NEW YORK (March 10, 2024) -- The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of four individual awards for the 2024-25 men’s basketball season on Monday.
For a record-tying fourth year, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor has been tabbed BIG EAST Most Improved Player. Tarris Reed Jr. of Connecticut has been chosen for the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award. Xavier’s Jerome Hunter has been named the winner of the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.
The league’s head coaches make their selections and they are not permitted to vote for their own players. The BIG EAST will announce the remaining individual awards: BIG EAST Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete on Wednesday, March 12, at 1:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden. The BIG EAST Media Award will also be presented.
Kalkbrenner, a 7-1 senior center from Florissant, Mo., is the second player in league history to garner BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors four times. Georgetown legend Patrick Ewing won four times (1982, ’83, ’84, 85). This season, Kalkbrenner passed Ewing by one in career blocks in league play. Kalkbrenner finished with 248 rejections to Ewing’s 247. This year, Kalkbrenner has 80 blocks, which leads the BIG EAST. He is an All-BIG EAST First Team pick and a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the nation’s top center. Despite the defensive prowess he has displayed throughout his career, he has never fouled out of a game.
St. John’s Ejiofor, a 6-9 junior forward from Garland, Texas, has been an anchor for the Red Storm success this season that has resulted in a BIG EAST regular season title. A team captain, Ejiofor is averaging 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds and has posted nine double-doubles. His rebound average ranks third in the BIG EAST. His .573 field goal shooting percentage leads the team. He is an All-BIG EAST First Team selection. Last year, Ejiofor averaged 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds.
UConn’s Reed Jr. has been a dependable force off the bench all season for the Huskies. The 6-10 center from St. Louis, Mo., is averaging 10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and is shooting 66.8 percent from the floor for the Huskies who own a 22-9 overall record and a 14-6 BIG EAST record. Reed Jr. leads the nation with seven double-doubles as a reserve. He plays 20.2 minutes per game and leads the team with 52 blocks. His current teammate, Hassan Diarra, won the Sixth Man Award last year.
Xavier’s Hunter has battled through cardiac issues and injury to be a contributor on a successful Musketeer team in 2024-25. After leading the team in scoring in their 2023 NCAA Tournament run that reached the Sweet 16, he missed the 2023-24 season with cardiac issues and tore an ACL while working toward a comeback. A 6-8 graduate student from Columbus, Ohio, Hunter is averaging 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds this season while playing 19.1 minutes per game.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
BIG EAST Most Improved Player
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
BIG EAST Sixth Man Award
Tarris Reed Jr., Connecticut
BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award
Jerome Hunter, Xavier