Big East Basketball: 19 Player of the Year candidates for 2020-21 season
By Brian Foley
Overlooked Upperclassmen
G/F Mitch Ballock, Creighton
2019-20: 11.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 44/44/74 percent shooting
Ballock is a knockdown shooter who is a threat to put up 25+ points on any given night. He can also be a little hesitant to pull the trigger (he only attempted 9 shots per game last year), but with Ty-Shon Alexander off to the pros, the opportunity is there for Ballock to take a massive step forward.
G/F Denzel Mahoney, Creighton
2019-20: 12.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.7 apg, 42/36/84 percent shooting (21 games)
Last year’s Sixth Man of the Year winner is good for two things: Rec Specs and buckets. After averaging 19.3 ppg at Southeast Missouri State as a sophomore, Mahoney hit the ground running upon joining the Jays in December. During a nine-game stretch in conference play, Mahoney averaged 14.6 ppg despite playing less than 24 mpg.
Mahoney won’t be able to replace Ty-Shon Alexander’s defense and ball-handling, but he will be able to shoulder a good chunk of the scoring load. Expect Mahoney’s raw numbers to jump with more minutes in Creighton’s dynamic offensive system.
F Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall
2019-20: 9.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.2 spg, 44/34/62 percent shooting
If you are looking for a dark horse to make the leap to an all-conference player, Rhoden could be your guy. He provides a really diverse skillset for a budding 3-and-D player; he was one of just 13 high-major players to post an offensive rating over 105 with a 20 percent defensive rebounding rate and a 2 percent steal rate last year.
Other names on that list include Xavier Tillman, John Mooney, Tyrique Jones, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Paul Reed, and Freddy Gillespie. Rhoden will need to become more of a creator, but he will also have many more opportunities to shine as SHU looks to replace the 31 shots per game left behind by Myles Powell, Quincy McKnight, and Romaro Gill.
G Bryce Aiken, Seton Hall
2019-20: 16.7 ppg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 spg, 41/36/87 percent shooting (seven games)
When healthy, Aiken has proven to be an impressive scorer. The only problem is he is rarely healthy (he played in 65 of his 120 career games at Harvard). If he is able to survive the punishment of the Big East, Aiken (17 ppg for his career) may be the guy to take over the perimeter scoring load left behind by Myles Powell and Quincy McKnight.
F Bryce Nze, Butler
2019-20: 9.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 63/40/60 percent shooting
Nze seemingly just goes about his business, scoring inside and grabbing boards. The Bulldogs will ask him to take on much more offensive responsibility this season, so if he turns into more of a 15 & 10 guy for an overachieving BU team, he could end up with some hardware at season’s end.
F Aaron Thompson, Butler
2019-20: 7.2 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.9 rpg, 48/8/60 percent shooting
Many of the above comments regarding Nze hold true for Thompson. The senior is at his most comfortable when he can dish the ball and play defense, yet he will be tasked with doing much more for Butler in 2020-21, who is bereft of any other proven perimeter pieces. Thompson is very capable of slithering to the rim and will be on the shortlist for the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award.
He’ll need some help from his teammates to convert his drive-and-kicks into buckets to boost his assist numbers, and he’ll need to find something resembling a three-point jump shot (he is just 13-58 for his career), but there is a path to POY if he can pair a 13 & 7-ish line with absolutely elite defense.
Next. Top returning shooter in each conference. dark
G Charlie Moore, DePaul
2019-20: 15.5 ppg, 6.1 apg, 3.3 rpg, 38/32/81 percent shooting
Moore led the league in assists last season, and would have to do so again to have any chance at this award. He would also do well to keep his field goal percentage out of the 30s. Moore’s efficiency fell off a cliff in conference play last year, but keeps a spot on this list because he at least has the chance to put up gaudier points and assist marks than anyone else in the Big East. Dragging DePaul out of the Big East basement would also help.