Romaro Gill Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year & Most Improved
3/9/2020 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK - Senior center Romaro Gill (St. Thomas, Jamaica) of the Seton Hall men's basketball team has been named the 2020 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and the 2020 BIG EAST Most Improved Player, the conference office announced Monday. Gill is only the third BIG EAST student-athlete to ever capture both awards and only the second to ever do it in the same season.
Gill is Seton Hall's third BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year selection all-time, joining Jerry Walker (1993) and Fuquan Edwin (2014). He's also the program's third Most Improved Player, joining Myles Powell (2018) and Shaheen Holloway (2000).
Gill developed into a force in the paint and one of the most feared rim protectors in the country. He leads the BIG EAST in blocks per game, averaging 3.2 per game, and was the league's blocks champion with 3.4 blocks during the 18-game conference schedule. He is only the third Pirate to lead the BIG EAST in rejections, joining Eddie Griffin (2001) and Samuel Dalembert (2000). At his peak, Gill was blocking shots at an incredible rate; during one five-game stretch from Jan. 18 to Feb. 5, he averaged 5.8 blocks, and that included two eight-block efforts against Providence (Jan. 22) and Georgetown (Feb. 5).
Gill's 95 blocks this season are fourth-most in Seton Hall single-season history, and in less than two complete seasons, he now stands at 129 career blocks, good for seventh all-time in school history.
Gill winning Most Improved Player is a testament to his offensive development. After averaging 2.3 points per game last season, he averaged 7.8 points per game this season and upped his average to 9.6 points per game during the 18-game conference schedule. He scored in double figures in nine of those 18 games, including a career-high 17 against Georgetown (Jan. 3) and Butler (Jan. 15). He won the BIG EAST's field goal percentage title with 63.5 shooting percentage during league play and is second overall with a 62.8 percent mark.
Gill and the Pirates finished the regular season with a share of the BIG EAST regular season championship and going wire-to-wire in first place at 13-5. Overall, Seton Hall is 21-9, holds 10 NET Quad 1 victories, rates in the top-15 of most metrics and will take on Marquette in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
Gill is Seton Hall's third BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year selection all-time, joining Jerry Walker (1993) and Fuquan Edwin (2014). He's also the program's third Most Improved Player, joining Myles Powell (2018) and Shaheen Holloway (2000).
Gill developed into a force in the paint and one of the most feared rim protectors in the country. He leads the BIG EAST in blocks per game, averaging 3.2 per game, and was the league's blocks champion with 3.4 blocks during the 18-game conference schedule. He is only the third Pirate to lead the BIG EAST in rejections, joining Eddie Griffin (2001) and Samuel Dalembert (2000). At his peak, Gill was blocking shots at an incredible rate; during one five-game stretch from Jan. 18 to Feb. 5, he averaged 5.8 blocks, and that included two eight-block efforts against Providence (Jan. 22) and Georgetown (Feb. 5).
Gill's 95 blocks this season are fourth-most in Seton Hall single-season history, and in less than two complete seasons, he now stands at 129 career blocks, good for seventh all-time in school history.
Gill winning Most Improved Player is a testament to his offensive development. After averaging 2.3 points per game last season, he averaged 7.8 points per game this season and upped his average to 9.6 points per game during the 18-game conference schedule. He scored in double figures in nine of those 18 games, including a career-high 17 against Georgetown (Jan. 3) and Butler (Jan. 15). He won the BIG EAST's field goal percentage title with 63.5 shooting percentage during league play and is second overall with a 62.8 percent mark.
Gill and the Pirates finished the regular season with a share of the BIG EAST regular season championship and going wire-to-wire in first place at 13-5. Overall, Seton Hall is 21-9, holds 10 NET Quad 1 victories, rates in the top-15 of most metrics and will take on Marquette in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
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