Hoyas Honored: Govan Makes 1st Team; Akinjo, McClung, & LeBlanc Earn All-Frosh

Georgetown’s most successful season in years began to reap some well-deserved individual honors on Sunday as Jessie Govan landed on the All-BIG EAST First team while James Akinjo, Mac McClung, and Josh LeBlanc became just the second trio of teammates in conference history to make the All-Freshman Team.

Govan (17.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg) put up a his second straight season of big numbers under Coach Patrick Ewing that resulted in a league high nine double-doubles. The Queens Village, NY native backed up the high preseason expectations for his final year by becoming a virtual mainstay on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll while climbing up the Georgetown record books in the process.

Govan, who leads the Hoyas in scoring and rebounding, was able to expand his offensive game by becoming a legitimate threat from 3-point range. Govan is shooting 41 percent from deep – good for sixth in the league – while posting career highs in makes (43) and attempts (104). Earlier this season Govan posted a career-high 33 points in a win over Providence.

Selected as a finalist for the 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award earlier in the week, Govan became the first Hoya to make the First Team since D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera in 2015. Govan was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2016.

Govan is currently 12^th in school history in scoring and 8^th in rebounding with more possible movement to come during the postseason.

Now let’s get to Georgetown’s three freshman starters who accomplished something only done once in league history.

Akinjo, McClung, and LeBlanc joined the 1988 Pittsburgh trio of Sean Miller, Bobby Martin, and Jason Matthews as the only three teammates to land on the All-Freshman Team.

This is the eighth time that multiple Hoyas landed on the All-Freshman team which saw Jamorko Pickett and Jahvon Blair earn honors just last season.

Akinjo (13.4 ppg, 5.4 apg), who leads the conference in assists and the Hoyas in minutes played, was a unanimous selection and probably locked up the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Award in yesterday’s comeback win at No. 16 Marquette.

The Oakland native earned four Freshman of the Week Awards this season which was good for second most. Given the keys to the Hoyas offense from Day One, Akinjo has handled the ups and downs of his first college season and grown as a player as best seen in going toe-to-toe with the likely player of the year in Marcus Howard yesterday. AKinjo had a season high 25 points against Little Rock and dished out a season best 11 assists against Creighton.

McClung and LeBlanc each earned Freshman of the Week Honors twice this season.

McClung more than lived up to his internet hype by leading all BIG EAST freshman in scoring average – narrowly edging out AKinjo with 13.4 ppg - while LeBlanc eased his way into the starting line-up and then took off by posting six double-doubles.

McClung scored a season high 38 points in a win over Little Rock and returned after an injury in the start of BIG EAST play with an improved offensive game that saw both his long distance shooting numbers go along with his trips to the free throw line.

LeBlanc scored a season high 22 points against Howard and grabbed a season best 17 rebounds in the home finale against Seton Hall. LeBlanc averages 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds while ranking third in BIG EAST field goal percentage and sixth in rebounding.

Next up for the Hoyas is a match-up with Seton Hall on Thursday night in the BIG EAST Tournament.

The last Hoya to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team was DSR in 2015. The last frosh to earn a spot was DaJuan Summers in 2007.

Victor Page won the MVP in 1996 in his first season with the Hoyas.