NEW YORK – Seton Hall guard Myles Powell has been chosen 2019-20 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s head coaches. Villanova forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl has been tabbed BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. The coaches, who were not permitted to choose their own players, also selected an All-BIG EAST First Team, All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.
Powell, a 6-2 senior from Trenton, N.J., ranked second in the BIG EAST in scoring last season with a 23.1 average that was also 13th nationally. He made a school record 107 3-pointers and his season point total of 784 was the most by a Pirate in the school’s BIG EAST era. Powell’s 2.0 steal average ranked second in the league. He was a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection and made the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team after leading all players in scoring with a 26.0 average. Powell also participated in the Pan American Games this summer, helping the USA team of BIG EAST players capture a bronze medal with a 14.6 scoring mark. He is the first player from Seton Hall to earn Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year honors since Terry Dehere in 1992-93.
Robinson-Earl, considered one of the top prep recruits in the nation, may play multiple positions for the Wildcats. He was a 2019 McDonald’s All-America selection and played on the 2019 Team USA U19 squad that won a gold medal at the FIBA World Championships in Greece this summer. The 6-8 forward from Overland Park, Kan., was ranked No. 14 nationally by ESPN and No. 15 by 247 Sports.
The five-player 2019-20 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team includes two repeat selections from last year: Marquette guard Markus Howard and Providence guard Alpha Diallo. Howard, Diallo and Xavier forward Naji Marshall were unanimous picks this year. Butler guard Kamar Baldwin and Creighton guard Ty-Shon Alexander also earned first team honors.
Howard, a 5-11 senior guard from Chandler, Ariz., is the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year. He earned the honor last season after averaging 25.0 points, which ranked fifth nationally. A Consensus All-America Second Team pick, Howard shot 40.3 percent from 3-point range and connected on a school record 120 3-point baskets. In BIG EAST play, he won the scoring title with a 24.9 average and, with 1,070 BIG EAST career points, is on pace to become the league’s all-time scorer. Last season, he broke his own BIG EAST single-game scoring record with 53 points in a win at Creighton.
Diallo, a 6-7 senior guard from New York City, is one of the BIG EAST’s top all-around performers. Last year, the Friar finished ninth in the BIG EAST in scoring, averaging 16.0 points. He was second in rebounding at 8.1 boards per game and fourth in steals with a 1.6 mark. At the Pan American Games, he led Team USA in scoring (15.0), rebounding (5.6) and steals (1.6). Diallo was an All-BIG EAST Second Team pick last season.
Marshall also was an All-BIG EAST Second Team pick last year. The rising 6-7 junior from Atlantic City, N.J., averaged a team-leading 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Musketeers. He was an even better scorer in league games, averaging 16.6 points. Marshall had 20 points and 21 rebounds in an NIT win over Toledo, the first “20-20” game by a Xavier player since 2000-01.
Like Diallo and Marshall, Butler’s Baldwin also earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2018-19. The native of Winder, Ga., placed seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 17.0 average and was third in free throw shooting, making 85.0 percent. Having scored 1,453 points in three seasons with the Bulldogs, he has the fourth best three-year scoring total in school history.
Creighton’s Alexander was one of the conference’s most improved players last year. The rising 6-4 junior averaged 15.7 points last season, which included 97 3-pointers, after posting a 5.5 scoring mark as a freshman. His scoring average increase of 10.2 points led all BIG EAST players. A native of Charlotte, N.C., Alexander also averaged 4.0 rebounds and made 41 steals last season.
The Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team has six members due to a tie in the voting. The team includes two players from Villanova, two from St. John’s and single representatives from Georgetown and DePaul.
Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels are the Villanova selections. Gillespie, a junior guard, averaged 10.9 points, shot a team-leading 37.9 percent from 3-point range and 83.9 percent from the foul line. Samuels, a 6-7 junior forward, finished strong last season, averaging 13.6 points and 8.5 rebounds over the last seven games when he moved into the starting lineup. For the season, Samuels averaged 6.4 points.
Mustapha Heron and L.J. Figueroa are the St. John’s second-team honorees. Heron, a 6-5 senior, was second on the team in scoring and 13th in the BIG EAST with a 14.6 average. He ranked seventh in the league in 3-point shooting, making 40.3 percent, and averaged 4.6 rebounds. Figueroa, a 6-6 junior wing, was just behind Heron in scoring at 14.4 points, a mark that led all first-year BIG EAST players. He also pulled down 6.4 rebounds and was third in steals in the league with a 1.8 mark.
Georgetown’s Akinjo was the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.4 points and 5.2 assists. In BIG EAST play, he won the league assist crown with a 6.0 average. He had a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio as the Hoyas’ floor leader. Akinjo won BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors four times during the season. He was the seventh Hoya in league history to win the rookie honor.
DePaul forward Paul Reed won BIG EAST Most Improved Player honors after averaging 12.3 points and a league-leading 8.5 rebounds. The rising 6-9 junior ranked third in the BIG EAST in blocked shots with a 1.5 average. Reed also made 56.2 percent of his shots from the field. As a freshman, he averaged 3.6 points while playing 9.9 minutes per game.
Xavier junior guard Paul Scruggs and Georgetown junior center Omer Yurtseven were named Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention. Scruggs averaged 12.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. He made the All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in two games at MSG. Yurtseven, a 7-1 center who becomes eligible this season after transferring from N.C. State, averaged 13.5 points, 6.7 boards and shot 57.2 percent from the floor as a starter two seasons ago.
2019-20 BIG EAST Preseason Honors
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Myles Powell, Seton Hall, G, Sr., 6-2, 195, Trenton, N.J.
BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova F, Fr., 6-9, 232, Overland Park, Kan.
BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Kamar Baldwin, Butler, G, Sr., 6-1, 190, Winder, Ga.
Ty-Shon Alexander, Creighton, G, Jr., 6-4, 195, Charlotte, N.C.
Markus Howard, Marquette, G, Sr., 5-11, 175, Chandler, Ariz.*
Alpha Diallo, Providence, G, Sr., 6-7, 210, New York, N.Y.*
Naji Marshall, Xavier, F, Jr., 6-7, 220, Atlantic City, N.J.*
BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team^
Paul Reed, DePaul, F, Jr., 6-9, 215, Orlando, Fla.
James Akinjo, Georgetown, G, So., 6-0, 180, Oakland, Cal.
L.J. Figueroa, St. John’s, G-F, Jr., 6-6, 195, Lawrence, Mass.
Mustapha Heron, St. John’s, G, Sr., 6-5, 210, Waterbury, Conn.
Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-3, 191, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
Jermaine Samuels, Villanova, F, Jr., 6-7, 222, Franklin, Mass.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Omer Yurtseven, Georgetown, C, Jr., 7-0, 275, Istanbul, Turkey
Paul Scruggs, Xavier, G, Jr., 6-4, 196, Indianapolis, Ind.
*Unanimous selection
^Tie in the voting allowed for an additional honoree