What was Ray Allen awarded in 1996 at Connecticut?

Ray Allen was awarded Big East Player of the Year in 1996 while playing for the University of Connecticut. The honor recognized him as the conference’s outstanding men’s basketball player that season.

Allen played for Connecticut from 1993 to 1996 under coach Jim Calhoun. As a junior, he became the centerpiece of a powerful Huskies team and was also named to the first-team All-Big East squad.

His college success helped make him one of the top prospects in the 1996 NBA draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected him fifth overall, then traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night. Allen went on to become one of basketball’s greatest three-point shooters.

The award is sometimes confused with a national college player-of-the-year honor. In this question, the important distinction is that Allen’s 1996 recognition came from the Big East Conference, not from the NCAA as a whole.