Henry Ellenson was named the BIG EAST’s Freshman of the Year Wednesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. He was a unanimous selection for the award as voted on by the conference’s coaches.
“It was an honor to receive the award here, and it’s really special to be named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year,” Ellenson said. “It’s something I’ve got to thank my teammates and my coaches for helping me learn each day and get better.”
Ellenson is the first Marquette player to win the award since Dominic James in 2005-’06. Allazia Blockton won the women’s BIG EAST Freshman of the Year award, making this the first time a school has swept the awards since Notre Dame in 2001-’02.
Ellenson broke the program’s freshman scoring record on National Marquette Day Feb. 27 against Villanova, surpassing James’ previous record of 473. He has 17 double-doubles on the season, ranked 16th in Division I basketball.
During the regular season Ellenson averaged 16.8 points (third in BIG EAST), 9.8 rebounds (first in BIG EAST) and 1.5 blocks (fifth in BIG EAST). He scored 27 points and grabbed 14 boards in Marquette’s 101-93 victory against St. John’s in the first round of the conference tournament.
He was selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team and was a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team earlier this week. He is one of five finalists for Wayman Tisdale Award, presented to the nation’s top first-year player by the United States Basketball Writers Association.
“Henry was obviously well-deserved Rookie of the Year in this conference,” said Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski. “Henry, along with (Haanif Cheatham), are two of the best young players in America. We’ve asked these two young guys from the time that we recruited them to bear a great deal of responsibility, and that means stepping up and making plays in high-pressure situations. These guys have done it more times than not.”
