PHILADELPHIA –Four Explorers received honors from the Philadelphia Big 5, the organization announced today in voting conducted by the city's head coaches and media. Senior Earl Pettis was named the Big 5 Most Improved Player while freshman Jerrell Wright earned Big 5 Rookie of the Year honors.
 
Pettis, junior Ramon Galloway and sophomore Tyreek Duren were also named to the Philadelphia Big 5 Second Team. The three All-Big 5 picks are the most by the Explorers since the 1999-00 season and ties for the most ever.
 
The three selections also tie Saint Joseph's and Temple for the most of any school in 2011-12. All four players are Philadelphia natives.
 
Pettis, who was also named the Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player and Honorable Mention All-A-10, led the Explorers in scoring at 15.4 points per game. The Philadelphia native ranked seventh in the Big 5 in scoring and was second in steals at 1.9 spg.
 
He added 4.0 rebounds per game and dished 2.2 assists per game in helping the Explorers to a 21-13 record and appearance in the NIT.
 
Pettis had a career-high 33 points in an 80-79 overtime loss to Temple and scored 1,060 points in his collegiate career between Rutgers and La Salle. He increased his scoring average by nearly six points per game to earn the city's Most Improved Player honor. Pettis' 523 points this season make him the 48^th player to score more than 500 points in a season.
 
Wright, also an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection, averaged 9.8 ppg. and 5.6 rpg. to lead the Big 5 in both categories. He shot 57.3% from the field, sixth all-time in a season at La Salle, and blocked a team-high 36 shots this season.
 
A Dobbins Tech graduate, Wright scored a career-high 21 points at Central Connecticut State. His career-high in rebounds (12) came against James Madison and Massachusetts.


Galloway played his first season in the Blue and Gold after transferring from South Carolina. He finished second on the team in scoring at 14.1 ppg. and is eighth in the Big 5. Another Philadelphia native, Galloway ranked second in the Big 5 in three-point percentage (.442) and three-point field goals per game (2.2). He is tops on the Explorers with 68 three-point field goals.

A tireless defender, the NABC All-District pick helped La Salle improve its defense nearly 13 ppg. from last season. Galloway scored a career-high 28 points in January versus George Washington and scored in double-digits in 27 of 34 contests.
 
Duren led the team in assists with 135 (second in Big 5) and averaged 13.5 ppg. for the Explorers. The only La Salle player to start all 34 games, he led the team in free-throw shooting at .810. The NABC All-District selection was also second in steals (third in Big 5).
 
The Neumann-Goretti product has dished 281 assists through his first two seasons, the most by an Explorer after his sophomore year since Doug Overton handed out 335 in 1987-88 and 1988-89.
 
La Salle returns four of five starters to the NIT team and will add Virginia Tech transfer Tyrone Garland, redshirt freshman Rohan Brown and fall signee Jermaine Davis.

The Big 5 Banquet will be held Monday, April 23 at 6:30 PM in the Fox-Gittis Room at the Liacouras Center. Tickets for the banquet can be reserved by contacting Al Shrier at Temple University (215 204-1821 or ashrier5@temple.edu).
  
 
2012 Philadelphia Big 5 Awards
 
Player of the Year – Zack Rosen, Penn
Most Improved Player -  Earl Pettis, La Salle
Rookie of the Year - Jerrell Wright, La Salle
Coach of Year - Fran Dunphy, Temple
Scholar-Athlete -  Zack Rosen, Penn
Team of Year - Temple
Best Free Throw Percentage - Maalik Wayns, Villanova
Leading Scorer (ppg) -  Zack Rosen, Penn
 
First Team:
Zack Rosen, Penn
Ramone Moore, Temple
Maalik Wayns, Villanova
Khalif Wyatt, Temple
Langston Galloway, Saint Joseph's
 
Second Team:
Tyreek Duren, La Salle
Earl Pettis, La Salle
Carl Jones, Saint Joseph's
Ramon Galloway, La Salle
C.J. Aiken, Saint Joseph's
Juan Fernandez, Temple