Big East Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year
The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year, known as Big East Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year from 1989 to 2015, is a
The award, like the other conference awards, is voted on by conference coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for players on their teams.[2] The recipient of the award is announced at a press conference immediately preceding the Big East men's basketball tournament, at the same time as the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year and the Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. The ceremony takes place at Madison Square Garden during the tournament.[2] The most recent award recipient was Cam Whitmore of Villanova University.[3]
The award was introduced following the conference's first season in 1980, awarded to David Russell of St. John's.[4] Until the 1988–89 season, the award was known as the "Freshman of the Year";[5] from then through the 2014–15 season, it was known as "Rookie of the Year", and first-year transfers were eligible for the award alongside freshmen. The award once again became "Freshman of the Year" in 2016, with eligibility restricted to freshmen.[6] The award has been shared twice—first after the 2004–05 season by Rudy Gay and Jeff Green, and again after the 2007–08 season by Jonny Flynn and DeJuan Blair. As such, the award has been presented 40 times. As only freshmen are eligible (with first-year transfers also eligible from 1989–2015), it is impossible to win the award more than once. However, the coaches in the conference also award a Preseason Rookie of the Year to one or more players before the start of the NCAA basketball season.
Winners
Winners by school
School (year joined)[8] | Winners | Years |
---|---|---|
Georgetown (1979) | 7 | 1981, 1982, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2009, 2019 |
UConn (1979, 2020)[a 2] | 6 | 1983, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2005, 2024 |
Pittsburgh (1982)[a 3] | 5 | 1985, 1988, 1989, 2004, 2008 |
Syracuse (1979)[a 3] | 5 | 1984, 1987, 1992, 2003, 2008 |
Villanova (1980) | 5 | 1997, 2007, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
Boston College (1979)[a 4] | 4 | 1986, 1991, 1996, 2000 |
St. John's (1979) | 4 | 1980, 2012, 2013, 2021 |
DePaul (2005) | 2 | 2011, 2014 |
Notre Dame (1995)[a 3] | 2 | 1999, 2002 |
Seton Hall (1979) | 2 | 2001, 2015 |
Marquette (2005) | 2 | 2006, 2016 |
Cincinnati (2005)[a 2] | 1 | 2010 |
Creighton (2013) | 1 | 2017 |
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f The University of Connecticut used "Connecticut" as its primary athletic brand until the 2013–14 school year, when it officially adopted its long-used short form of "UConn".
- ^ a b Following the split of the conference, Cincinnati and UConn (along with three other schools that never had a winner: Louisville, Rutgers, and South Florida) remained in the football-sponsoring portion now known as The American. UConn returned to the reconfigured Big East in 2020.
- ^ a b c Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse left for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2013.
- ^ Boston College left for the ACC in 2005.
See also
- Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
- Big East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year
- Big East Conference Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year
- List of All-Big East Conference men's basketball teams
References
- ^ "2008-09 Big East Media Guide" (PDF). p. 143. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 28, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ The Hartford Courant. Archived from the originalon March 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ "Marquette Earns Player, Coach of the Year Honors" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 8, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ "Great Names In St. John's Basketball History". St. John's Red Storm. 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ "Big East Basketball Rookie of the Year". Orange Hoops. March 11, 2009. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ^ "BIG EAST Announces Men's Basketball Major Awards" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 19, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ^ "About the ACC". Atlantic Coast Conference. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- ^ "The Big East Conference". Big East Conference. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.