Corey Fisher, a vital cog in Villanova's Sweet Sixteen run? Lavoy Allen, the frontcourt monster who helped muscle Temple into the NCAAs?
Nope - neither are the Big 5 Rookie of the Year. Instead, it's Tyler Bernardini, the streaky but smooth scoring guard who ended his freshman campaign as the highest-scoring rookie in Penn history.
Coach Glen Miller billed Bernardini as the Quakers' best shooter before he played a minute in college, and the 6-foot-6 California native hit double figures in 18 of his 28 games for a 12.9-point average, including a 26-point outburst in an otherwise miserable matchup with North Carolina. He was Miller's only reliable three-point shooter, and his importance became all too apparent when Penn dropped crucial games at Cornell and Columbia when he was injured with a concussion.
- Andrew Scurria
