The area’s premier high-major guards were recognized Sunday by the Big East coaches for their strong seasons. Juniors Shamorie Ponds of St. John’s and Myles Powell of Seton Hall each were named to the league’s first team, along with Marquette’s Markus Howard, Georgetown’s Jessie Govan and Villanova’s Phil Booth and Eric Paschall.
Powell, the lone Seton Hall returning starter, was one of four unanimous selections. He was second in the league in scoring at 22.6 points per game, while Ponds, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, finished the regular season first in steals (2.8), second in assists (5.2) and third in scoring (19.8).
St. John’s and Seton Hall didn’t have another player honored. The second team was comprised of Butler guard Kamar Baldwin, DePaul guard Max Strus, Xavier forward Naji Marshall, Marquette forward Sam Hauser and Providence guard Alpha Diallo. The Creighton duo of Ty-Shon Alexander and Martin Krampelj received honorable mention. Georgetown placed three players — James Akinjo, Josh LeBlanc and Mac McClung — on the all-freshman team. Marquette’s Joey Hauser, Villanova’s Saddiq Bey and Creighton’s Marcus Zegarowski were also selected.
The Big East Player of the Year will come from one of the six first-team selections, with Howard considered the heavy favorite. The league will announce that award, along with Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year at a Wednesday press conference at the Garden before the start of the conference tournament. Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Sportsmanship Award will be announced on Monday.