AMINU! Mohammed Unanimously Named to BIG EAST All-Freshman Team

One of the few bright spots in this tough season for the Georgetown Hoyas has been freshman Aminu Mohammed, who is practically a walking double-double—as a guard. Aminu has been unanimously selected to the BIG EAST All-Freshman team.

Ryan Nembhard of Creighton (G, 6-0, 167) and Kam Jones of Marquette (G, 6-4, 185) were also unanimous selections to the Freshman team, with Aminu Mohammed (6-5, 210). One can likely assume that BIG EAST Freshman of the Year will go to one of the three. The advantage of weekly freshman awards likely give Nembhard the edge for the season award.

The BIG EAST will announce Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, March 9, at Madison Square Garden at 2:30 p.m. ET. Other league individual awards, including BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced Monday, March 7, at 11 a.m.

Press Release from GUHoyas:

Mohammed a Unanimous Selection to BIG EAST All-Freshman Team

WASHINGTON – Georgetown men’s basketball’s Aminu Mohammed was a unanimous pick to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team as announced by the league office on Sunday morning. Mohammed becomes the 31st Hoya to be selected to the squad in program history and the sixth under Head Coach Patrick Ewing.

AMINU MOHAMMED (BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM UNANIMOUS SELECTION)

The freshman averaged 13.8 ppg (12th BE), 8.1 rpg (3rd BE) and 1.7 spg (5th BE) during the regular season and 13.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg in BIG EAST action. His 8.1 rpg ranks 10th among all NCAA freshmen and first among league freshmen.

He was twice selected the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (12/6/2021, 12/20/2021).

The product who calls PG County’s Temple Hills home has recorded 10 double-doubles this season, ranking second in the BIG EAST and first among league freshmen.

The Hoya guard has led the Blue & Gray in scoring 10 times this season while also leading the team on the glass 14 times this campaign.

A leader on the glass, the Hoya frosh is on pace to become the first freshman to lead the Blue & Gray in rebounding since Otto Porter Jr. (6.8 rpg, 2011-12). From the first time Hall of Famer John Thompson Jr. stalked the sidelines in 1972, only eight freshmen have ever led the Hoyas in rebounding: Merlin Wilson (14.1 rpg/1972-73), Patrick Ewing (7.5 rpg/1981-82), Alonzo Mourning (7.3 rpg/1988-89), Othella Harrington (8.8 rpg/1992-93), Mike Sweetney (7.4 rpg/2000-01), Jeff Green (6.6 rpg/2004-05), Greg Monroe (6.5 rpg/2008-09), Porter Jr.

Mohammed is the 31st selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in program history and the first since the 2018-19 season. He is the sixth selection during Ewing’s tenure with three during the 2018-19 campaign and two from the 2017-18 season.

UP NEXT

Georgetown is gearing up for the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep. The Hoyas are the #11 seed in the four-day tournament and will face #6 Seton Hall on Wednesday, March 9 with tipoff slated for 9:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden, the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Press Release from BIGEAST.com

Champagnie, Gillespie Repeat on All-BIG EAST First Team

League Announces All-Conference Teams

NEW YORK – St. John’s guard-forward Julian Champagnie and Villanova guard Collin Gillespie are repeat members on the All-BIG EAST First Team. The conference has released the All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams, Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team. The league’s head coaches choose the all-conference squads and are not permitted to vote for their own players.

The four other All-BIG EAST First Team honorees are: R.J. Cole and Adama Sanogo of Connecticut, Justin Lewis of Marquette and Jared Rhoden of Seton Hall.

The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from the All-BIG EAST First Team. The conference will announce Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, March 9, at Madison Square Garden at 2:30 p.m. ET. Other league individual awards, including BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced Monday, March 7, at 11 a.m.

Champagnie, a 6-8 junior, leads the Johnnies with an 18.9 scoring average and ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring in league play with an 18.1 mark. Champagnie is also averaging 6.6 rebounds.

Villanova’s Gillespie shared BIG EAST Player of the Year honors last year with former teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili. This season, Gillespie ranks fourth in the league in scoring with a 16.3 average. He also ranks first in 3-point shooting, making 43.1 percent and is first in free throw shooting at 91.5 percent.

UConn’s Cole and Sanogo helped lead the Huskies to a 22-8 overall record and a third-place finish in the BIG EAST regular season. Cole, a 6-1 graduate student, ranks fifth in the league in scoring with a 15.8 average. His 2.2 assist/turnover ratio was fourth in the BIG EAST. Sanogo, a 6-9 sophomore, has averaged 15.3 points and a league-leading 8.6 rebounds. He is shooting 51.5 percent from the field, which ranks second in the league.

Marquette’s Lewis became the BIG EAST scoring champion on the last day of season, finishing with an 18.2 scoring mark in league games. In all games, he is the only player in the BIG EAST to rank in the top five in scoring and rebounding. Lewis ranks third in overall scoring at 17.1 points per game, fourth in rebounding at 8.0 and fourth in field goal shooting, connecting on 45.2 percent.

Seton Hall’s Rhoden has led his team to a 20-9 record and an 11-8 BIG EAST mark. The 6-6 senior guard-forward is averaging a team-leading 16.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. He was a Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection.

The All-BIG EAST Second Team includes two players from regular-season champion Providence, Jared Bynum and Nate Watson, along with Ryan Hawkins of Creighton, Javon Freeman-Liberty of DePaul and Justin Moore of Villanova.

Watson also earned second team honors last season. This year, the 6-10 center is averaging 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and ranks first in the league in field goal shooting, making 56.0 percent. Bynum enjoyed a strong second half of the season with his superb point guard play. He started only three league games but finished the regular season with a 12.9 scoring mark and ranked third in the league in assists with a 4.5 average.

Hawkins was the top scorer and rebounder on a Creighton team had returned no starters, but is very likely headed to the NCAA Tournament. The 6-7 transfer from Northwest Missouri State is averaging 14.3 points and 7.7 boards.

DePaul’s Freeman-Liberty led all BIG EAST players with a 21.9 scoring average in all games. He scored 20 or more points in 16 of the 23 games played. In league play, he was two games short of qualifying for the scoring crown, averaging 22.6 points.

Villanova’s Moore was seventh in the BIG EAST in scoring, averaging 15.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. He is second to Gillespie in scoring and third in rebounding for the second-place Wildcats. The 6-5 junior led Villanova in minutes played with a 34.2 average.

All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention includes four players: Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton, Darryl Morsell of Marquette, Posh Alexander of St. John’s and Jack Nunge of Xavier.

Three of the six members of the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team were unanimous picks – Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard, Georgetown’s Aminu Mohammed and Marquette’s Kam Jones. The other All-Freshman Team selections are Jordan Hawkins of UConn, and Creighton’s Trey Alexander and Arthur Kaluma.

Nembhard averaged 11.3 points and 4.4 assists for Creighton and was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week six times. Mohammed was the league’s top freshman scorer (13.8) and rebounder (8.1). A sharp-shooting guard, Jones averaged 7.5 points. Of his 77 field goals made, 53 of were from 3-point range, hitting on 39.6 percent.

Hawkins was in the backcourt rotation for UConn and averaged 6.7 points. Kaluma was a freshman starter for the Bluejays. The 6-7 forward averaged 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. Alexander was the top reserve off the bench, averaging 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game.

The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year will come from the All-Freshman Team.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM+

• R.J. Cole, Connecticut, G, Gr., 6-1, 185, Union, N.J.
• Adama Sanogo, Connecticut, F, So., 6-9, 240, Bamako, Mali
• Justin Lewis, Marquette, F, So., 6-7, 245, Baltimore, Md.
• Julian Champagnie, St. John’s, G-F, Jr., 6-8, 215, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall, G-F, 6-6, 210, Baldwin, N.Y.
• *Collin Gillespie, Villanova, G, Gr., 6-3, 195, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

• Ryan Hawkins, Creighton, F, Sr., 6-7, 222, Atlantic, Iowa
• Javon Freeman-Liberty, DePaul, G, Sr., 6-4, 180, Chicago, Ill.
• Jared Bynum, Providence, G, R-Jr., 5-10, 180, Largo, Md.
• Nate Watson, Providence, F, Gr., 6-10, 260, Portsmouth, Va.
• Justin Moore, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-4, 210, Ft. Washington, Md.

ALL-BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION

• Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton, C, So., 7-0, 256, St. Louis, Mo.
• Darryl Morsell, Marquette, G, Gr., 6-5, 205, Baltimore, Md.
• Posh Alexander, St. John’s, G, So., 6-0, 200, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Jack Nunge, Xavier, C, Jr., 7-0, 245, Newburgh, Ind.

BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

• Jordan Hawkins, Connecticut, G, 6-5, 175, Gaithersburg, Md.
• Trey Alexander, Creighton, G, 6-4, 185, Oklahoma City, Okla.
• *Ryan Nembhard, Creighton, G, 6-0, 167, Aurora, Ont.
• Arthur Kaluma, Creighton, F, 6-7, 220, Glendale, Ariz.
• *Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown, G, 6-5, 210, Temple Hills, Md.
• *Kam Jones, Marquette, G, 6-4, 185, Cordova, Tenn.

*Denotes unanimous selection