NEW YORK – Villanova guard Josh Hart has been chosen the 2016-17 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s head coaches. St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds was tabbed Preseason Freshman of the Year. The coaches, who were not permitted to place their own players on their ballots, also chose an All-BIG EAST First Team, All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.
Hart, a 6-5 senior from Silver Spring, Md., already has collected numerous honors in his career. Last season, he was named to the NCAA All-Final Four Team after helping the Wildcats win the BIG EAST’s eighth and Villanova’s second national championship. He averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the two Final Four games. For the season, he averaged a team-leading 15.6 points and his 6.8 rebound mark led all guards in the BIG EAST. He was a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection and was one of 15 finalists for the John Wooden Award.
As a sophomore, Hart won the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player in the 2015 BIG EAST Tournament. In his three seasons at Villanova, the Wildcats have compiled a 97-13 (.882) record.
Ponds, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., was a 2,000-point scorer at Thomas Jefferson High School and averaged 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists as a senior. A consensus top-50 recruit, he was named to the Jordan Brand All-America Team.
The 2016-17 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team includes Villanova forward Kris Jenkins, a unanimous selection, Xavier guards Trevon Bluiett and Edmond Sumner, Butler forward Kelan Martin and Creighton guard Maurice Watson Jr.
Jenkins cemented a place in college basketball history when he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat North Carolina 77-74 in the national championship game. For the season, the 6-6 forward was second to Hart in scoring with a 13.6 average and ranked first among BIG EAST players with 100 3-point baskets.
The Xavier guard duo of Bluiett and Sumner helped lead the Musketeers to a 28-6 season, a second-place finish in BIG EAST play with a 14-4 record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Bluiett averaged a team-high 15.1 points and garnered All-BIG EAST First Team honors. Sumner picked up BIG EAST All-Freshman Team accolades after averaging 11.0 points and 3.6 assists.
Butler’s Martin became a force last year after earning a starting position at midseason. The 6-7 forward averaged 15.7 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds. He earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors while helping the Bulldogs to a 22-11 record and a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Watson Jr. led the Bluejays in scoring with a 14.1 average and was first in the BIG EAST in assists with a 6.5 mark. The 2015-16 season was Watson Jr.’s first as a Bluejay after transferring from Boston U. The speedy point guard made the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
The Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team includes two seniors and three juniors. Guard Billy Garrett Jr. of DePaul and center Luke Fischer of Marquette are the seniors. Garrett Jr. averaged 12.6 points and 3.5 assists last season for the Blue Demons. In three years, he has scored 642 points in BIG EAST games, the most among the league’s active players. Fischer averaged 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Golden Eagles. He ranked second in the league in field goal percentage, making 61.0 percent from the field.
Two of three juniors are from Seton Hall. Khadeen Carrington and Angel Delgado were critical contributors to the Pirate success that included winning the BIG EAST Tournament last March and gaining the school’s first NCAA appearance since 2006. Carrington is the team’s top returning scorer with a 14.1 mark. He also averaged 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Delgado, a 6-10 forward, was All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention after averaging 9.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and shooting 56.7 percent from the floor. He was BIG EAST Rookie of the Year as a freshman.
Georgetown forward Isaac Copeland, a 6-9 junior forward, has been a two-year regular and not missed a game in his first two years with the Hoyas. Last year, he started every contest and averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.
The Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention group include three selections – Creighton junior guard Marcus Foster, Georgetown junior forward L.J. Peak and Villanova sophomore guard Jalen Brunson. Foster is a transfer from Kansas State, who will be playing his first year with the Bluejays. A 6-3 junior, he averaged 12.5 points two seasons ago at Kansas State. Peak, a 6-5 junior forward, averaged 12.3 points and ranked second in the BIG EAST in 3-point shooting, hitting 40.0 percent. Brunson earned BIG EAST All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 9.6 points as the starting point guard on the Wildcats’ national championship team.
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Josh Hart, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-5, 215, Silver Spring, Md.
BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year
Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s, G, Fr., 6-1, 165, Brooklyn, N.Y.
BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Kelan Martin, Butler, F, Jr., 6-7, 220, Louisville, Ky.
Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton, G, Sr., 5-10, 175, Philadelphia, Pa.
Kris Jenkins, Villanova, F, Sr., 6-6, 235, Upper Marlboro, Md.
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier, G, Jr., 6-6, 205, Indianapolis, Ind.
Edmond Sumner, Xavier, G, So., 6-6, 183, Detroit, Mich.
BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Billy Garrett, Jr., DePaul, G, Sr., 6-6, 210, Chicago, Ill.
Isaac Copeland, Georgetown, F, Jr., 6-9, 220, Raleigh, N.C.
Luke Fischer, Marquette, C, Sr., 6-11, 250, Germantown, Wis.
Khadeen Carrington, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-4, 195, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Angel Delgado, Seton Hall, F, Jr., 6-10, 240, Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic
Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Marcus Foster, Creighton, G, Jr., 6-3, 210, Wichita Falls, Texas
L.J. Peak, Georgetown, F, Jr., 6-5, 215, Gaffney, S.C.
Jalen Brunson, Villanova, G, So., 6-2, 190, Lincolnshire, Ill.