Marquette's Crowder Named Big East Player of the Year by Tom Enlund of JSOnline

Senior forward Jae Crowder of the Marquette Golden Eagles recalls how he felt last fall when he attended the Big East Conference media day in New York and heard he was a preseason honorable mention selection.

Honorable mention?

Crowder thought he could do better than that. And he was right.

"That was a motivational tool that I used to trigger myself," Crowder said after he was named the Big East men's basketball player of the year Tuesday. "No one really understood what I bring to the table as a basketball player and I thought that was a slap in my face at that time.

"I felt like I deserved more and I was capable of giving more. So I used it as a motivational tool to come in each and every day to work. That for sure added fuel to my fire."

The 6-foot-6 Crowder became the first Marquette player to receive the player of the year award in the Big East. It is voted on by league coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players. Dwyane Wade (Conference USA, 2003) and Jim McIlvaine (Great Midwest, 1994) also won player of the year awards at MU.

The Big East also named Moe Harkless of St. John's as the league's rookie of the year and Stan Heath of South Florida as coach of the year.

It was also announced Tuesday that Crowder is one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award given to the nation's top men's player.

Crowder has been a team leader all season, ranked among the league leaders in seven statistical categories, and was the only unanimous selection to the all-Big East first team. Crowder was named the Big East player of the week for the final two weeks of the season and was the only player to win that award twice.

The ninth-ranked Golden Eagles finished the Big East regular season alone in second place with a 14-4 record, and Marquette will take a 25-6 mark into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament Thursday.

Crowder felt his award was a reflection of the team's success.

"I believe if my team was not in the situation we're in now, I don't win the award for sure," he said. "I give thanks to my teammates and my coaches for the opportunity."

Crowder said he was told about his award before Tuesday afternoon's practice in New York. He then went through practice and afterward attended a news conference, and by early Tuesday evening the fact he had won the award still hadn't set in.

"I really haven't had time to sit down by myself and think about it and let it all soak in," he said. "So it's all surreal to me now."

Crowder is one of the more versatile players in the league.

In conference-only games, Crowder finished fourth in scoring (18.0), ninth in rebounding (8.3), sixth in field-goal percentage (51.6%), tied for first in steals (2.9), 14th in free-throw percentage (77.3%), tied for 12th in blocks (1.2) and second in defensive rebounds per game (6.6). He recorded seven double-doubles in Big East play.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said he voted for Crowder because he "affects winning more than anyone in our conference."

Marquette coach Buzz Williams concurred.

"I agree with that statement," he said. "It's hard to argue with that.

"You get what you earn. Jae's résumé and our team's résumé, whoever is healthy and whoever is not healthy, I think it speaks for itself."

Crowder obviously is appreciated by his teammates.

"He's had a great season," said sophomore Vander Blue. "He makes big plays on both ends of the court. He's a great leader on and off the court. He makes it a lot easier for all of us out there because of his effort and everything he does. It's well-deserved."

Said Golden Eagles sophomore Jamil Wilson, "Jae has had the kind of season that every senior dreams about. He came in with the mind-set to achieve some goals and I think he's done that. I don't think he's settled though. Basically a lot of his goals that he set before the season were a lot of things he worked toward this summer overall with his game. I think he's improved and even gotten better in some areas."

Crowder said he was humbled and pleased by the award.

"It means a lot at this level and in this conference playing against great guys night in and night out," he said. "It's just an honor."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crowder Shares Award with Coaches, Teammates
By Tom Enlund of the Journal Sentinel

What does winning the Big East Conference Player of the Year award mean to Marquette’s Jae Crowder?

"It just an honor to my hard work and the dedication I put in to basketball and to this program," said Crowder. "It means a lot to me but at the same time it’s an individual accolade and without my teammates it wouldn’t have been possible."

"I’m aware of it and I just give all the thanks to them and my coaches for giving me an opportunity. It means a lot at this level and in this conference playing against great guys night in and night out. It’s just an honor."

Crowder said he was told that he had won the award before the team’s practice Tuesday afternoon. He then went through practice and after that it was a press conference and a whirlwind of interviews.

"I really haven’t had time to sit down by myself and think about it and let it all soak in," he said. "So it’s all surreal to me now."

"I was just surprised. Just surprised."

Crowder is the first Marquette player to win the award in the Big East.