Fisher, Cunningham, Wright win Big East honors
posted by Pete @ LetsGoNova.com3/10/2009 06:12:00 PM
All of the Big East Conference awards have now been announced, and Villanova did very well for itself, earning some nice accolades across a variety of categories.
Villanova backup point guard Corey Fisher won the Big East's 6th Man award, which goes to the player who makes the greatest positive impact off the bench.
This site has been saying for a long, long time that Fisher should get more minutes, and this award seems to validate that position. Unless the player is a 6th-man specialist like Manu Ginobili, winning the 6th man award probably means the player should be starting!
Still, it's a nice honor for Fisher, whose improvement this year has brought Villanova much success.
Speaking of improvement, Villanova's senior forward Dante Cunningham was named the conference's Most-Improved Player on the year. Cunningham has stepped up his scoring output this season after playing a more limited offensive role his first three years.
Villanova's head coach Jay Wright earned Big East Coach of the Year honors. Although it is hard to see how Marquette's Buzz Williams did not win this award, Wright's COY honors are a nice acknowledgment of the team's success this year after a somewhat slow start.
Villanova opened the conference play by losing two of its first three games, but the season really picked up after the Wildcats were able to beat then #3 Pittsburgh in the last college basketball game ever at the Spectrum. Villanova now sits poised to earn a top-4 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Wright's selection as coach of the year is not something I necessarily agree with, given the questionable substitution and end-game strategy decisions made this year, but it is still nice for Villanova to take home the award. Wright and Villanova last won Big East COY in 2005-2006, when Villanova earned a #1 seed in the NCAA torunament.
Dante Cunningham was also named to the All-Big-East second-team, and junior guard Scottie Reynolds earned a Big East Honorable Mention.
Villanova backup point guard Corey Fisher won the Big East's 6th Man award, which goes to the player who makes the greatest positive impact off the bench.
This site has been saying for a long, long time that Fisher should get more minutes, and this award seems to validate that position. Unless the player is a 6th-man specialist like Manu Ginobili, winning the 6th man award probably means the player should be starting!
Still, it's a nice honor for Fisher, whose improvement this year has brought Villanova much success.
Speaking of improvement, Villanova's senior forward Dante Cunningham was named the conference's Most-Improved Player on the year. Cunningham has stepped up his scoring output this season after playing a more limited offensive role his first three years.
Villanova's head coach Jay Wright earned Big East Coach of the Year honors. Although it is hard to see how Marquette's Buzz Williams did not win this award, Wright's COY honors are a nice acknowledgment of the team's success this year after a somewhat slow start.
Villanova opened the conference play by losing two of its first three games, but the season really picked up after the Wildcats were able to beat then #3 Pittsburgh in the last college basketball game ever at the Spectrum. Villanova now sits poised to earn a top-4 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Wright's selection as coach of the year is not something I necessarily agree with, given the questionable substitution and end-game strategy decisions made this year, but it is still nice for Villanova to take home the award. Wright and Villanova last won Big East COY in 2005-2006, when Villanova earned a #1 seed in the NCAA torunament.
Dante Cunningham was also named to the All-Big-East second-team, and junior guard Scottie Reynolds earned a Big East Honorable Mention.
Labels: awards, Big East, coach of the year, corey fisher, Dante Cunningham, Jay Wright, scottie reynolds
