NEW YORK — Shaka Smart and Tyler Kolek may have clinched Big East coach and player of the year down the stretch in February by leading No. 6 Marquette to an 8-1 record in the final month of the regular season.
On Wednesday, both officially were named Big East coach and player of the year respectively.
The awards were announced at Madison Square Garden as the Big East Tournament gets going with first-round games. Marquette plays Thursday at 11 a.m. CST against the winner of Wednesday’s St. John’s-Butler game.
In just his second season at Marquette, Smart led the Golden Eagles to a program record 17-conference wins.