GEORGETOWN'S PORTER NAMED BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR

NEW YORK - Georgetown forward Otto Porter, Jr., who helped lead the Hoyas to a share
of the BIG EAST regular-season crown and the No. 1 seed in The BIG EAST Championship
Presented by American Eagle Outfitters, has been named BIG EAST Player of the Year
by a unanimous vote of the league's head coaches who were not permitted to vote for
their own players.



St. John's freshman forward JaKarr Sampson was selected BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.
Georgetown coach John Thompson III was chosen BIG EAST Coach of the Year.



A 6-8 senior from Morley, Mo., Porter has been one of the BIG EAST's most versatile
performers.  In league games, he ranked second in the BIG EAST in scoring with an
18.1 average.  He was fifth in rebounding with a 7.3 mark and tied for third in
steals with a 1.8 average.  He hit 44.1 percent of his 3-point attempts which ranked
second in the league.  In all games, his scoring average is 16.4.



The last Georgetown player to be named BIG EAST Player of the Year was Jeff Green in
2006-07.  A Georgetown player has won the award seven times.



Sampson is the second straight St. John's player to capture BIG EAST Rookie of the
Year honors.  Last year, Moe Harkless won the award.  Sampson, a native of
Barberton, Ohio, is the BIG EAST's top freshman scorer and rebounder.  He is
averaging 14.9 points, which is 12th in the league.  His rebound average is 6.6,
which is also 12th.  This season, he was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week seven
times.



Thompson led Georgetown to a tie for the BIG EAST regular-season title and the No. 1
seed in The BIG EAST Championship presented by American Eagle Outfitters.  Picked
fifth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Hoyas finished with a 14-4
conference record and a 24-5 overall mark.  Georgetown put together an 11-game BIG
EAST winning streak, the longest in the conference this season and longest for the
Hoyas in league history.



In Thompson's nine seasons at Georgetown, the Hoyas have been BIG EAST
regular-season champions three times.  His Georgetown coaching record is 208-87.
His BIG EAST regular-season record is 99-57.  Thompson's father, the legendary John
Thompson, was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year three times.



BIG EAST Player of the Year

Otto Porter, Jr., Georgetown



BIG EAST Rookie of the Year

JaKarr Sampson, St. John's



BIG EAST Coach of the Year

John Thompson III, Georgetown