This year we’re looking to turn that corner and get over that hump and be the front dog. We have a lot of talent and we have extraordinary size. We can go as far as we want to go.”
Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard, entering his sixth season as head Pirate, thinks the league’s depth makes for new clear-cut favorites in the conference this season.
“I think the league is as balanced as it’s been in a while, top to bottom, because of the overall depth of kids coming back,” Willard said. “Everyone lost some players but everyone is retuning a good nucleus. Look at Butler and what they’re bringing back. We’re bringing back three starters. Georgetown is bringing back three starters. Look at DePaul with Billy Garrett, (Myke) Henry and (Tommy) Hamilton. Marquette added some pretty talented freshmen (led by 6-10 forward Henry Ellenson to go along with Luke Fischer and Duane Wilson), (Georgetown’s) John (Thompson III) brought in a nice class (paced by 6-10 center Jessie Govan) and obviously Jay (Wright) brought in a very talented freshman (in 6-2 guard Jalen Brunson, the Preseason Rookie of the Year pick in the BIG EAST). So I think everyone added to those nucleuses very well. I think everyone is in pretty good shape.”
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott is another who thinks the right trio of teams were placed in the top three spots in the poll.
“I think most of our teams have improved from a year ago. And I think anytime you do that as a league, it bodes well for your league,” McDermott said. “I think a lot of teams are better, us included, but Villanova, Georgetown and Butler, they all return a lot of pieces. Georgetown’s youth last year, I thought, was really good and those guys are all a year older and Smith-Rivera, if you’re going to build a team around somebody that’s a pretty good place to start. And we haven’t even talked about the best player in the league in Kris Dunn.
Ah yes, Kris Dunn, who surprised many by not jumping to the NBA, is back in Providence which means the Friars are included in the conversation for title contenders.
“All the players know, all the coaches know, the poll is just people’s opinion,” Dunn said. “You never know what could happen in the BIG EAST. There are so many great teams, so many great players that it doesn’t matter where people are picked. It’s one of the best conferences ever to play.”
Which should make the 2015-16 an exciting one to witness, starting in late December.
“We had 60% of our league make the NCAA tournament last year so that shows it’s not just the haves like Villanova and the have-nots being the rest of us,” Mack said. “I think we all have pretty good programs, I think we all have returning experience. A team like Butler has two First-Team All-Conference players (Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones) and Georgetown went 12-6 in the conference last year and finished second and the majority of their players are back. I do think the rest of the league has gotten better and I think with the coaching changes at St. John’s and DePaul, look for those guys to make marked improvements as well.”
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The All-BIG EAST Second Team was comprised of Billy Garrett Jr. of DePaul, Henry Ellenson of Marquette, Daniel Ochefu of Villanova and the Seton Hall tandem of Isaiah Whitehead and Angel Delgado.
The All-BIG EAST honorable Mention featured Isaac Copeland of Georgetown, Luke Fischer of Marquette, Jalen Brunson of Villanova and Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett.