March 6, 2007

NEW YORK, N.Y.--University of Pittsburgh senior Aaron Gray was named the 2006-07 Big East/Aéropostale Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Gray receives a $2,000 scholarship which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.

A Communication & Rhetoric major, Gray is on pace to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh in August. He has also been involved in numerous community service activities on campus and around Pittsburgh. The 2006-07 preseason Big East Player of the Year, Gray is a finalist for the Wooden Award, Naismith Award and Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Last week he was named to the NABC All-District 3 team.

An Emmaus, Pa., native, Gray was named to the All-Big East First Team for the second consecutive season. He joined the company of Charles Smith (1986-87 and 1987-88) and Brian Shorter (1988-89, 1989-90) as Pitt's three players who earned All-Big East First Team honors in two different seasons. A unanimous selection by league coaches, Gray is one of only two Big East players to average double figures in both scoring (14.4 ppg.) and rebounding (10.1 rpg.). Gray, who has 14 double-doubles on the year, is shooting 59.1 percent (179-303) from the floor and leads the team in blocked shots with 51. For his career, Gray has totaled 1,041 points (9.7 ppg.), 752 rebounds (7.0 rpg.) and 119 blocked shots.

No. 3 seeded Pittsburgh (25-6, 12-4 Big East) opens Big East Championship competition on Thursday when it plays the winner of the Marquette-St. John's game at 9 p.m. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN.

The BIG EAST/Aéropostale Scholar-Athlete Awards were established to recognize student-athletes who have achieved success in the classroom and on the field. Aéropostale, Inc. is a fast growing, mall-based, specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories, principally targeting 11 to 18-year old young women and men. The company provides customers with a focused selection of high-quality, active-oriented, fashion basic merchandise at compelling prices. Aéropostale and the BIG EAST Conference have been partners since 1999. The company Web site can be found at www.aeropostale.com.