Creighton guard Marcus Zegarowski has been selected 2020-21 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches. Marquette forward Dawson Garcia has been picked BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year. The coaches, who were not permitted to choose their own players, also selected an All-BIG EAST First Team, All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.
Zegarowski, a 6-2 junior from Hamilton, Mass., is the BIG EAST's top returning scorer after averaging 16.1 points last season for the Bluejays. Also one of the league's top long-range shooters, he ranked third in 3-point shooting, connecting on 42.4 percent. He also ranked third in assists with a 5.0 mark. Zegarowski was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection last season while helping Creighton win a share of the BIG EAST regular-season title. He is the second Bluejay to earn BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year honors. Doug McDermott earned the honor in 2013-14.
Garcia, considered one of the elite prep recruits in the country, is expected to make immediate contributions for Marquette. A 6-11, 230-pound native of Prior Lake, Minn., he was a 2020 McDonald's All-America Team selection. As a senior at Prior Lake H.S., Garcia averaged 31.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and finished his prep career with 2,092 points. He shot 56.3 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from 3-point range. Garcia was the USA Basketball MVP of the 2019 FIBA 3x3 in the U18 World Cup.
The five-player 2020-21 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team includes two players from Villanova, the league favorite in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Collin Gillespie, the Wildcats' senior guard, was one of two unanimous picks. A 6-3 native of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Gillespie earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors last season after averaging 15.1 points and ranking fifth in the league in assists with a 4.5 mark. Gillespie also ranked fourth in assist/turnover ratio with a 2.3 rating.
The other Wildcat on the first team is sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, last season's BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. A 6-9 forward who lives in Kansas City, Mo., he averaged 10.5 points and 9.4 rebounds. His rebound mark ranked fourth in the BIG EAST. Robinson-Earl posted nine double-doubles during the season and was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week six times.
Seton Hall forward Sandro Mamukelashvili is the other unanimous choice for the first team. The 6-11 senior from Tbilisi, Georgia, averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds while helping the Pirates capture a share of the league regular-season title with Creighton and Villanova. He shot 54.0 percent from the floor and 43.4 percent from 3-point range.
Providence junior guard David Duke has shown to be one of the BIG EAST's top all-around players. Last season, he averaged 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals. A hometown standout from Providence, R.I., Duke also ranked fourth in the league in 3-point shooting, making 42.0 percent. He scored a career-high 36 points in a game at Creighton.
DePaul guard Charlie Moore is the BIG EAST's second leading returning scorer after he averaged 15.5 points last season, which ranked eighth in the conference. Playing in his first season for the Blue Demons, the Chicago native ranked first in the league in assists with a 6.1 mark and eighth in steals with a 1.5 average. He was only BIG EAST player to be among the league's top 10 in all three categories.
The Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team has six members due to a tie in the voting. The team includes four seniors and two sophomores.
The seniors are Bryce Nze of Butler, Mitch Ballock of Creighton, Nate Watson of Providence and Paul Scruggs of Xavier.
Nze, a 6-7 forward, has been a rock steady performer for the Bulldogs. In addition to his outstanding defensive work, Nze averaged 9.9 points and owned a 6.6 rebound mark that ranked sixth in the BIG EAST. He was first in the league in field goal percentage, making 62.9 percent of his shots.
Ballock, a 6-5 guard, has been a central piece in the recent Bluejay success. Last year, he ranked first in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio with a rating of 3.4. He averaged 11.9 points and was second in the BIG EAST in 3-pointers made with 93 and in 3-point shooting, hitting 43.5 percent.
Watson, Providence's 6-10, 230-pound center, overcame some early-season injuries last year to average 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds while starting 13 games. He was ninth in the league in field goal percentage, making 51.1 percent from the field.
Scruggs has been an important part of Xavier's 19 victories in each of the last two seasons. Last year, the backcourt ace averaged 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds. He is the Musketeers' leading returning scorer. He scored in double figures in 21 of 28 games played.
The sophomores are a pair of guards, Connecticut's James Bouknight and Villanova's Justin Moore.
Bouknight is the Huskies' top returning scorer with a 13.0 average. He started the final 16 games of the season and made the AAC All-Freshman Team. Bouknight was a key performer in helping UConn win nine of its final 12 contests of the season.
Moore made the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team unanimously after earning a starting role and averaging 11.3 points. He ranked seventh in the BIG EAST in 3-point shooting, hitting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc. Moore earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors four times.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention includes two players, D.J. Carton of Marquette and Bryce Aiken of Seton Hall. Both are transfer guards who competed last season. Carton came from Ohio State where he averaged 10.4 points in 20 games. Aiken is a graduate transfer from Harvard and is a two-time All-Ivy League selection.
2020-21 BIG EAST Preseason Honors
BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton, G, Jr., 6-2, 180, Hamilton, Mass.
BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year
Dawson Garcia, Marquette, F, Fr., 6-11, 230, Prior Lake, Minn.
Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Charlie Moore, DePaul, G, Sr., 5-11, 180, Chicago, Ill.
David Duke, Providence, G, Jr., 6-5, 205, Providence, R.I.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall, F, Sr., 6-11, 240, Tbilisi, Georgia*
Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-3, 191, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.*
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova, F, So., 6-9, 232, Overland Park, Kan.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team^
Bryce Nze, Butler, F, Sr., 6-7, 235, Hartland, Wis.
James Bouknight, Connecticut, G, So., 6-5, 190, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mitch Ballock, Creighton, G, Sr., 6-5, 205, Eudora, Kan.
Nate Watson, Providence, C, Sr., 6-10, 260, Portsmouth, Va.
Justin Moore, Villanova, G, So., 6-4, 210, Fort Washington, Md.
Paul Scruggs, Xavier, G, Sr., 6-4, 196, Indianapolis, Ind.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
D.J. Carton, Marquette, G, So., 6-2, 195, Bettendorf, Iowa
Bryce Aiken, Seton Hall, G, Sr., 6-0, 180, Randolph, N.J.
*Unanimous selection
^Tie in the voting allowed for an additional honoree
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Gillespie, Robinson-Earl Are First Team Preseason All-BIG EAST Picks - Villanova University Official Athletic Site
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