In New York, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner has matched Georgetown legend Patrick Ewing’s exceptional feat by winning the Big East Defensive Player of the Year honor for the fourth year in a row. This notable achievement highlights Kalkbrenner’s standout performance and places him alongside Ewing, who dominated the same award from 1982 to 1985 before embarking on a celebrated NBA career.
The towering 7-foot-1 senior was instrumental for the Bluejays, amassing an impressive 80 blocks this season. His defensive prowess contributed significantly to Creighton’s success, securing the No. 2 seed for them in this week’s conference tournament held at the iconic Madison Square Garden.
St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor was recognized as the Most Improved Player, while Tarris Reed Jr. of UConn earned the Sixth Man Award. Meanwhile, the Sportsmanship Award was bestowed upon Xavier’s Jerome Hunter. These accolades are determined by votes from Big East head coaches, who are, however, barred from endorsing their own athletes.
Kalkbrenner, renowned for his discipline as he has yet to foul out of a game, is a prominent candidate for the conference’s Player of the Year. Alongside him, Ejiofor earned a spot on the All-Big East first team announced on Sunday. The team includes Kam Jones from Marquette, RJ Luis Jr. of St. John’s, Eric Dixon representing Villanova, and Micah Peavy of Georgetown, with Kalkbrenner, Jones, Luis, and Dixon receiving unanimous selections.
The Player of the Year, along with Coach of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards, will be disclosed on Wednesday during a press conference at Madison Square Garden. These announcements will precede the commencement of the Big East Tournament.
Ejiofor, a 6-foot-9 junior and captain of his team, has made significant strides, averaging 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. His performance has propelled No. 6 St. John’s to clinch their first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years, a noteworthy improvement from his previous season’s averages of 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds.
Meanwhile, UConn’s 6-foot-10 Reed has been consistently stellar off the bench, averaging 10 points and 7.3 rebounds while maintaining a shooting efficiency of 67% over 20.2 minutes per game. His defensive skills are underscored by a team-high 52 blocks, and he boasts seven double-doubles from a reserve role, the most nationwide.
Facing past adversities, including cardiac issues and an ACL tear which sidelined him last season, Jerome Hunter, a 6-8 graduate student, has made a solid comeback. He is averaging 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in over 19 minutes of play for the Musketeers.
