Jordan Hawkins, Adama Sanogo named First Team All-Big East

The Big East announced its all-conference teams on Sunday. Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo were named to the league’s first team while two Husky freshmen also earned all-league honors.

UConn was the only school to get two players on the six-man first team, while it had the second-highest total of players between the first and second team behind Marquette, which had three. Hawkins and Sanogo were not unanimous selections, however, indicating that they’re probably not candidates to win the league’s Player of the Year award.

Hawkins led the league in scoring in conference games at 17.3 points per game and is the fourth Husky to do so after Chris Smith, Donyell Marshall, and Richard Hamilton. In Big East play, the sophomore was second in free throw percentage (90.0 percent) and third in 3-pointers made per game (2.8).

Sanogo is the seventh UConn player to be named a first-team all-conference performer in two seasons, including Corny Thompson, Marshall, Ray Allen, Hamilton, Emeka Okafor, and Shabazz Napier. He led the Big East in scoring (16.9 points per game) and was fourth in conference games (16.2 points per game). He had five double-doubles and eclipsed 20 points in nine games, while also finishing fifth in rebounding in league contests.

Both players appear on the five-man all-KenPom Big East list and were the highest-scoring duo in the league.

Alex Karaban, who was a unanimous selection, and Donovan Clingan were named to the all-freshman team. A six-time freshman of the week winner, Karaban started in all but one game and reached double figures 18 times while shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc. He and Villanova’s Cam Whitmore were the only unanimous selections. Clingan won the award twice and registered 1.8 blocks per game with four double-doubles.

UConn (24-7, 13-7 Big East) kicks off the Big East Tournament against Providence in the quarterfinals. Tip-off from Madison Square Garden is at 2:30 p.m. on FS1.