Gibbs, Delgado, Whitehead earn All-BE honors
3/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK - Seton Hall men's basketball junior Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) was named second-team All-BIG EAST, and freshmen Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) and Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) were named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie team, the conference office announced as part of its All-Conference release Sunday.
Gibbs, a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and five-time selection to the Honor Roll, is the 20th second-team All-BIG EAST selection in Pirates history and the third during head coach Kevin Willard's five-year tenure. The junior guard is enjoying a breakout season in which he ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring (16.7 PPG), fifth in assists (3.8 APG), first in three-point shooting (.448), second in three-pointers made (2.6 3PG) and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.9). His three-point shooting is also the sixth-best in the country.
Gibbs has had nine 20-point games this season, including a career-high, 40-point outburst in the championship game of the 2014 Paradise Jam, leading to MVP honors. Eight of the nine 20-point games have come during BIG EAST play, including a 25-point, eight-assist day in Seton Hall's upset win over then-No. 15 St. John's and a 30-point game vs. Butler. Seven times this season he's been able to post more than 15 points and five assists. He's also been a prolific three-point shooter, making four or more in a game eight times this season.
Delgado and Whitehead give Seton Hall two All-Rookie selections for the first time since 1999-00 when Samuel Dalembert and Darius Lane both took home the honor. It's also the 16th and 17th All-Rookie selections all-time for Seton Hall and the second and third under Willard.
Delgado, a three-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, has enjoyed a banner rookie campaign, ranking as the top BIG EAST rebounder and one of the top rebounders in the nation. He became just the second BIG EAST freshman ever to win the conference rebounding crown, joining Notre Dame's Troy Murphy. He grabbed 10.7 rebounds per game during conference play and grabbed 9.9 per game overall. Delgado's rebounding numbers also rank near the top of the nation as he is 19th in the country in rebounding and 10th in offensive rebounding (3.7 ORPG). Both numbers are also tops among all freshmen in the country.
Delgado also leads the BIG EAST with 10 double-doubles, seven coming in BIG EAST play. He also has 15 double-digit rebound games. His 19-point, 19-rebound performance against DePaul ranks as one of the top games in the BIG EAST this season, and the 19 rebounds in a BIG EAST game were second-most by a freshman ever. Delgado also is the top freshman in the conference in field goal percentage (.529) and blocks (1.1 BPG).
Whitehead, a two-time BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, also had a banner rookie campaign, despite missing six weeks due to injury. He was a force on the offensive end, finishing the regular season second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game. He delivered eight 15-points or more performances in just 18 appearances, including 25 points against Rutgers in the Garden State Hardwood Classic, garnering MVP honors.
Despite playing in only 10 of eight conference games, Whitehead averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 assists in the BIG EAST. In his first-ever conference game, he delivered 19 points, three assists and three steals in a win over Xavier. He also had a 20-point effort at Providence and had five or more assists three times, including a career-high seven dishes in a win over Creighton.
Seton Hall will begin the 2015 BIG EAST Championship presented by New York Life on Wednesday when the No. 8 seed Pirates take on No. 9 seed Marquette in the first round at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. The game will be carried on FOX Sports 1 and AM970.
