Jones Tabbed to All-BIG EAST Second Team
October 21, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Complete BIG EAST Team Poll Release | Complete All-BIG EAST Team Release
NEW YORK - University of South Florida junior guard Dominique Jones was named to the All-BIG EAST second team Wednesday in a vote by the league's coaches during the conference's annual media day at Madison Square Garden.
The All-BIG EAST accolade is the first preseason award for Jones in his career. He earned All-BIG EAST honorable mention after both his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Jones finished seventh in the BIG EAST last season with an average of 18.1 points per game and fourth in scoring in league games with 19.0 per contest. Jones also led the Bulls with 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest as he joined Kentrell Gransberry as the only two players to earn all-league honors twice since USF joined the BIG EAST.
Already one of the most prolific scorers in USF history, Jones became the third player in school history to reach 1,000 points in their first two seasons, as he sits just outside USF's all-time top 10 list with 1,092 points. His career average of 17.6 points per game would rank third on USF's all-time list.
The Bulls were picked to finish 14th in the league in the 2009-10 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. USF collected 44 points to finish ahead of Rutgers and DePaul. The preseason rank is the highest for head coach Stan Heath's squad, as the Bulls were picked 16th in each of their first four years in the league.
USF's 26 points in last year's preseason poll had been the highest total of the previous four preseason rankings.
Villanova was selected as the BIG EAST preseason favorite by the league's 16 head coaches, while Notre Dame's Luke Harangody was tabbed BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year.
Click on the video to the right to watch an exclusive video with Heath from BIGEAST.tv.
2009-10 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll
Pts.
1. Villanova (10), 218
2. West Virginia (5), 215
3. Connecticut (1), 185
4. Louisville, 179
5. Georgetown, 161
6. Syracuse, 152
7. Cincinnati, 135
8. Notre Dame, 132
9. Pittsburgh, 119
10. Seton Hall, 110
11. St. John's, 82
12. Marquette, 78
13. Providence, 52
14. USF, 44
15. Rutgers, 43
16. DePaul, 15
First-place votes in parentheses
2009-10 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
2009-10 BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati
2009-10 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Lazar Hayward, Marquette
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia
2009-10 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut
Kemba Walker, Connecticut
Samardo Samuels, Louisville
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
Dominique Jones, USF
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia
* a tie in the balloting created six positions
2009-10 Preseason BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Stanley Robinson, Connecticut
Arinze Onuaku, Syracuse
