NEW YORK – For the first time in league history, three players will share BIG EAST Player of the Year honors. Seton Hall's Sandro Mamukelashvili and the Villanova tandem of Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Collin Gillespie tied in the voting by the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Gillespie and Robinson-Earl become the sixth and seventh Wildcats to be named BIG EAST Player of the Year. They join prior winners Kerry Kittles (1995); Randy Foye (2006); Ryan Arcidiacono (a co-recipient in 2015 with Kris Dunn of Providence); Josh Hart (2017) and Jalen Brunson (2018).
St. John's freshman Posh Alexander has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and his coach, Mike Anderson, has been selected BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
Mamukelashvili moved into a leading role for the Pirates after Myles Powell, last year's BIG EAST Player of the Year, graduated. "Mamu" responded by ranking second in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 17.8 average. His 7.3 rebound mark ranked sixth in the conference. He is one of only two league players to be ranked in the top six of both categories. A native of Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, the mobile 6-11 standout also averaged 3.1 assists and averaged 35.2 minutes player per game, third in the BIG EAST.
Robinson-Earl and Gillespie have been Villanova's top two scorers, though their value to the Wildcats goes beyond just points. They have led the Wildcats to the BIG EAST regular-season title with an 11-4 league record and a 16-5 overall mark. Robinson-Earl, a 6-9 forward from Kansas City, Kan., is the top scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.2 points and 8.4 boards. His rebound mark ranks third in the BIG EAST. The sophomore, who was the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year last season, is also known as an outstanding defender.
Gillespie, Villanova's consummate floor leader, has averaged 14.0 points and dished assists at a 4.9 rate, which is third in the league. The 6-3 guard ranks fourth in free throw shooting, making 86.0 percent. The senior from Huntingdon Valley, Pa., leads the league is assist/turnover at 2.7. His season was cut short last week when he suffered a knee injury.
Earlier this week, it was announced that St. John's Alexander shared BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors and became only the fourth freshman in league history to earn the Defensive accolade. The 6-0 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., has been a relentless defender in coach Mike Anderson's pressing defense. His 2.6 steals average leads the BIG EAST and is eighth in the country. Alexander also averages 11.2 points and 4.3 assists. He becomes the first player in league history to take Defensive Player of the Year honors and Freshman of the Year accolades in the same season since Georgetown's Allen Iverson in 1994-95.
After being selected ninth in the BIG EAST Coaches' Preseason Poll, St. John's Anderson led the Red Storm to a 10-9 BIG EAST record and a No. 4 seed in this week's BIG EAST Championship. With St. John's holding a 16-10 record going into the postseason, Anderson will extend his streak of winning seasons as a head coach to 19 years. He has never had a losing season. His career record is 402-225 (.641).
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall
Collin Gillespie, Villanova
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Posh Alexander, St. John's
BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Mike Anderson, St. John's
