Courtesy of SJUHawks.com
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Saint Joseph’s standout DeAndre’ Bembry and head coach Phil Martelli were named the Philadelphia Big 5 Player and Coach of the Year, respectively, while SJU senior Isaiah Miles was named the Most Improved Player. They will be honored with other men’s and women’s award winners at the Big 5 banquet in the Palestra on Monday, April 11.
Bembry and Miles were also named to the All-Big 5 first team along with Villanova’s Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono and Temple’s Quenton DeCosey. The second team includes two more Wildcats, Daniel Ochefu and Kris Jenkins, along with La Salle’s Jordan Price, Penn’s Darien Nelson-Henry, and Temple’s Jaylen Bond.
Martelli collected Coach of the Year honors after guiding Saint Joseph’s to its second Atlantic 10 championship and NCAA Tournament berth in three years. The Hawks finished the year with a 28-8 record, for the second most wins in school history, and advanced to the NCAA Second Round.
Miles was the top free throw shooter, connecting on 88.8% of his attempts (142-of-160).
Bembry, who earned the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award, becomes the 14th SJU player to earn the Geasey Award for the Big 5’s MVP, and the first since 2008-09 (Ahmad Nivins). Miles is the seventh Hawk to received most improved honors, and the first since 2004-05 (Dwayne Lee).
Price was the Big 5’s leading scorer, averaging 19.2 points per game on the season. Villanova freshman Jalen Brunson was the Big 5 Rookie of the Year while La Salle junior Amar Stukes, an Accounting major with a 3.35 GPA, was the Scholar Athlete of the Year.
The Big 5 banquet is Monday, April 11 at 6:30 pm at the Palestra. Tickets are $10 each and are available at the door the night of the banquet. Along with the current season men’s and women’s award winners, five of the greatest men’s basketball teams in Big 5 history will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Saint Joseph’s 2003-04 NCAA Elite Eight team.
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