JaKarr Sampson earns fifth Big East Rookie of the Week award

Perhaps it's time the Big East renames the honor "The JaKarr Sampson of the Week" award.

For the second consecutive week, St. John's freshman JaKarr Sampson has been named Big East Rookie of the Week. The honor is Sampson's fifth of the season, which leads the league.

In a week where the Red Storm won both of its games - a 72-60 road victory over Rutgers and a 71-67 win over Seton Hall - Sampson averaged 20 points and six rebounds.

Through 20 games, Sampson is averaging 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, ranking him 15th (first among freshmen) and 10th (also first among freshmen) in the Big East.

With his fifth selection as Rookie of the Week, Sampson seems to be the clear-cut favorite for Big East Rookie of the Year. Former St. John's forward and current Orlando Magic player Maurice Harkless was awarded the annual honor last March.

D`Angelo Harrison was also named to the Big East honor roll for the sixth time this season. Harrison averaged 22 points in the Storm's two wins, including a clutch 24-point performance against Seton Hall on Sunday.

St. John's moved to 5-3 in the conference with its win on Sunday, putting them in a tie for third in the league standings.

Darrun Hilliard (Villanova) was honored as the Big East Player of the Week after the Wildcats' two huge wins over Louisville and Syracuse. Shabazz Napier (Connecticut), Otto Porter (Georgetown), Lamar Patterson (Pittsburgh) and Bryce Cotton (Providence) joined Harrison on the honor roll.

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