PC Prepares for Big East Tournament, Henton Named District D-1 Player of the Year

PC news release…

PROVIDENCE’S LADONTAE HENTON NAMED USBWA DISTRICT I PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Sophomore Kris Dunn also named to the USBWA All-District I Team.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It was announced on Tuesday, March 10 that Providence College senior forward LaDontae Henton (Lansing, Mich.) was named United States Basketball Writers Association District 1 Player of The Year.  Henton and his teammate, sophomore guard Kris Dunn (New London, Conn.), were both named to USBWA All-District 1 Team.

On Sunday, Henton was named First Team All-BIG EAST.  On Monday, he was named one of five finalists for the 2015 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. The Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award is named after Hall of Famer and 11-time NBA All-Star Julius Erving. 

Henton leads the league in scoring in overall action (20.1 ppg) and he led in conference play (20.1 ppg.). He is the sixth Friar all-time to lead the league in scoring and the third Friar in the last five years to accomplish the feat. The senior forward also leads the league in minutes played at 36.8 and he is tied for seventh in rebounding (6.3 rpg.). Henton scored 21 or more points in 17 of the 31 games this season. His two highest point totals this season were 38 points versus Notre Dame on November 23 and 35 points against Creighton on December 31. Henton’s 622 points scored this season ranks 14th-best all-time. On Wednesday, he became just the second Friar ever to score more than 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in a career. He ranks fourth all time in scoring (2,012 points) and seventh all-time in rebounding (1,026 rebounds). This season, Henton established Providence career records for games played (132), starts (131) and minutes played (4,792).

In the last three days Dunn also has been named First Team All-BIG EAST, BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and NBC Sports.com Second Team All-American. 

Dunn leads the league in assists (7.4) and steals (2.8). He ranks fourth in nation in assists per game and fifth in country in steals per game. Dunn also led the league in both those categories in conference play and became the first player in the history of the BIG EAST to accomplish that in the same season. He also is averaging 15.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Dunn ranks sixth in the league in scoring and 12th in rebounding. He leads the Friars with six double-doubles. On January 29, Dunn became the 14th player in BIG EAST history to register a triple-double in a league game with with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists versus DePaul. Dunn was the first Friar to record a triple-double since Geoff McDermott accomplished the feat versus Harvard on Dec. 22, 2006 with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Dunn’s triple-double was the ninth in Friar history and the first for the Friars in BIG EAST play. The last triple-double in BIG EAST play was recorded by Hasheem Thabeet (UConn) versus Providence on Jan. 19, 2008 with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks.

The Friars finished the regular season with a 21-10 mark overall and an 11-7 record in BIG EAST play. Providence earned the fourth seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and will play No. 5 seed St. John’s on Thursday, March 12 at 2:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1. 

DISTRICT I — ME, VT, NH, RI, MA, CT 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR — LaDontae Henton, Providence

COACH OF THE YEAR — Danny Hurley, Rhode Island 

ALL-DISTRICT TEAM (11)

Ryan Boatright, Connecticut

Kris Dunn, Providence

Scott Eatherton, Northeastern

Olivier Hanlan, Boston College

LaDonte Henton, Providence

Cady Lalanne, Massachusetts

Hassan Martin, Rhode Island

E.C. Matthews, Rhode Island

Wesley Saunders, Harvard

Justin Sears, Yale

Dyami Starks, Bryant?

?