NEW YORK (March 9, 2025) – Four of the 2024-25 All-BIG EAST First Team selections are unanimous picks as the conference has announced the All-BIG EAST First, Second and Third Teams and All-Freshman Team. The league’s head coaches select the all-conference squads and were not permitted to select their own players.
There are no repeat selections on the All-BIG EAST First Team. The unanimous picks are Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton, Kam Jones of Marquette, RJ Luis Jr. of St. John’s and Eric Dixon of Villanova. The other selections are Micah Peavy of Georgetown and Zuby Ejiofor of St. John’s.
The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from the All-BIG EAST First Team. The conference will announce Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, March 12, at Madison Square Garden at 1:30 p.m. ET. Other league individual awards, including BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced Monday, March 10, at 11 a.m. ET.
Luis Jr. and Ejiofor represent regular season champion St. John’s. Luis Jr. ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring with a team-leading 18.1 average and is sixth in rebounding with a 7.1 mark. Ejiofor is second on the team in scoring with a 14.1 average and third in the league in rebounding at 8.2 per game.
Creighton’s Kalkbrenner was an All-BIG EAST Second Team pick last season. The 7-1 senior center ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 19.4 mark and first in rebounds at 9.0. He also is first in field goal percentage, making 66.3 percent, and first in blocked shots with a 2.7 mark.
Marquette’s Jones averaged 18.9 points, which ranks third in the league. He ranks second in assists with a 6.1 mark. His league-leading 3.5 assist/turnover ratio is fifth nationally.
Georgetown’s Peavy, a 6-8 graduate wing, is the top Hoya scorer with a 16.5 scoring mark, which ranks sixth in the BIG EAST. He posted four double-doubles in the season. Peavy’s 2.3 steals average leads the league.
Villanova’s Dixon, an All-BIG EAST Second Team pick in 2023-24, leads the nation in scoring with a 23.6 average and is the BIG EAST scoring champion with a 22.6 mark in league games. The grad student is first in the league overall in 3-point shooting, making 42.9 percent. He is the first Villanova scoring champion since Josh Hart in 2016-17.
The All-BIG EAST Second Team includes two UConn players, forward Alex Karaban and guard Solo Ball, along with Creighton guard Steven Ashworth, St. John’s Kadary Richmond and Xavier’s Zach Freemantle.
The All-BIG EAST Third Team has six players because of a tie in the balloting, including a pair of freshmen, UConn’s Liam McNeeley and Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber. Also, Butler forward Jahmyl Telfort, Marquette forward David Joplin, Villanova guard Wooga Poplar and Xavier guard Ryan Conwell are on the squad.
The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year will come from the All-Freshman Team. UConn forward Liam McNeeley and Georgetown Thomas Sorber dominated Freshman of the Week honors this season. McNeeley and Sorber each won seven times. Both were unanimous selections. The other All-Freshman Team picks are forward Jackson McAndrew of Creighton, forward Royce Parham of Marquette and the Providence duo of center Oswin Erhunmwunse and forward Ryan Mela,
ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
*Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, Sr., 7-1, 270, Florissant, Mo.
Micah Peavy, Georgetown, G-F, Gr., 6-8, 220, Cibolo, Texas
*Kam Jones, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-5, 205, Memphis, Tenn.
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, F, Jr., 6-9, 240, Garland, Texas
*RJ Luis, Jr., St. John’s, G-F, Jr., 6-7, 215, Miami, Fla.
*Eric Dixon, Villanova, F, Gr., 6-8, 265, Willow Grove, Pa.
ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Solo Ball, Connecticut, G, So., 6-3, 190, Leesburg, Va.
Alex Karaban, Connecticut, F, R-Jr., 6-8, 225, Southborough, Mass.
Steven Ashworth, Creighton, G, Sr., 6-0, 175, Alpine, Utah
Kadary Richmond, St. John’s, G, Gr., 6-6, 205, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Zach Freemantle, Xavier, F, Gr., 6-9, 227, Teaneck, N.J.
ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM*
Jahmyl Telfort, Butler, F, Gr., 6-7, 225, Montreal, Que.
Liam McNeeley, Connecticut, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Richardson, Texas
Thomas Sorber, Georgetown, F-C, Fr., 6-10, 255, Trenton, N.J.
David Joplin, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-8, 225, Milwaukee, Wis.
Wooga Poplar, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-5, 197, Philadelphia, Pa.
Ryan Conwell, Xavier, G, Jr., 6-4, 215, Indianapolis, Ind.
*A tie in the voting created an extra position.
BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
*Liam McNeeley, Connecticut, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Richardson, Texas
Jackson McAndrew, Creighton, F, Fr., 6-10, 220, Wayzata, Minn.
*Thomas Sorber, Georgetown, F-C, Fr., 6-10, 255, Trenton, N.J.
Royce Parham, Marquette, F, Fr., 6-8, 230, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Oswin Erhunmwunse, Providence, F, Fr., 6-10, 220, Benin City, Nigeria
Ryan Mela, Providence, F, Fr., 6-6, 220, Natick, Mass.
*Denotes unanimous selection