BIG EAST ANNOUNCES ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

GAY, MCNAMARA NAMED ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM Rudy Gay of Connecticut and Gerry McNamara of Syracuse, the BIG EAST Preseason Co-Players of the Year, were named to the 2005-06 All-BIG EAST First Team Gerry McNamara of Syracuse was named to the 2005-06 All-BIG EAST First Team. March 6, 2006 PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rudy Gay of Connecticut and Gerry McNamara of Syracuse, the BIG EAST Preseason Co-Players of the Year, were named to the 2005-06 All-BIG EAST First Team by a vote of the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to select their own players. With the increased membership of the BIG EAST to 16 teams, the all-league teams have been expanded. Eleven players made the All-BIG EAST First Team. On March 7, one of those players will be named BIG EAST Player of the Year when the league announces its individual award winners at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City at 5 p.m. EST. Gay, a 6-9 sophomore forward, averaged 15.4 points and 6.6 rebounds while helping Connecticut to a share of the BIG EAST regular season title and the top seed in this week's BIG EAST Championship Presented by Aeropostale. The Huskies are 27-2 overall and 14-2 in the BIG EAST. McNamara, a 6-2 senior guard, averaged 16.4 points this season and finished his BIG EAST regular season career with 1,010 points in league games. He is the BIG EAST's all-time leader in 3-point field goals made with 183 and is the all-time top free throw shooter in league play at 91.7 percent. Last season, Gay was the BIG EAST Co-Rookie of the Year. McNamara was a member of a five-player All-BIG EAST First Team. This year, four players earned first team honors unanimously - Gay, Marquette forward Steve Novak and Villanova guards Randy Foye and Allan Ray. Novak is averaging 17.4 points and broke the BIG EAST record with 70 3-point baskets in conference games. He helped Marquette compile a 20-9 overall record, a 10-6 league mark and a No. 4 tournament seed. Foye, a 6-4 senior, and Ray, a 6-2 senior, led Villanova to a share of the BIG EAST regular season crown with a 14-2 record. Overall, the Wildcats are 24-3. Foye is second in the league in scoring in all games with a 20.2 average while Ray is fourth at 19.1. The other members of the All-BIG EAST First Team are: senior forward Eric Hicks of Cincinnati, senior guard Chris Quinn of Notre Dame, junior center Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh, junior guard Quincy Douby of Rutgers, senior forward Mike Gansey of West Virginia and senior center Kevin Pittsnogle of West Virginia. Hicks averaged 14.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots for Cincinnati. Quinn averaged 18.2 points for Notre Dame. His assist average of 6.2 in all games was tops in the BIG EAST. Gray was the only player in the league to average a double-double, averaging 14.0 points and a league-leading 10.4 boards in all games. Douby became Rutgers' first BIG EAST scoring champion, averaging 27.0 in conference play. He was also the scoring leader in all games, averaging 25.1 points. Gansey and Pittsnogle were among the league's top scorers all season. Gansey averaged 17.4 points and shot 56.3 percent from the field. Pittsnogle averaged 19.4 points while hitting at a 48.8 clip from the floor. The Mountaineers are 20-9 overall and 11-5 in the BIG EAST. They will be the No. 3 seed in The BIG EAST Championship Presented by Aeropostale. The BIG EAST All-Rookie Team also has 11 members, one of which will be named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. Three members were unanimous picks - guard Devan Downey of Cincinnati, forward Wilson Chandler of DePaul and guard Dominic James of Marquette. 2005-06 All-BIG EAST First Team Eric Hicks, Cincinnati, Sr., 6-6, 245, Greensboro, N.C. *Rudy Gay, Connecticut, So., 6-9, 220, Baltimore, Md. *Steve Novak, Marquette, Sr., 6-10, 220, Brown Deer, Wis. Chris Quinn, Notre Dame, Sr., 6-2, 185, Dublin, Ohio Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh, Jr., 7-0, 270, Emmaus, Pa. Quincy Douby, Rutgers, Jr., 6-3, 175, Brooklyn, N.Y. Gerry McNamara, Syracuse, Sr., 6-2, 182, Scranton, Pa. *Randy Foye, Villanova, Sr., 6-4, 205, Newark, N.J. *Allan Ray, Villanova, Sr., 6-2, 205, Bronx, N.Y. Mike Gansey, West Virginia, Sr., 6-4, 205, Olmstead Falls, Ohio Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia, Sr., 6-11, 255, Martinsburg, W.Va. 2005-06 All-BIG EAST Second Team Hilton Armstrong, Connecticut, Sr., 6-11, 235, Peekskill, N.Y. Marcus Williams, Connecticut, Jr., 6-3, 205, Los Angeles, Calif. Jeff Green, Georgetown, So., 6-8, 225, Hyattsville, Md. Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, So., 7-2, 272, Bethesda, Md. Taquan Dean, Louisville, Sr., 6-3, 185, Red Bank, N.J. Carl Krauser, Pittsburgh, Sr., 6-2, 200, Bronx, N.Y. Donnie McGrath, Providence, Sr., 6-4, 190, Katonah, N.Y. Donald Copeland, Seton Hall, Sr., 5-10, 173, Jersey City, N.J. Kelly Whitney, Seton Hall, Sr., 6-8, 245, Chicago, Ill. Kyle Lowry, Villanova, So., 6-1, 190, Philadelphia, Pa. 2005-06 BIG EAST Honorable Mention James White, Cincinnati, Sr., 6-7, 200, Kensington, Md. Rashad Anderson, Connecticut, Sr., 6-5, 215, Lakeland, Fla. Josh Boone, Connecticut, Jr., 6-10, 237, Mt. Airy, Md. Dominic James, Marquette, Fr., 5-10, 165, Richmond, Ind. Lamont Hamilton, St. John's, Jr., 6-10, 253, Brooklyn, N.Y. Solomon Jones, USF, Sr., 6-10, 230, Mount Dora, Fla. BIG EAST All-Rookie Team *Devan Downey, Cincinnati, 5-10, 175, Chester, S.C. Jeff Adrien, Connecticut, 6-6, 225, Brookline, Mass. *Wilson Chandler, DePaul, 6-7, 190, Benton Harbor, Mich. Sam Young, Pittsburgh, 6-6, 210, Clinton, Md. *Dominic James, Marquette, 5-10, 165, Richmond, Ind. Jerel McNeal, Marquette, 6-3, 185, Country Club Hills, Ill. Sharaud Curry, Providence, 5-10, 165, Gainesville, Ga. Geoff McDermott, Providence, 6-7, 230, New Rochelle, N.Y. JR Inman, Rutgers, 6-9, 220, Pomona, N.Y. Anthony Farmer, Rutgers, 6-1, 190, Millville, N.J. Eric Devendorf, Syracuse, 6-4, 175, Bay City, Mich. *denotes unanimous selection