NEW YORK - The 2017-18 BIG EAST regular season was filled with the unexpected.
Consensus pre-season pick to win its fifth consecutive conference title, Villanova lost four conference games and fell to second. Xavier won the conference title, the Musketeers the first team besides Villanova to win the crown in the new BIG EAST era.
Cellar dwelling St. John’s in the throes of an 11-game conference losing streak suddenly roared to life with a stunning upset of Duke followed by toppling nationally No. 1 ranked Villanova in back to back games.
However, a sense of normalcy was returned on Wednesday with the announcement of Villanova’s sensation junior Jalen Brunson as the BIG EAST Player of the Year at a news conference at Madison Square Garden hours before St. John’s and Georgetown tipped-off to open the BIG EAST tournament presented by JEEP.
“You just feel so blessed when you get a kid like that, it is a once in a lifetime kind of young man,” said Villanova coach Jay Wright. “He is just everything you want college basketball to stand for. He is all about his teammates and the program; it is so refreshing to see somebody win a Player of Year award when his focus was on the team. He is a very special young man.”
Brunson did double lifting at the trophy photo opportunities as he was also selected the Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
“It’s a great feeling, “Brunson said of being the first player since UConn’s Emeka Okafor in 2004 to win both honors. “It just shows how dedicated I am on and off the court. I try to really work hard in school, work hard on my game. I just try to do everything I can as hard as I can and be as best as I can in all aspects of life.”
Brunson holds a 3.34 grade point average in communications and is on track to graduate this summer.
His hardwood numbers are just as gaudy. The 6-2 guard averaged a team-leading 19.0 points per game, tops the BIG EAST with an assist/turnover ratio of +2.9 and ranks fifth in assists with a 4.8 average. His play helped the Wildcats to a 27-4 record (14-4 BIG EAST) and to reside at the top or near the top of all of the national rankings throughout the season.
“He just has every attribute you would want in a player, “ said the BIG EAST coach of the Year Chris Mack of Xavier. “He’s tough, he’s fearless, he is incredibly skilled, and the decisions that he makes on both ends of the floor are the right ones. He becomes an extension of the coaching staff when he is out on the floor. “
Said Wright: “He has always been great driving the ball, finishing at the rim, really improved as a three-point shooter, he has done everything. He is just a complete ball player.”
After his Blue Jays lost to Villanova by 20 points in the team’s first meeting last month, Creighton coach Greg McDermott raved about Brunson.
“He impacts winning in so many ways,” McDermott said of the unanimous BIG EAST Conference First Team selection. “If you need him to score he scores, if you need him to distribute he distributes, he’s got toughness, he’s got moxie and his leadership skills are just off the charts.”
A co-captain with classmate Mikal Bridges, Brunson was quick to share his honors with his teammates.
“It is a credit to them, “ said Brunson. “They are the reason why I have been able to get these awards. Without the team success I don’t think I would be getting the awards. I am glad to be a Wildcat.”
A national Player of the Year candidate, Brunson is one of 20 on the John Wooden Award Late Season Watch List, one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Award and one of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award which honors the nation’s top point guard.
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Jalen Brunson, Villanova
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Omari Spellman, Villanova
BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Chris Mack, Xavier