PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Villanova forward
Eric Dixon was announced on Thursday as the Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year. The native of Willow Grove, Pa., also took home the honor in 2023-24.
La Salle's
Deuce Jones was named the Rookie of the Year, and Saint Joseph's head coach
Billy Lange was chosen as the Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year.
The other major award winners on the men's side include
Cole Hargrove from Drexel as the Most Improved Player and
Justice Ajogbor from Saint Joseph's who garnered Big 5 Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades.
Dixon was joined on the All-Big 5 first team by the Saint Joseph's trio of
Erik Reynolds II, Xzayvier Brown and
Rasheer Fleming along with
Jamal Mashburn, Jr., from Temple.
The All-Big 5 second team featured La Salle teammates
Corey McKeithan and the aforementioned
Jones, Penn's
Same Brown, Wooga Poplar from
Villanova and
Kobe Magee of Drexel
.
Two players earned Honorable Mention honors, including
Steve Settle III from Temple and
Hargrove.
Dixon was recognized as the Big 5 leading scorer averaging 23.3 points per game, while Brown shot 89.7 percent (148-165) from the foul line and was the Big 5 leading free throw shooter.
Philadelphia Big 5 Men's Basketball Award Winners
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Eric Dixon, Villanova (Grad Student, Forward)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Deuce Jones, La Salle (Freshman, Guard)
COACH OF THE YEAR
Billy Lange, Saint Joseph's
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Cole Hargrove, Drexel (Junior, Forward)
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Justice Ajogbor, Saint Joseph's (Grad Student, Forward)
LEADING SCORER
Eric Dixon, Villanova (Grad Student, Forward) – 23.3 points per game
LEADING FREE THROW SHOOTER
Xzayvier Brown, Saint Jospeh's (Sophomore, Guard) 89.7 percent (148-165)
ALL-BIG 5 FIRST TEAM
Eric Dixon, Villanova
Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph's
Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph's
Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph's
Jamal Mashburn, Jr., Temple
ALL-BIG 5 SECOND TEAM
Corey McKeithan, La Salle
Wooga Poplar, Villanova
Sam Brown, Penn
Kobe MaGee, Drexel
Deuce Jones, La Salle
HONORABLE MENTION
Steve Settle III, Temple
Cole Hargrove, Drexel
