Darrun Hilliard II, Sporting News 2nd Team All-American

Villanova Wildcats star Darrun Hilliard, II, from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has been named to the Sporting News' All-American team on their second team.

The senior wing averaged 14.2 points, 3.2 rebounds 1.8 steals and 2 assists per game for the Wildcats. Hilliard is the lone representative of the Big East Conference in this All-American announcement.

After arriving at Villanova as a late-signee and a relatively unheralded three-star recruit from Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Hilliard quickly found a niche with the Wildcats through his solid ball handling, sweet shooting stroke and aggressive defense.  He started 9 games as a freshman on his way to becoming the 'Cats' top scorer in both his junior and senior years.

Hilliard's development and style of play are evidence of a player who bought into head coach Jay Wright's mantra of developing players who are team-first and buy into his pass-first/team defense system.

This year, Hilliard was the best player on the best team in the Big East. It really is a testament to Hilliard's skill, poise and leadership that he could stand out as much as he has on a team as balanced as the Villanova Wildcats. Remember, every starter but junior guard Dylan Ennis made an appearance in the All-Big East teams released yesterday. (Calling it now, Ennis makes Defensive POY next year.)

Heck, 'Nova is so balanced that even their 6th man, Josh Hart, won an All-Big East award as 6th man of the year!

For more on the Sporting News picks, take a look here.