Jailbreaks, Stops, and the Case for Miles Byrd as the Big East's Best Defender
We can probably blame it on Ryan Kalkbrenner.
The former Creighton center won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year so many times — four straight, in fact — that it’s felt like an award marked only for the league’s big men.
Last year was more of the same, with St. John’s dynamic and versatile center Zuby Ejiofor taking home Big East DPOY, marking the fifth straight season in which a center got the nod.
In a league known for its defensively dominant big men — from four-time winner Patrick Ewing to Alonzo Mourning (2x), Emeka Okafor (2x), Hasheem Thabeet (2x), and Dikembe Mutombo — it’s become a common refrain that Big East Defensive Player of the Year is a center’s award to lose.
Yet, from the beginning of the realigned Big East in 2014 to the arrival of Kalkbrenner in Omaha, eight guards or wings took home the DPOY crown — with Kris Dunn of Providence and Khyri Thomas of Creighton winning it twice, and standouts like Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Fuquan Edwin, and Sir’Dominic Pointer getting the nod.
In 2026-27, the league will be filled with a terrific crop shot blockers, yet if last season is any indicator, a wing will be the Big East’s best defender.
What do the numbers tell us about Miles Byrd's defensive impact?
The 6’6 transfer out of San Diego State heads east to Providence with outstanding defensive credentials. Playing for one of the nation’s premier defensive programs, Byrd earned Mountain West All-Defensive Team honors in 2025 before taking home the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award in ‘26.
As we highlighted back in April, Byrd's defensive metrics were elite.
96th percentile in the country in points per possession against (.624)
Opponents shot just 26.5% when being guarded by him
Spot-up shooters shot 22.1% (96th percentile), pick and roll ball handlers shot 23.3% (91st percentile), while he limited opponents to 19.2% shooting off screens (92nd percentile).
Now, thanks to new data available from our friends at CBB Analytics, Byrd’s numbers pop even more.
One of my favorite new metrics introduced by CBB Analytics this summer is Jailbreak Steals, or steals that led to a transition basket within four seconds.
Byrd recorded 18 Jailbreak Steals last year, nearly double any other newcomer to the Big East:
At CBB Analytics, they label Stops as the sum of steals, offensive fouls drawn, and recovered blocks (shots blocked by a defender that his team recovered).
Byrd’s numbers are just as impressive here. He posted 92 Stops, twenty more than Tounde Yessoufou, who ranked second among Big East newcomers with 72 last season.
For additional context, Ejiofor was utterly dominant defensively last season and finished with 88 Stops — in five more games played than Byrd.
Here are the Big East leaders:
Byrd finished 11th in the country in Stops.
Assuming his numbers would have translated to the Big East last season, Byrd would have ranked:
3rd in the Big East in steals (63 — Chase Ross led the league with 72)
5th in blocked shots (41 —Ejiofor led the league with 79)
3rd in offensive fouls drawn (10 — Silas Demary Jr. led the league with 17)
1st in Stops (92)
1st in Stop Percentage (6.0%)
2nd in Jailbreak Steals (18 — Dillon Mitchell led the league with 19)
So while four of the nation's top 25 shot blockers from last season will suit up in the Big East (Devin Williams of Seton Hall finished 5th, Georgetown’s Chol Machot 9th, UConn’s Najai Hines 16th, and Creighton’s Oswin Erhunmwunse 22nd), don't be surprised if the league's best defender isn't a big man.
It just might be Miles Byrd.
He not only makes life miserable for the player he’s guarding, but he also has an uncanny knack for ending possessions — whether by generating steals, drawing offensive fouls, or blocking shots. That kind of defensive impact that could put the Defensive Player of the Year award back in the hands of a wing next March.