Wright named Herb Good Club's Coach of the Year
Plus other end-of-season awards.
A press release from the Big 5 just landed in my inbox announcing this season's winners of a bunch of awards given out by the Herb Good Basketball Club. The highest-profile of them was Villanova coach Jay Wright, who won the Harry Litwack Award for Eastern College Coach of the Year.
Wildcats forward Dante Cunningham won the George Paull Award for the Big 5's Most Improved Player, and Penn's Zack Rosen, who won the Dave Zinkoff Award for Big 5 Rookie of the Year.
That Rosen won the Zinkoff award surprises me somewhat, as I thought it would go to Juan Fernandez. Then again, Fernandez didn't play the full season.
The only other freshmen in the Big 5 who got significant minutes were Bryant Irwin and Chris Prescott of St. Joe's. While both contributed, I think we can fairly say that Rosen and Fernandez were at the top of this year's rookie class.
This is the second straight year that a Penn player has won the Zinkoff Award. Tyler Bernardini won it last season.
The Big 5 Player of the Year award has not been announced. I don't know when it will come but my guess is tomorrow.
Other award winners include:
- Cy Kaselman Award (Big 5's most accurate foul shooter): Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
- Palumbo Award (Big 5's top scorer): Dionte Christmas, Temple (19.5 points per game/662 total)
- Harry Merrill Sportsmanship Award: Kevin Egee, Penn
- Eddie Gottlieb Award (Outstanding 76er): Andre Iguodala
- High School Standouts: Cameron Ayers (Germantown Academy), Maalik Wayns (Roman Catholic), Denzel Yard (Franklin Learning Center), Dalton Pepper (Pennsbury High)
- All-Philadelphia Area Player of the Year (non-Division I): Malcolm Ingram, Philadelphia University
- All-Philadelphia Area Squad (non-Division I): Malcolm Ingram (Philadelphia University), Dominique Curry (Cheyney), Russell Frederick (Philadelphia University), Ralph Hegamin (West Chester), Charles Jones (Widener), Kevin Misevicius (Cabrini), John Noonan (Ursinus) Dave Smith (Gwynedd-Mercy).
By the way, I'm going to be liveblogging the Phillies game tomorrow afternoon here on Philly.com, starting at around 2:45. I hope you'll join me (though we'll have to keep the talk to baseball, at least for most of the game).