March 28, 2002

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Providence College senior guard John Linehan (Chester, Pa.) was named National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday, March 28. Linehan joins Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning (1992) as the only players from the BIG EAST Conference ever to receive this prestigious award. Linehan, who will be in Atlanta, Ga. to participate in the NABC College All-Star game versus the Harlem Globetrotters on March 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum, will receive his Defensive Player of the Year award on Sunday, March 31 at the NABC Awards Dinner at the Downtown Hilton in Atlanta.

For Linehan, it marks the fourth Defensive Player of the Year honor he has earned this season. He also was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, ESPN.com Defensive Player of the Year and College Insider.com National Defensive Player of the Year.

Other honors he has received this season are Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America, All-BIG EAST Second Team, NABC District 1 First Team, USBWA All-District 1, and College Insider.com 2002 All-Defensive Team member.

Linehan, who finished second in the nation in average steals per game (4.5), made 139 steals in 31 contests this season. He set the NCAA career steals record with his 377th steal on February 26. Linehan finished his career with 385 steals. In addition to the NCAA career steals mark, Linehan also established the BIG EAST career steals record (226), the BIG EAST single-season steals record (77) and the BIG EAST single-game steals record (11). This season, he averaged 12.5 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Linehan, who concluded his high school career at the Winchendon School, is the son of Elizabeth Linehan and Mike Shaw.

Previous Recipients of the NABC Defensive Player of the Year

1987	Tommy Amaker, Duke
1988	Billy King, Duke
1989	Stacey Augmon, UNLV
1990	Stacey Augmon, UNLV
1991	Stacey Augmon, UNLV
1992	Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown
1993	Grant Hill, Duke
1994	Jim McIlvaine, Marquette
1995	Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
1996	Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
1997	Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
1998	Steve Wojciechowski, Duke
1999	Shane Battier, Duke
2000	Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati
	Shane Battier, Duke
2001	Shane Battier, Duke

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