University of Connecticut Athletics
Butler Named BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year
3/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK (March 5, 2002) - University of Connecticut forward Caron Butler (So., Racine, WI) and guard Brandin Knight of Pittsburgh, both of whom led their teams to division titles, have been named BIG EAST Co-Players of the Year.
All of the awards were determined by a vote of the conference’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players. The awards were presented at the Grand Hyatt Hotel prior to the 2002 ConAgra Foods BIG EAST Championship, which will be played at Madison Square Garden on March 6-9.
Butler was a prime reason the Huskies took the East Division crown with a 13-3 record. He was fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring with 19.6 average and pulled down 7.4 rebounds per game. It is the fourth time in league history that a Connecticut player has won Player of the Year honors.
Donyell Marshal was the first to receive the honor during the 1993-94 season, while Ray Allen earned the distinction in 1995-96. Richard Hamilton won it on back-to-back occasions in 1997-98 and 1998-99.
Knight, a 6-0 junior, was the leader behind Pittsburgh’s surprising 13-3 league record and West Division title. Last year, Knight averaged 9.2 points and five assists. This season, the native of East Orange, N.J. posted a 15.6 scoring mark and was second in the conference with a 6.9 assist average. He was also fifth in steals with 2.5 per game.
Pittsburgh coach Ben Howland was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year. Notre Dame guard Chris Thomas earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors. For the second year in a row, Providence guard John Linehan was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Miami guard John Salmons was named winner of the first BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.
2001-02 BIG EAST Awards
