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Player of the Week

D'Angelo Harrison – No. 24 St. John’s (G, Sr., 6-4, 204, Missouri City, Tx.)

After an impressive 69-57 road victory over rival Syracuse, the St. John’s Red Storm returned to the national rankings on Monday for the first time since 2011, ranking No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25. A major reason for the team’s success this season has been the play of senior guard D’Angelo Harrison, who put up big numbers in St. John’s last two wins over Syracuse and Fairleigh Dickinson. The reigning Big East Player of the Week and leading scorer in the conference (19.4 points per game) averaged 25.0 points on 53 percent shooting from the field and 47 percent from beyond the arc. He also had averages of 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.0 blocks, 1.5 steals and shot a perfect 16-for-16 from the charity stripe through both games.

The 6-foot-3 guard shot no less than 50 percent in the wins, while leading the Johnnies in scoring in both games with 24 points against Syracuse and 26 points against Fair Dickinson. Harrison came up big and made key plays in the victories. Against Syracuse, he scored eight of his 12 first half points in the final three minutes to give the Red Storm a 32-28 lead at halftime. For the game he shot 4-for-8 from downtown, including a three-pointer at the 12:42 mark in the second half that moved the senior guard into eighth place on St. John’s all-time career scoring list.

Harrison climbed St. John’s all-time scoring chart once again in the team’s win over Fair Dickinson. He moved into sole possession of seventh place with 1,756 career points as he shot 8-for-14 from the floor and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

Who’s Hot

Tommy Hamilton IV – DePaul (C, So., 6-11, 255, Chicago, Ill.)

Hamilton makes the list for the second week in row, as he showed off many aspects of his game in DePaul’s dominating wins over Chicago State and Milwaukee. The sophomore averaged 20.0 points on 57 percent shooting from the field and 84 percent shooting from the free throw line, 8.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals. He led the Blue Demons in scoring and rebounding in their win over Chicago State. He scored career-high 25 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the field, 2-for-2 from downtown, 9-for-12 from the free throw line, and grabbed eight rebounds. He scored 19 of his 25 points in the first half. Despite shooting just 4-for-13 against Milwaukee, he still managed to score 15 points thanks to his 7-for-7 free throw shooting. His nine rebounds and three blocks were team-highs against Panthers. He ranks fifth in the conference in block shots with 1.7 per game.

Joshua Smith – Georgetown (C, Sr., 6-10, 320, Kent, Wa.)

Smith scored a team-high 20 points in a 32-point win over Towson, and 12 points in five-point loss against No. 10 Kansas. He led the team in rebounds with seven in the loss. The massive 6-foot-10, 320-pound center averaged 16.0 points on 66 percent shooting from the field and 80 percent shooting from the line, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 2.0 steals for the week. With his football-lineman-sized body, the senior center was able to secure great low-post positioning to effectively score around the basket as he’s done all season. He’s third in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 65 percent. Although the Hoyas lost to Kansas, they managed to keep it close throughout the game. Smith was a reason why the Hoyas kept the game tight, scoring on a dunk with 13:49 remaining in the second half to give his team a 44-41 lead. The Jayhawks would later score back-to-back three-pointers that gave them a 51-47 lead, before GU fought back to tie the game at 51 behind a Smith jumper with 10:56 left.

Isaiah Whitehead – Seton Hall (G, Fr., 6-4, 195, Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Whitehead is proving himself as one of the conference’s best players and mostly certainly, its best freshman. The 6-foot-4 guard had a good week to say the least. In Seton Hall’s dominant 81-54 victory over in-state rival Rutgers in the first-ever Garden State Hardwood Classic, Whitehead was named the Joe Calabrese Most Valuable Player. The Preseason Big East Rookie of the Year turned in his best scoring outing of the year so far, scoring a game-high 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting in just 21 minutes. He scored 17 of those points in the first half and either assisted or scored on 13 of his team’s first 17 points. He also led the team with five assists and three steals. He went 8-for-15 from the floor, including 4-for-7 from three-point range for a game-high 23 points against No. 11 Wichita State, but it was not enough to help Seton Hall pull off the upset. For the week, his averages goes as follows: 24.0 points on 56 percent shooting from the floor and 66 percent from the three-point line, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals.

Who’s Not

Marquette – (lost to No. 2 Wisconsin and announced the departures of Burton and Dawson)

It has been a tough week for the Golden Eagles. They not only loss to in-state rival No. 2 Wisconsin, but the team also announced on Tuesday that guards Deonte Burton and John Dawson will transfer at the end of the fall semester. The sophomores were recruited by former Marquette coach Buzz Williams, who left the program prior to the start of the season for Virginia Tech’s head coaching position. The Golden Eagles are down to eight scholarship players on the roster as a result of the transfers. In the team’s 49-38 loss to No. 2 Wisconsin, they were outrebounded 41-28, including 14-5 on the offensive end. No player in their starting lineup was over 6-foot-7. The lone bright spot on the offensive end was guard Matt Carlino. The senior transfer from BYU scored 18 points on 54 percent from the floor, including 60 percent from beyond the arc. That’s despite Marquette’s horrid overall shooting numbers – 28 percent.

Jayvaughn Pinkston – No. 7 Villanova (F, Sr., 6-7, 235, Brooklyn, Ny.)

The senior forward has had an underwhelming start to the season despite being named to the Preseason All-Big East First Team. After taking a big step forward on offense last season, he has taken a step back this season. His scoring average has dipped from 14.1 points per game last season to 8.8 this season. He has reached double-figures scoring in just three games. This week, Pinkston shot 1-for-8 for seven points in the Wildcats’ win over rival St. Joseph’s. He had eight points on 2-for-4 shooting and five turnovers in the team’s win over Illinois. Pinkston has rebounded well for the Wildcats, averaging 6.1 rebounds per game. He grabbed six rebounds in the game against Illinois.

Rysheed Jordan – No. 24 St. John’s (G, So., 6-4, 185, Philadelphia, Pa.)

After starting the first five games of the season, Jordan has been relegated to a sixth-man role for the Red Storm in their last three games. He’s still receiving starters minutes, averaging 27.6 of playing time in his new role, but his production has taken a dip. In the Johnnies’s last two wins against Syracuse and Fair Dickinson, the sophomore has struggled shooting the ball. He shot 4-for-11 for 11 points against the Orange and 3-for-8 for eight points against the Knights. He’s never been known as a three-point shooter, but he has shot 2-for-6 from long distance through both games. He has made a few plays here and there, but overall, he’s struggling to find a rhythm in his new role as the “sixth starter,” as St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin would say.

Top Five Big East Freshman (who have played the best) So Far

1. Isaiah Whitehead – Seton Hall (G, Fr., 6-4, 195, Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Season Averages: 13.9 PTS, 3.6 REB, 3.5 AST, 0.5 BLK, 1.5 STL

Whitehead has become everything Seton Hall expected heading into the season. He started off slow in his first three games, including a two-point effort on 1-for-10 shooting in the team’s season opener against Mercer. He followed up with just 16 points over the next two games on 6-for-20 shooting. Things have been much better since then. Whitehead has scored no less than 12 points in each of the last five games, including a career-high 25 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor and 80 percent from long range against Rutgers in the Garden State Hardwood Classic. Over the last five games, he has averaged 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.6 steals. The freshman has also picked up some hardware in the process, as he is currently the reigning Big East Rookie of the Week and earned MVP honors after his performance in the Garden State Hardwood Classic.

2. Trevon Bluiett – Xavier (F, Fr., 6-5, 205, Indianapolis, Ind.)

Season Averages: 14.7 PTS, 4.8 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.1 BLK, 0.2 STL

Bluiett has been the most consistent freshman in the conference so far. The talented wing is a former Big East Rookie of the Week himself. His game is mature, in that he’s plays with balance and control. He ranks seventh in the conference, leads Xavier, and leads all Big East freshman in scoring with 14.7 points per game on an efficient 55 percent shooting. He has also proven himself to have a stroke from long distance, shooting 45 percent. Bluiett has scored in double-figures in all but two games this season. His best game of the season was against Long Beach St. He scored 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out five assists and coming up with two steals. His 20 points and eight rebounds were team-highs.

3. Angel Delgado – Seton Hall (F, Fr., 6-9, 225, Bajos De Haina, Dominican Rep)

Season Averages: 8.5 PTS, 9.8 REB, 0.8 AST, 1.3 BLK, 0.4 STL

Delgado has been a rebounding machine in his first eight games with Seton Hall. His rebounding totals through the first eight games goes as follows: 12, 9, 11, 7, 10, 9, 13 and 7. The forward ranks second in the conference in rebounds (9.8 per game), first in offensive rebounds (3.6 per game), third in defensive rebounds (49 – 6.1 per game), seventh in field goal percentage (56 percent) and is tied for ninth in block shots (1.3 per game). At 6-foot-9, Delgado has done everything asked of him. He’s a menace on the glass and adds offense, essentially strengthening a Seton Hall frontcourt that is not as strong as its backcourt.

4. Duane Wilson – Marquette (G, Fr., 6-2, 185, Milwaukee, Wi.)

Season Averages: 12.5 PTS, 1.6 REB, 2.4 AST, 0.0 BLK, 1.1 STL

With the departures of Deonte Burton and John Dawson coming, Wilson will be asked to step up his game even more if the Golden Eagles want to make a tournament bid. The freshman has a has a solid season so far. His 30-point game against Tennessee last month is the highest scoring game by a Big East freshman, and helped him earn Big East Rookie of the Week honors. His 12.5 points per game ranks second on the team, but he’ll need to start being more effective in other areas in order to make up for the loss of production by Burton and Dawson.

5. Kelan Martin – No. 15 Butler (F, Fr., 6-6, 215, Louisville, Ky.)

Season Averages: 10.6 PTS, 2.8 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.0 BLK, 0.2 STL

While he doesn’t get as much recognition as the other freshman on this list, Martin has quietly put together a good season. Aside from three games, Martin has scored in double-figures in every other game, scoring no less than 10 points. His best game came against Loyola. He scored 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists and one steal. Martin is Butler’s best weapon off the bench and could see increased playing time as the season progresses.