NEW YORK – Marquette guard Markus Howard, the BIG EAST scoring champion who has helped lead the Golden Eagles to 23-8 overall record and a 12-6 conference mark, has been named BIG EAST Player of the Year. Georgetown guard James Akinjo has been selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Villanova head coach Jay Wright has been named BIG EAST Coach of the Year for a record sixth time. The winners were selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Howard, a 5-11 native from Chandler, Ariz.