Marquette University Athletics
James Named Preseason All-BIG EAST
10/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 25, 2006
NEW YORK - Marquette was picked fourth in the BIG EAST men's basketball preseason poll, receiving one first place vote and sophomore Dominic James was a unanimous choice for a preseason all-conference selection.
James, one of four unanimous picks to the preseason team, was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 2005-06. He averaged 15.3 points in all games and was even more productive in league play, averaging 16.4 points. James is the league's top returning scorer. The 5-11 guard also averaged 5.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds.
James leads Marquette into 2006-07. Last season, the Golden Eagles were the most successful of the five new league teams last year. The Golden Eagles compiled an overall record of 20-11 and were 10-6 in the BIG EAST.
For only the third time in conference history, Pittsburgh has been chosen to win the BIG EAST regular season crown in the poll of the league's head coaches. The Panthers received 10 first-place votes, which helped them edge Georgetown in total points, 219 to 212, for the top spot in the poll. The Hoyas were picked second. They had four first-place votes.
Pitt is coming off a 25-8 season in 2005-06 and returns eight of its top 10 players. The Panthers are led by Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Aaron Gray. A 7-0 senior, Gray averaged 13.9 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Panthers, who finished 25-8 last season.
Georgetown is the second-place pick for the first time since 2002-03. This season, the Hoyas will build around preseason all-BIG EAST selections Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert. Last year, GU finished 23-10 and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Championship.
Syracuse was picked for third place with 182 points, just one point ahead of Marquette. The Orange, who have won the last two BIG EAST Championships Presented by Aeropostale, finished 23-12 last season. This year, SU returns four starters, including Terrance Roberts, a 6-9 senior, averaged 10.7 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds.
Connecticut was picked for fifth with 173 points. The Huskies, who were the league's regular season co-champions last year, finished 30-4 and advanced to the Elite Eight. UConn received strong backing in the poll despite losing four players in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft. Jeff Adrien, a Preseason All BIG EAST selection was a member of last season's BIG EAST All-Rookie Team while averaging 6.5 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Louisville edged Villanova for sixth place. The Cardinals battled through some key injuries last year to finish 21-13. This season, they return four starters, including junior forward Juan Palacios, a Preseason All-BIG EAST pick.
Villanova shared the regular season title with Connecticut last year with a 14-2 BIG EAST record. This season, coach Jay Wright welcomes back two starters and 2004-05 all-conference forward Curtis Sumpter, a senior, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Sumpter was on last year's Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, but he never had the opportunity to play. Two seasons ago, the 6-7 forward averaged 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds.
The coaches predicted that DePaul will finish eighth. The Blue Demons are the only league team to return four double-figure scorers. DePaul has two players on the preseason squad, senior guard Sammy Mejia, who is the BIG EAST's second top returning scorer after averaging 15.1 points last season, and 6-8 sophomore forward Wilson Chandler, who averaged 10.6 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds.
St. John's was picked ninth, just ahead of Providence.
Notre Dame was selected 11th, followed by West Virginia, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Seton Hall and USF.
2006-07 BIG EAST Preseason Poll
1. Pittsburgh (10), 219
2. Georgetown (4), 212
3. Syracuse (1), 182
4. Marquette (1), 181
5. Connecticut, 173
6. Louisville, 149
7. Villanova, 146
8. DePaul, 134
9. St. John's, 105
10. Providence, 102
11. Notre Dame, 80
12. West Virginia, 72
13. Cincinnati, 52
14. Rutgers, 49
15. Seton Hall, 42
16. USF, 22
2006-07 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
*Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh (Player of the Year), C, Sr., 7-0, 270, Emmaus, Pa.
Jeff Adrien, Connecticut, F, So., 6-7, 245, Brookline, Mass.
Wilson Chandler, DePaul, F, So., 6-8, 210, Benton Harbor, Mich.
Sammy Mejia, DePaul, G, Sr., 6-6, 195, Bronx, N.Y.
*Jeff Green, Georgetown, F, Jr., 6-9, 235, Hyattsville, Md.
*Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, C, Jr., 7-2, 283, Adelphi, Md.
Juan Palacios, Louisville, F, Jr., 6-8, 245, Medelin, Columbia
*Dominic James, Marquette, G, So., 5-11, 175, Richmond, Ind.
Lamont Hamilton, St. John's, F, Sr., 6-10, 253, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Terrence Roberts, Syracuse, F, Sr., 6-9, 235, Jersey City, N.J.
Curtis Sumpter, Villanova, F, Sr., 6-7, 220, Brooklyn, N.Y.
*unanimous selection
2006-07 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh
2006-07 BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year
Paul Harris, Syracuse
2006-07 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
David Padgett, Louisville, F/C, Jr., 6-11, 250, Reno, Nev.
Colin Falls, Notre Dame, G, Sr., 6-5, 200, Park Ridge, Ill.
Eric Devendorf, Syracuse, G, So., 6-4, 175, Bay City, Mi
