New York — Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, who was named Big East Player of the Year on Wednesday, spent part of his summer working out near his home in Cumberland, R.I.

Some workouts included UConn redshirt freshman Alex Karaban from Southborough, Mass.

“I was hoping that he would get freshman of the year,” Kolek said Wednesday after the awards ceremony at Madison Square Garden where the Big East tournament started. “We played together this summer and worked out a good amount. We mostly played five-on-five pick-up in Mansfield, Mass.”

Karaban lost top freshman honors to Villanova’s Cam Whitmore. Both players were unanimous selections to the All-Big East freshman team.

They made significant contributions to their respective teams this season.

Whitmore leads all Big East freshmen in scoring (12.6 points) and added 5.1 rebounds for the Wildcats (16-15, 10-10). He contributed 12.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in league action.

Karaban averages 9.7 points and 4.4 rebounds while starting all but one game for the Huskies (24-7, 13-7). His numbers were about the same in Big East play at 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds.

After missing the first seven games with a thumb injury, Whitmore gradually worked his way back to top form.

“To be honest, I really didn’t think I was going to win it at first,” Whitmore said. “There’s a lot of great freshmen out there, especially my teammate Mark (Armstrong). He also was a contender to win it. … I was looking at the all-freshman team. It was wide open; Anybody can win it. So, it was definitely a blessing for me to achieve this award.”

Marquette sweeps

Marquette, a team that won the regular season title after being picked to place ninth, also took home Big East Coach of the Year. The vote was unanimous for Shaka Smart.

“You could tell from the guys who were here at media day (in October) and from the rest of the team, they didn’t believe we were a ninth place team,” Smart said. They believed that they could play with anyone and could beat anyone. More importantly, they believed in each other.“

Smart led Marquette to a 25-6 overall record, 17-3 in the Big East. Kolek is averaging 12.7 points and a Big East best 7.9 assists, the latter ranking second in the nation. He’s a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award that honors the nation’s top point guard.

It’s the first time in program history that Marquette received both top Big East coach and player honors.

Marquette, which earned the No. 1 seed, will open tournament play on Thursday at noon against St. John’s.

News and notes

UConn freshman Donovan Clingan has taken his share of shots in the mouth this season. He lost a tooth after being elbowed on Dec. 20 against Georgetown. And the temporary replacement was knocked out during warm-ups before the game at St. John’s on Feb. 25. He was at the dentist Sunday. “I got a new tooth (Sunday) night,” he said. “Not what anyone wants, but I had to get it done. My goal is that it will last until Saturday. It’s temporary. After the season, I’ll get an implant.” ... The Huskies practiced at John Jay College on Wednesday. … The tournament is completely sold out.

g.keefe@theday.com