Presumably, Notre Dame players will be quicker to inform Jack Cooley of his second Big East honor in as many days.
The Irish center won the league’s Most Improved Player award on Monday, a day after earning a spot on the All-Big East second team — with Cooley half-jokingly poking fun at teammates for offering zero texts or calls of congratulations.
The 6-foot-9-inch Glenview native probably won’t fly under the radar this time. As a sophomore, Cooley played a bit role as the seventh man, averaging just 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game.
This year, he became a dominant force that spurred the Irish’s run to the No. 3 seed in the forthcoming Big East tournament. Cooley averaged 12.5 points and 9.2 rebounds overall this season, with the numbers bumped to 14.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in Big East games.
The Big East announced four awards Monday, including Cooley’s:
Defensive Player of the Year: Fab Melo, Syracuse
Most Improved Player: Jack Cooley, Notre Dame
Sixth Man Award: Dion Waiters, Syracuse
Sportsmanship Award: Jason Clark, Georgetown
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