Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
The Big East named St. John’s guard Dwight Hardy and DePaul forward Cleveland Melvin the winners of the league’s weekly men’s basketball honors for the week ending Jan. 2.
Hardy is the first Johnnies player named Big East Player of the Week in seven years. He averaged 20.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, shooting 52.2 percent from the field (12-of-23) and 100 percent (14-of-14) from the free throw line, to help St. John’s to a 2-0 start in Big East play with a pair of road wins. He scored 20 points with six rebounds in an 81-71 win at West Virginia and had 21 points and six boards in a 67-65 win at Providence. Hardy leads the Red Storm in scoring at 16.3 points per game.
Melvin is the Big East Rookie of the Week for the second straight week after he averaged 26.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in a pair of games against teams that are a combined 26-2 this season. He had 24 points with eight rebounds in a 76-60 loss to unbeaten Cincinnati and had a career-high 29 points with seven rebounds and two blocks in an 86-75 loss at No. 9 Georgetown. Melvin has bettered his career high in scoring in each of his last three games.
BIG EAST Player of the Week
DWIGHT HARDY, St. John’s, G, Sr.
BIG EAST Rookie of the Week
CLEVELAND MELVIN, DePaul, F, Fr.
BIG EAST Honor Roll
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, Jr.
Averaged 27.5 points in a 1-1 week. Scored 31 points in a 78-63 loss at Pittsburgh and had 24 in a 66-61 overtime win against USF.
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, Jr.
Scored 21 points and matched his career high with seven assists in a 78-63 win against previously unbeaten Connecticut.
Jae Crowder, Marquette, F, Jr.
Averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals and shot 75.0 percent from the field in a 1-1 week..
Kris Joseph, Syracuse, F, Jr.
Averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in a 2-0 week. Had a career-high 27 points in an 81-74 win against Providence.
Corey Stokes, Villanova, G, Sr.
Averaged 23.5 points in a 2-0 week. Scored 24 points in a 78-74 win against No. 25 Temple and had 23 points — including 21 in the second half — in an 81-65 win against Rutgers.
BIG EAST NOTEBOOK
The Big East has two of the seven remaining undefeated teams in Division I men’s basketball. Syracuse (15-0) and Cincinnati (14-0) join Duke, Kansas, Ohio State, Central Florida and San Diego State as the only teams without a loss this season.
· There are eight teams nationally that have one loss, including three Big East teams (Pittsburgh is 13-1, Villanova is 12-1 and Connecticut is 11-1). Of the 15 teams nationally that are either undefeated or have one loss, five are in the Big East.
· The home team has won 11 of the first 13 conference games in Big East play. The only team to win on the road in the league thus far is St. John’s, which has won two road games.
· St. John’s plays its first home Big East game tonight as the Red Storm host Georgetown at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). St. John’s holds a 52-41 lead in the all-time series.
The Big East named St. John’s guard Dwight Hardy and DePaul forward Cleveland Melvin the winners of the league’s weekly men’s basketball honors for the week ending Jan. 2.