I know that the conferences have all released their Players of the Year and Coaches of the Year, but I made a list a couple of weeks back as to who I thought deserved these honors in each conference. Honestly, I am not sure how they match up to the actual award winners.
ATLANTIC 10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Stanley Burrell (Xavier)
This could have gone to Josh Duncan or Drew Lavender, but I think that Burrell is the glue that keeps this team together. He is one of the best defensive players in the country and scores in double-figures for the Musketeers. When I heard that not only did a Xavier player not win the actual A-10 POY, but no Xavier player was named to the all-conference first team, I was appalled. This is the best team the A-10 has had in several years. Apparently, Mr. Burrell agrees with me.
ATLANTIC 10 COACH OF THE YEAR: Fran Dunphy (Temple)
As great as Sean Miller has been, there is a lot of veteran talent on that team that is probably leading the team as much as Miller is. Dunphy has won me over (I was a critic) and brought this Temple team back from obscurity in just two years. And, he has done it with only one starting senior, very leftover pieces from the great John Chaney and all while adapting a brand-new style to the Owls.
ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tyler Hansborough (UNC)
An obvious selection, as he is the best player on the best team. Personally, though, I think he falls just a little short for national player of the year–more on this in a minute.
ACC COACH OF THE YEAR: Oliver Purnell (Clemson)
This guy can flat out coach, there are no two ways about it. As an A-10 fan, I watched as his Dayton teams used to win a ton of games with less talent than most teams they played. He is finally getting some attention on the national stage.
BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Luke Harangody (Notre Dame)
Actually, I made this list the night that Notre Dame played Louisville and I was watching as Harangody just refused to let his team lose. He made the only 3 three-pointers of his career in the waning seconds of that game, en route to 40. Though the Irish lost that game, it was enough for me to think of ‘Gody as the Big East player of the year.
BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR: Bobby Huggins (West Virginia)
No matter what you think of Coach Huggins, the guy just wins. He finished in 5th place in the Big East with 10th place talent.
BIG XII PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Michael Beasley
(Kansas St.)
This is a no-brainer. I am sure everyone has heard all the accolades, but have you really looked at the numbers, they are astonishing! 26.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.3 steals, almost 40% from 3-point range. The guy is simply incredible, and there is no doubt in my mind that he should be the national player of the year. This is interesting because back at the beginning of the year, I said that Hansborough would win the player of the year honors easily, but Doogan thought that there would be a surprise player of the year from the freshman class. Now, I am going with the freshman Beasley and, last time we discussed this, I believe that Doogan would vote for Hansborough, if given the opportunity.
BIG XII COACH OF THE YEAR: Rick Barnes (Texas)
This is one coach who I believe does not get nearly enough credit for what he does with the talent he has. I have heard time and time again, “Rick Barnes is a heck of a recruiter, but I just don’t trust him as a basketball coach.” Well, I completely disagree. Yes, he can recruit the likes of Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin, but he has also shown a great ability to get the most out of his teams. This year is a perfect example. Other than Augustin, who is a true star on that Texas team? Damion James is a nice player. A.J. Abrams is a great shooter, but not much else. Justin Mason is a phenomenal athlete, but his basketball skills are somewhat lacking. And, I think we can all agree that Connor Atchley has maxed out his talent. And, only Abrams and Atchley are older than sophomores, yet this team was in the discussion for a #1 seed and is a legit Final Four, if not national title, contender. As to why I always feel like I have to defend Rick Barnes…I have no idea.
SEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shan Foster (Vanderbilt)
I actually do not know if Foster did end up winning this award, but he certainly deserves it. He has been everything for the Commodores, in a surprisingly strong season.
SEC COACH OF THE YEAR: Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt)
If this was just an SEC regular season award, Billy Gillespie at Kentucky would have to be in consideration, but how can you overlook the atrocious non-conference schedule? And, I do not think Gillespie (or Kentucky) should be overly rewarded for “recovering” from an awful start. Yes, it is impressive, but home losses to San Diego and Gardner-Webb should never happen in the first place. That being said, Gillespie did a fantastic job, yet in my opinion, not as fantastic as Stallings did at Vandy. Taking a team that was picked near the bottom of the SEC and keeping them in contention for the SEC title all year and nationally-ranked? That is a great coaching job.
PAC 10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brook & Robin Lopez (Stanford)
Where does Stanford get these 7-foot twins? This year’s version is a do-it-all big man and a ferocious defender. The pair was simply unstoppable this year for the Cardinal, leading them to a clear second-place finish in the best conference in the country. Brook, the better of the two, should actually win this award, but Robin is extremely underrated.
PAC 10 COACH OF THE YEAR: Herb Sendek (Arizona St.)
I seriously considered changing my vote to Howlin or Johnson with ASU’s failings down the stretch, but I am going to stick with my pick. I always thought Sendek was a terrific coach at N.C. State (I have no idea why they let him go) and he did an equally terrific job in Tempe this year. It is a shame that they did not get into the NCAA tournament (I agree with the Committee that they did not deserve to) because they would have been a tough out.
BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR: D.J. White (Indiana)
White finally started playing like the player everyone thought he could be. Maybe he needed an Eric Gordon to take the pressure off, but whatever it was, White was sensational this year.
BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR: Matt Painter (Purdue)
If he just listened to Doogan, Kelvin Sampson would have probably been my choice, but instead it goes to an equally qualified Matt Painter. Talk about doing more with less. Painter has some nice, young players, but they were second in the Big Ten and nationally-ranked for most of the second half of the season. That is a great coaching job by a guy who is going to be there for a long time.
Herb Sendek was not “let go” at NC State. He resigned and took the job at ASU
Technically, you are right, “Herb,” but I think people close to the situation (and I am certainly not one of them) would probably agree that Sendek was severely mistreated by the N.C. State fans and, to a certain extent, by the school’s administration. From what I can recall, Sendek wanted to stay in Raleigh, but got no support from the fans and little from the administration. So, yes, technically, he resigned, but I think that the school and its fans had as much to with that as anything. Just one man’s opinion, take it for what it’s worth
I know that this is off topic but in one sentence Glen Taylor just entered “as stupid as James Dolan” territory. That’s a pretty amazing feat to accomplish in one sentence.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3300421
bry, you are way off base. Herb Sendek was strongly supported by the University, the athletick director and many big time donors. Many fans did not like him, but I did and I supported him also. btw, I am not Herb Sendek, but my name is Herb.
also, since you are not close to the situation, you need to correct your comment about him “being let go.” He left on his own…period….