RJ Luis Jr. has been honored as the Big East player of the year while Rick Pitino earned the unanimous title of coach of the year, as both were instrumental in leading St. John’s to its first outright conference championship since 1985.
The standout freshman from UConn, Liam McNeeley, has been named Big East newcomer of the year.
After overcoming off-season shin surgery, Luis has delivered impressive stats, averaging 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. These achievements have propelled St. John’s, ranked sixth, to enter the Big East Tournament riding the momentum of a six-game winning streak. Guided by Pitino, St. John’s (27-4) is preparing for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, marking his second year in the coaching position.
In the player of the year voting, Luis narrowly secured the honor with six of the 13 votes, surpassing Creighton’s center Ryan Kalkbrenner by a single vote. Villanova’s forward Eric Dixon received the remaining two votes. Luis expressed gratitude towards his teammates and coaches, particularly highlighting Kadary Richmond’s role in his success. “They do a great job of putting me in position to be successful, especially Kadary (Richmond). He knows I’m a scorer, so he does a great job of finding me the ball. I think it would be a blessing to receive the award. It would be an honor,” Luis stated.
Both Luis, Kalkbrenner, and Dixon were unanimous selections for the all-Big East first team, joined by Creighton’s guard Steven Ashworth, St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor, and Marquette guard Kam Jones, with Ashworth and Ejiofor tying for the fifth spot in the vote.
Named to the second team were Richmond, UConn’s guard Solo Ball, Xavier’s forward Zach Freemantle, UConn’s forward Alex Karaban, and Georgetown’s swingman Micah Peavy.
This marks the third successive year that Kalkbrenner has earned a place on the first team. In contrast, Dixon and Richmond, both formerly second-team members last year, have maintained their impressive performances, even as Richmond contributes to St. John’s roster after his transfer from Seton Hall.
The selections are as follows:
**First Team**
– **Guard** – Steven Ashworth, Creighton, 5th year, 6 feet, 175 lbs, from Alpine, Utah
– **Guard** – Kam Jones, Marquette, Senior, 6-5, 205 lbs, from Memphis, Tennessee
– **Guard/Forward** – RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s, Junior, 6-7, 215 lbs, from Miami
– **Forward** – Eric Dixon, Villanova, 6th year, 6-8, 265 lbs, from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
– **Forward** – Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, Junior, 6-9, 240 lbs, from Garland, Texas
– **Center** – Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, 5th year, 7-1, 270 lbs, from Florissant, Missouri
**Second Team**
– **Guard** – Solo Ball, UConn, Sophomore, 6-3, 190 lbs, from Leesburg, Virginia
– **Guard** – Kadary Richmond, St. John’s, 5th year, 6-6, 205 lbs, from Brooklyn, New York
– **Guard/Forward** – Micah Peavy, Georgetown, 5th year, 6-8, 220 lbs, from Cibolo, Texas
– **Forward** – Zach Freemantle, Xavier, 6th year, 6-9, 227 lbs, from Teaneck, New Jersey
– **Forward** – Alex Karaban, UConn, Junior, 6-8, 225 lbs, from Southborough, Massachusetts
**Individual Honors**
– **Coach of the Year**: Rick Pitino, St. John’s
– **Player of the Year**: RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s
– **Newcomer of the Year**: Liam McNeeley, UConn, Freshman, 6-7, 210 lbs, Richardson, Texas
(Note: “u” indicates a unanimous selection and “t” denotes a tie.)
This ensemble of athletes and their accomplishments showcases the talents driving the competitive spirit within the Big East conference.
