University of Connecticut Athletics
Hasheem Thabeet Named 2008-09 BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year
3/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 10, 2009) - University of Connecticut junior men's basketball player Hasheem Thabeet has been named the BIG EAST Conference Co-Player-of-the-Year for 2008-2009, it was announced Tuesday evening at Madison Square Garden.
Thabeet, who was also named BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year for the second consecutive season as well as a member of the 2008-2009 All-BIG EAST Conference First Team, shares the Player-of-the-Year award with Pittsburgh sophomore center DeJuan Blair.
UConn's Thabeet enters post-season play after averaging a "double-double" in 30 regular season games with 13.6 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game while adding a league-leading 4.5 blocked shots per game. Connecticut posted a regular season record of 27-3 and finished tied for second place in the BIG EAST Conference with a 15-3 league mark.
The BIG EAST Player-of-the-Year honor for Thabeet marks the seventh time a Connecticut basketball standout has been the recipient of the award in the 30-year history of the league. Other UConn stars honored as BIG EAST Player-of-the-Year include: Donyell Marshall in 1993-94, Ray Allen in 1995-96, Richard Hamilton in both 1997-98 & 1998-99, Caron Butler in 2001-02, and Emeka Okafor in 2003-04.
Connecticut and Georgetown have each had seven Player-of-the-Year honorees in BIG EAST play since the 1979-80 season. St. John's and Notre Dame have each had four honorees, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Boston College three each, Villanova and Seton Hall two honorees each, and Miami one award winner.
BIG EAST Player-of-the-Year Winners
Connecticut (7)---Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton (2), Caron Butler, Emeka Okafor, Hasheem Thabeet.
Georgetown (7)---John Duren, Patrick Ewing (2), Reggie Williams, Charles Smith, Alonzo Mourning, Jeff Green.
Notre Dame (4)---Pat Garrity, Troy Murphy (2), Luke Harangody.
St. John's (4)---Chris Mullin (3), Walter Berry.
Syracuse (3)---Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, Hakim Warrick.
Pittsburgh (3)---Charles Smith, Brandin Knight, DeJuan Blair.
Boston College (3)---John Bagley, Troy Bell (2).
Villanova (2)---Kerry Kittles, Randy Foye.
Seton Hall (2)---Dan Calandrillo, Terry Dehere.
Miami (1)---Tim James.
