Providence – Big East awards will be handed out this week, starting with the all-conference teams on Sunday.

A number of UConn players are in the running for individual league honors while Dan Hurley is a strong candidate for coach of the year.

While the results are likely to spark debate, there’ll be no argument about the Big East freshman of the year award winner.

UConn’s Stephon Castle is the clear choice.

Entering the final day of the Big East regular season on Saturday, Castle led all league freshmen in points (11.3), rebounds (4.3) and assists (3.0). He’s won the conference freshman of the week honors a record-tying 10 times, sharing the spot with Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony who accomplished the feat in 2002-03.

Castle was the coaches’ preseason pick to win the award.

The Big East will announce the winner along with the choices for top player and coach on Wednesday, the first day of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.

There’s no doubt in coach Dan Hurley’s mind. (Big East coaches aren’t allowed to vote for their own players for any of the awards).

“Steph has been as good a freshman player as anyone in the country,” Hurley said. “What he’s done for us relative to the outstanding defense where in so many matchups that he’s shut down top level players, or made them incredibly inefficient.

“He has stepped up and scored big for us when we needed it. He’s stepped into the background and filled different roles on a nightly basis, whatever his team needed. And I think more of that should be celebrated. … He’s really handled himself with incredible humility, and that starts at home. He’s been the ultimate winning player for us on a nightly basis.”

Five other Huskies have been named the league’s top freshman – Rudy Gay (2004-05), Khalid El-Amin (1997-98), Doron Sheffer (1993-94), Nadav Henefeld (1989-90) and Earl Kelley (1982-83). Daniel Hamilton received honor in 2014-15 when UConn resided in the American Athletic Conference.

Hurley is still bothered by the fact that Alex Karaban lost out on the honor last season to Villanova’s Cam Whitmore.

One of UConn’s strengths, balance, could hurt the second-ranked Huskies when it comes to All-Big East picks. Coaches handed in their selections before Saturday’s regular season finales around the league.

Hurley meets with his assistant coaches to make their choices.

“We take it seriously,” Hurley said. “We try to reward the balance of winning and great production. We lean towards winning.”

With that in mind, Hurley will be disappointed if the Big East regular season champion Huskies aren’t rewarded for their success this season. They had a Big East record tying 17 league wins prior to facing Providence on Saturday.

Hurley also pointed out that they were chosen to place third in the league preseason poll, closer to fourth than third.

“I don’t know how it’s all going to play out that way,” Hurley said Friday. “But you’ve got to feel like players on a 17-2 team that also dominated non-conference play, that players will be rewarded justly.

“None of these guys obviously were rewarded with the preseason team. Tristen (Newton) wasn’t voted.”

The Huskies placed two players – sophomore Donovan Clingan on the second team and Alex Karaban honorable mention – on the preseason All-Big East teams. Newton, the starting point guard for last year’s national championship team, was left out.

Newton is a strong contender for the Big East player of the year along with Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman and Providence’s Devin Carter.

Hurley believes the voting system needs to change.

“Maybe we can find a better way moving forward,” Hurley said. “Sometimes people that vote, I think there’s manipulating it to try to not vote for the right people either because they’re trying to get their guy an award by not voting from someone else, or there will be an agenda. I think there’s probably a better way that we can do it in our league.”

As far as coach of the year, Hurley and Seton Hall’s Shaheen Holloway are the frontrunners. The Pirates will finish in the top four after residing in ninth in the preseason poll.

When asked if Hurley thinks about winning the top coach honor, he responded: “No. I don’t win a lot of popularity contests. My fans, at the places that I coach, as long as they love me and these other fan bases hate me, I know I’m doing the exact job that UConn wants me to do. We’re winning, and we’re winning in impressive fashion, and there’s a lot of hate.”

News and notes

Newton is one of 15 players selected to the Wooden Award national ballot, making him a candidate for the All-American team and most outstanding player trophy. … UConn, which received one of five first round byes, will open Big East tournament play at noon Thursday in the quarterfinals. The Huskies will play the winner of Wednesday’s first round game between the No. 8 vs. No. 9 teams.

g.keefe@theday.com