Siva Named BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
October 17, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 17, 2012
NEW YORK - On the same day the University of Louisville men's basketball team was picked to win the league in the preseason coaches' poll, guard Peyton Siva has been named 2012-13 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches.
It is the first time a Louisville player has earned BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year honors.
Siva earned first team preseason All-America honors by 2012-13 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and was a third team selection by The Sporting News. The Cardinals' starting point guard from Seattle, Wash., Siva averaged 9.1 points, 5.6 assists (fourth in the BIG EAST) and 1.7 steals (seventh in BIG EAST) last season. His 449 career assists rank eighth among UofL all-time assist leaders and his 211 assists in 2011-12 were the second highest ever for a UofL single season.
Siva particularly shined in the postseason in helping lead the Cardinals to the NCAA Final Four. The Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 BIG EAST Championship, Siva averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in the Cardinals' nine postseason games in 2012 (4 BIG EAST, 5 NCAA). He was named to the West Region All-Tournament team after nine assists against Michigan State and nine points, eight assists and just one turnover against Florida in the regional championship game.
He received the 2011-12 BIG EAST Conference Scholar-Athlete Sports Excellence Award for men's basketball, an honor presented to an individual in each of the league's 24 sports which recognizes academic and athletic achievement as well as community service. Siva, who has a 3.41 cumulative grade point average in sociology, was named to the 2011-12 Capital One Academic All-District 2 men's basketball first team.
Also receiving preseason honors were junior Gorgui Dieng, who was named to the Preseason all-BIG EAST first team, and sophomore Chane Behanan, an honorable mention selection.
Dieng averaged 9.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and a league-leading 3.2 blocked shots that ranked in the top-10 nationally. By the end of the year, Dieng became single-season blocked shots leader with 128 shots, surpassing Pervis Ellison's 102 in 1987-88. Behanan, a 2011-12 BIG EAST all-Rookie Team pick, averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. He was tabbed the NCAA West Regional's Most Outstanding Player after producing 15 points and nine rebounds against Michigan State in the regional semifinal and 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks against Florida in the regional championship.
Steven Adams, a 7-0 freshman center from Pittsburgh, was named BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year.
Adams is a native of Wellington, New Zealand. He played prep school basketball at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., last season. Adams was among the top 10 recruits nationally by several national recruiting services.
The 2011-12 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team has two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore. The seniors are Notre Dame's Jack Cooley and Providence's Vincent Council. Cooley, the BIG EAST Most Improved Player last season, averaged 12.3 points and 8.9 rebounds. The rugged 6-9 forward helped the Irish to a 22-12 record and 13-5 BIG EAST mark.
Council emerged as an elite BIG EAST player last season. The 6-2 guard averaged a team-leading 15.9 points per game and was first in the league in assists with a 7.5 average. Council also led the BIG EAST in minutes playing, seeing 38.7 minutes of action each game.
The first team also includes Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick, a 6-4 junior from White Plains, N.Y. One of the top shooters in the BIG EAST, Kilpatrick owned a 14.3 scoring average and made a league-high 92 3-point baskets. The other junior on the preseason team is Louisville's Gorgui Dieng. A 6-10 center from Dakar, Senegal, Dieng led the BIG EAST in blocked shots with a 3.2 average. He also averaged 9.1 points and 9.1 rebounds.
The lone sophomore to earn first-team honors is Georgetown forward Otto Porter. A 6-8 native of Sikeston, Mo., Porter averaged nearly 30 minutes per game as a rookie, though he started only eight games. He averaged 9.7 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds.
The Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team includes DePaul junior forward Cleveland Melvin, who is the league's top returning scorer with a 17.4 scoring average. He also averaged 7.4 rebounds. After Melvin, the second team is backcourt heavy. Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier was the second highest scorer for the Huskies with a 13.0 average. St. John's guard D'Angelo Harrison was the BIG EAST's top freshman scorer with a 17.0 average. USF point guard Anthony Collins was the glue behind the Bulls' breakout season last year. He averaged 9.0 points and 3.4 assists. Syracuse senior guard Brandon Triche offers Syracuse the same stability as Collins. Triche averaged 9.4 points.
The 2012-13 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention group includes Louisville forward Chane Behanan, Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant, Pittsburgh guard Tray Woodall and Syracuse forward C.J. Fair.
2012-13 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Peyton Siva, Louisville
2012-13 BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year
Steven Adams, Pittsburgh
2012-13 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati, G, Jr., 6-4, 221, White Plains, N.Y.
Otto Porter, Georgetown, F, So., 6-8, 205, Sikeston, Mo.
Gorgui Dieng, Louisville, C, Jr., 6-10, 225, Dakar, Senegal
Jack Cooley, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-9, 244, Glenview, Ill.
Vincent Council, Providence, G, Sr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.
2012-13 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, G, Jr., 6-1, 171, Roxbury, Mass.
Cleveland Melvin, DePaul, F, Jr., 6-8, 208, Baltimore, Md.
D'Angelo Harrison, St. John's, G, So., 6-3, 202, Missouri City, Texas
Anthony Collins, USF, So., G, 6-1, 175, Houston, Texas
Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-4, 205, Jamesville, N.Y.
2012-13 Preseason BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Chane Behanan, Louisville, F, So., 6-7, 250, Cincinnati, Ohio
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bowie, Md.
Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh, G, Sr., 5-11, 190, Brooklyn, N.Y.
C.J. Fair, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-8, 212, Baltimore, Md.
