With the season finishing up, I was able to get in touch with a bunch of highly respected bloggers around the Big East to create the 1st Annual Big East Blogger Awards. The following blogs were nice enough to send in their ballots for this historic event.
Orange 44 (Syracuse)
Pitt Script (Pitt)
UC Huskies (UConn)
Rakes of Mallow (Notre Dame)
The UC Bearcats Blog (Cincinnati)
Cracked Sidewalks (Marquette)
Eye of a Panther (Pitt)
Casual Hoya (Georgetown)
Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician (Syracuse)
On the Banks of the Raritan (Rutgers)
Voodoo 5 (USF)
The East Coast Bias (St. Johns)
I really appreciate everyone coming together so quickly in getting their ballots over to me. Now without further ado, your 2009-2010 Big East Blogger All-Conference Team.
2009-2010 Big East Player of the Year:
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
There were some other votes for guys like Luke Harandogy, Andy Rautins, and Dominique Jones, but Scottie Reynolds ran away with this thing. There really isn't much that Scottie Reynolds hasn't done during his storied career at Villanova. The 6'2 Senior led the 24-6 Wildcats this year in scoring, averaging 18.8 points a game. Reynolds also chipped in 2.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists a contest. Scottie is downright scary when he gets by his defender, and is efficient from deep, hitting 40% of his shots from range. A leader in every aspect of the word, and the quickest guard we've seen in the Big East that we have seen in quite a while. I know Chris at The Nova Blog will be crying after Reynolds plays in his last game for the Wildcats.
1st Team All-Big East
Dominique Jones, USF
Dominique Jones has done more for USF in his three years than I think anyone has in the past decade. The 6'4 Guard from Lake Wales led the Big East in scoring this year, netting 23.2 a game in the Big East, and averaging 21.3 ppg overall. Jones also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game as well. Jones scored a USF record 46 points in an overtime comeback win over Providence. Jones can beat most defenders one on one, and he can finish well inside. He rebounds surprisingly well for his size, and has great court vision. Routinely takes on opposing team's best scorer.
Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
The transfer from Iowa State has been a big reason for Syracuse's success this season. The 6'7 forward is one of the hardest matchups in the Big East due to his size and ability to score from anywhere on the court. Johnson led the Big East Regular Season Champions in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.7 and 8.6 respectivally. Length and quickness perfect person to run Coach Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone. Most likely heading to the NBA after one season with the Orange.
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
The 6'11 Sophomore has been described as having the skill set of a small forward while having the size of a center, and he is the perfect center to run the Hoya's Princeton Offense. His court vision is off the charts for a post player, and he averages an impressive 3.6 assists a game from finding the open man when being double teamed. Monroe also averages a near double-double, going for 16 points and 9.5 rebounds a contest. Controls the post on defense, routinely altering shots along with averaging 1.5 blocks a game.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Last season's BIG EAST POY, Harangody had another stellar season for the Fighting Irish. The 6'8 Senior averaged an impressive 22.8 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. Has a Kevin McHale-like arsenal of post moves that he will use at any time. Harangody was in line for a possible second BIG EAST POY award, but a knee injury kept Harangody sidelined for the last couple of weeks in the season. Has come back the past few game to help the Notre Dame continue their impressive winning streak into the BIG EAST Tournament.
Lazar Hayward, Marquette
The 6'6 Senior Forward stepped up in a big way for the Golden Eagles after Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, and Jerel McNeal left the team due to graduation. Going up against players three or four inches taller than him, Hayward used his quickness and agility off the dribble to neutralize his defender's height advantage. Hayward averaged 18.2 points and 7.8 rebounds a game for Buzz Williams' squad.
Second Team All-Big East
DeSean Butler, West Virginia
Andy Rautins, Syracuse
Jamine Peterson, Providence
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
Big East Coach of the Year
Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
Coach Boehim has done a remarkable job with the Orange this season. After losing starts Johnny Flynn, Paul Harris, and Eric Devendorf, Boeheim led the Orange to the BIG EAST regular season championship their first #1 ranking in 20 years. Syracuse looks they will be a number one seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, and look poised to make another deep run in the tournament. Other candidates for this award included Buzz Williams of Marquette, Stan Heath of USF, and Jamie Dixon of Pitt.
Big East Freshman of the Year
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati
There were some votes for Dane Miller of Rutgers, but Born Ready won this battle by a landslide. The Brooklyn, NY native led the Bearcats in scoring this season, finishing up with 12.3 points a contest to go along with 5.4 rebounds a game. Lance is great at beating his man off the dribble. For a freshman, Stephenson did a great job on the defensive end, and even averaged a steal a game. Stephenson does need to work on his three-point shooting before moving on to the NBA, but with a summer of offseason workouts and conditioning, we should expect big things from Lance next year.
Thanks again for everyone who participated. I hope we can do this again next season..