James Bouknight named to Preseason All-Big East Second Team

While it may be James Bouknight’s first season in the Big East, the conference’s coaches have high expectations for UConn’s budding star. The Brooklyn native was named to the All-Big East Second Team, joining Mitch Ballock, Justin Moore, Bryce Nze, Paul Scruggs and Nate Watson.

After missing the Huskies’ first three games of the 2019-20 season due to a suspension, Bouknight quickly established himself as the most talented scorer on head coach Dan Hurley’s roster. The 6-foot-4 guard used his high offensive basketball IQ and athletic ability to keep the Huskies in games all season, even as starters Akok Akok and Tyler Polley went down with season-ending injuries.

Bouknight finished his freshman year averaging 13 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting just under 35 percent from the 3-point line, and was named to the American Athletic Conference’s All-Conference Third Team and All-Freshman Team.

Prior to college basketball’s shutdown due to COVID-19, Bouknight was gaining national prominence as one of the top freshmen in the country and finished the year averaging 15.8 points per game in his last five games. He garnered some NBA Draft buzz in the offseason, but decided to return to Storrs to lead a loaded squad filled with fellow playmakers like R.J. Cole, Jalen Gaffney, and stud freshman Andre Jackson.

While Bouknight still has his flaws, especially on the defensive end, he’s becoming more and more common on 2021 NBA mock drafts. As of now, he is consistently listed as a second round pick, but a few sites have him as a mid-to-late first rounder. With a strong sophomore season against high-quality Big East competition, Bouknight could easily play his way into the first round — and potentially a lottery pick — by the time this season comes to an end.

The preseason Big East individual accolades can be found here:

Preseason Big East Player of the Year:

Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton Bluejays

Preseason Big East Freshman of the Year

Dawson Garcia, Marquette Golden Eagles

Preseason First Team All-Big East

David Duke, Providence Friars

Collin Gillespie, Villanova Wildcats

Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall Pirates*

Charlie Moore, DePaul Blue Devils*

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova Wildcats

Preseason Second Team All-Big East^

Mitch Ballock, Creighton Bluejays

James Bouknight, UConn Huskies

Justin Moore, Villanova Wildcats

Bryce Nze, Butler Bulldogs

Paul Scruggs, Xavier Musketeers

Nate Watson, Providence Friars

Preseason Honorable Mention All-Big East

D.J. Carton, Marquette Golden Eagles

Bryce Aiken, Seton Hall Pirates

*Unanimous selection

^Tie in the voting allowed for an additional honoree