NEW YORK — One of UConn’s most improved players will leave New York City with some hardware this week, as Hassan Diarra won the Big East Sixth Man Award, the conference announced on Monday morning.
The honor is given to the conference’s best player off the bench. Diarra is the second UConn men’s basketball player to win the award since its inception in 2007-2008, joining 2020-2021 recipient Tyler Polley.
The conference’s end-of-season awards are voted on by Big East coaches, who are not allowed to select their own players.
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Diarra, a senior from Queens, N.Y., transferred to UConn in 2022 after playing two seasons at Texas A&M. After a quiet 2022-2023 season, Diarra improved in nearly every category in 2023-2024. He’s averaged 5.9 points per game in 31 appearances, coming off the bench in all but one game.
Compared to last season, Diarra shot 29.4% better from the floor and improved his three-point field goal percentage by 17.9%. He also recorded 26 offensive rebounds in regular-season play.
In Big East competition, Diarra elevated his game further. He averaged 6.2 points per game and shot 47.8% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc in league play. His best game came on Feb. 17, as he scored 14 points in UConn’s 28-point home win against Marquette.
Diarra’s stingy defense has, perhaps, been his greatest contribution to the Huskies, who won the Big East regular season title and became the first Big East team ever to win 18 conference games in a season. UConn won the league by four games.
On defense, Diarra has often been tasked with guarding the opponent’s top scorers. He’s thrived in the role, recording 28 steals and 12 blocks this season, and has made many high-energy plays that aren’t statistically defined.
As head coach Dan Hurley eyes his first Big East Tournament title as a coach, UConn is in New York City at Madison Square Garden this week, preparing to play either Butler or Xavier at noon on Thursday.
Regardless of its Big East tournament performance, UConn expects to receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament on March 17, as the Huskies look to defend their 2023 national title.
On Monday, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner earned his third Big East Defensive Player of the Year award, joining only Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning as three-time recipients.
The conference’s most improved player is Xavier guard Desmond Claude, of New Haven, and the Sportsmanship Award was given to Creighton guard Steven Ashworth.
Big East Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be announced on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
The all-conference teams were announced on Sunday. UConn senior guards Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer earned first-team honors, while sophomore center Donovan Clingan was named as an honorable mention.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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