NEW YORK – If you’re looking for an example of the current strength of this new Big East, consider the first 18 picks of Thursday evening’s NBA Draft.
Providence point guard Kris Dunn, the two-time Big East Player of the Year, was chosen fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Later in the evening, Marquette freshman forward Henry Ellenson was viewed by many as a steal after he sat in the Green Room longer than expected, eventually getting scooped up by the Detroit Pistons. He is the Big East’s first one-and-done since Pitt’s Steven Adams in 2013.
Two of the league’s stars getting picked early Thursday can only help the league’s profile, but then consider that Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead was chosen 42nd by his hometown Brooklyn Nets, and Dunn’s teammate, Ben Bentil, went 51st to the Boston Celtics.
On top of that, two members of the reigning national champion Villanova Wildcats got summer league deals. Point guard Ryan Arcidiacono will join the San Antonio Spurs for summer league and their fall camp, while big man Daniel Ochefu will play summer league with the Washington Wizards.
“It’s a strong basketball league,” Ellenson said Wednesday at NBA Draft Media Day at the Grand Hyatt New York. “It’s a conference full of a lot of older team, so it’s a lot of great players all over. It’s tough competition every night, and you really had to bring it.”
All of this should help Big East recruiting going forward.
Since conference realignment struck the college landscape earlier this decade, the Big East has radically altered its look, while still maintaining much of the tradition with teams like Providence, Georgetown and Seton Hall remaining.
In this new era, Dunn has been one of the league’s brightest stars, overcoming shoulder issues early in his career to earn Player of the Year twice and help the Friars restore its tradition.
When Providence got to the NCAA Tournament in 2014, it was its first since 2004. Dunn suffered a season-ending shoulder injury four games into that run, but spearheaded return trips to NCAAs in 2015 and 2016.
“The Big East is a great league,” said Dunn, a native of New London, Conn., which is once a Big East stronghold thanks to UConn. “They market their best players, Isaiah Whitehead, Ryan Arcidiacono, Henry Ellenson, there’s a lot of great players in that league.
“The Big East is known as tough, physical, gritty and there’s a lot of great players. I appreciated being in that league. Villanova won the national championship, so that’s proof right there how great the league is.”
Dunn said that Villanova, Seton Hall and Butler were among his toughest matchups, while going on to note that all of those teams spent time in the Top 25 last season, specifically the Wildcats sitting at No. 1 at one point.
