By Chelsea Allen–

2012 Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player and previous tri-captain, Peyton Siva, has been renamed co-caption for his upcoming senior season, alongside newcomer Luke Hancock.

Transferring from George Mason as a guard/forward, Hancock will play for the Cards next season as a junior. Hancock is little known because he was required to sit on the sidelines all season due to transfer rules, but high praises from Coach Rick Pitino leave fans curious with expectation.

How did Hancock earn such an honor?

Pitino recounts one of Hancock’s first weeks with the team, when two players came in late to an early morning lift session.

“Here’s Luke, who doesn’t even know anybody, and said to both of them, ‘If we’re here early, you need to be on time,’” Pitino said. “Right then and there, everybody just immediately understood his presence as a leader, and he’s been that way the whole year.”

Because he was not eligible to participate in games this season as a transfer, his skill is to be determined by fans—but not his coach.

“He’s one of our better basketball players,” Pitino said, “but that’s not why he’s been named co-captain. It’s because his leadership abilities really stick out.”

As for the veteran captain, Siva, “I thought he did a good job this year,” Pitino said. “One of his strengths as well as his weakness is he wants to please everybody; he needs to get a little tougher at times.”

“It will be a good marriage between the two of them, good cop bad cop.”

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