College Basketball Player of the Year

[Bosco]

Off the top of my head I can think of the Naismith, Wooden, US Basketball Writers Association, and AP awards. Out of these 4 or so awards is one held to be the actual player of the year? Like which one is the Heisman of college basketball.

Last year for example, TJ Ford won the Naismith and Wooden Awards, but David West won the US Basketball Writers and AP Awards. So who was the Player of the Year?

[BishopMVP]

I think the Wooden or Naismith is the most prestigious...but Jameer will win them all this year.

[Bosco]

I think the Wooden or Naismith is the most prestigious...but Jameer will win them all this year.

See judging from this year's and and last year's results I don't think any of them are that credible. Anyone who watches college basketball and doesn't think Emeka Okafor and Carmelo Anthony were the best players this year and last year respectively neeeds to get their heads checked.

[Huckleberry]

Bosco -

I disagree. Carmelo was not a clearcut player of the year last year before the tournament.

[BishopMVP]

Emeka may be better, but Jameer is unquestionably more valuable to his team....all comes down to what you think should matter more.

[Bosco]

Emeka may be better, but Jameer is unquestionably more valuable to his team....all comes down to what you think should matter more.

UConn would not be in the Championship game without big Mek and that's a fact. How can anyone be more valuable than that?

[Bosco]

Bosco -

I disagree. Carmelo was not a clearcut player of the year last year before the tournament.

Please don't bother trying to defend TJ Ford for player of the year. I have a better jump shot then the guy.

Have you heard anything about his spinal problem though? In the latest ESPN Mag there was a blurb saying he had a spinal problem and a recent fall had him thinking about surgery that could put his career in danger.

[Huckleberry]

Yes, he has spinal stenosis. Narrowing of the spinal canal or whatever they call it. First noted his freshman year, I believe.

As for player of the year, Ford was a good pick. A jump shot isn't everything. Without Ford, Texas doesn't make it out of the Sweet 16 last year, maybe not even a Top 25 team. He made Texas a Top 5 team last year by himself.

[BishopMVP]

UConn would not be in the Championship game without big Mek and that's a fact. How can anyone be more valuable than that?Other than the 2nd half of the Duke game, Okafor wasn't carrying UConn. Without him, they'd still be a top-10/15 team. Without Nelson, St. Joe's is lucky if they make the Top 25 this year.

[Bosco]

Other than the 2nd half of the Duke game, Okafor wasn't carrying UConn. Without him, they'd still be a top-10/15 team. Without Nelson, St. Joe's is lucky if they make the Top 25 this year.

Did you see the Georgia Tech game or the 'Cuse game with a hurt Okafor in the Dome? He is just as important to UConn as Nelson is to St. Joe's. And St. Joe's would definitely have still been a Top 25 team, no undefeated seaon but Top 25 easy. You make is sound like Delonte West sucks. The guy might be better than Nelson and definitely has more pro potential. If he comes back next year St. Joe's isn't going to just disappear.

[BishopMVP]

Did you see the Georgia Tech game or the 'Cuse game with a hurt Okafor in the Dome? He is just as important to UConn as Nelson is to St. Joe's. And St. Joe's would definitely have still been a Top 25 team, no undefeated seaon but Top 25 easy. You make is sound like Delonte West sucks. The guy might be better than Nelson and definitely has more pro potential. If he comes back next year St. Joe's isn't going to just disappear.IIRC, Okafor played like 30+ (gimpy) minutes against GT the first time around when they lost. And the Cuse game could have just been one bad game, it happens to every team during the year.

As for West, he is good, but without Nelson they aren't nearly that good. Look at Luke Jackson out at Oregon...1st Team AA, couldn't even make the NCAA's.

In the end, it seems you have your opinion and I have mine.

[Bosco]

IIRC, Okafor played like 30+ (gimpy) minutes against GT the first time around when they lost. And the Cuse game could have just been one bad game, it happens to every team during the year.

As for West, he is good, but without Nelson they aren't nearly that good. Look at Luke Jackson out at Oregon...1st Team AA, couldn't even make the NCAA's.

In the end, it seems you have your opinion and I have mine.

And you seem to have missed that Alonzo Mourning was playing college basketball this year because you've been so impressed with Mateen Cleaves.

[Samdari]

Bosco -

I disagree. Carmelo was not a clearcut player of the year last year before the tournament.

That is surprising since he was better in the regular season than in the tournament.

How many SU regular season games did you watch?

[Huckleberry]

That is surprising since he was better in the regular season than in the tournament.

How many SU regular season games did you watch?

So you don't think the fact that he led Syracuse to the title has anything to do with Bosco's contention that he was the clear player of the year?

[Samdari]

So you don't think the fact that he led Syracuse to the title has anything to do with Bosco's contention that he was the clear player of the year?

I don't really care. His assertion or not is irrelevant. He was the best player in college basketball last season, in fact the best player to even go to college since KG started the trend of high schoolers going direct to the NBA. Players of Anthony's caliber simply do not attend college anymore.

Since SU was unranked most of the season, he flew under the radar, but Anthony dominated the entire season as much as he did in the tournament, but the national media did not really begin talking about SU as a contender until the last two weeks of the season. People who assert that Anthony did not dominate the regular season are confusing Andy Katz not talking about it with it not happening.

Anthony's regular season stats: 22.6 pts 10.1 rebounds per game
Tourney stats: 20.1pts 9.1reb

[Huckleberry]

I don't really care. His assertion or not is irrelevant. He was the best player in college basketball last season, in fact the best player to even go to college since KG started the trend of high schoolers going direct to the NBA. Players of Anthony's caliber simply do not attend college anymore.

Since SU was unranked most of the season, he flew under the radar, but Anthony dominated the entire season as much as he did in the tournament, but the national media did not really begin talking about SU as a contender until the last two weeks of the season. People who assert that Anthony did not dominate the regular season are confusing Andy Katz not talking about it with it not happening.

Anthony's regular season stats: 22.6 pts 10.1 rebounds per game
Tourney stats: 20.1pts 9.1reb

Who here has asserted he didn't dominate the regular season?

By the way, your stats tell me that Anthony played better in the tournament than the regular season. Would you care to compare the average level of competition in the tournament to the average level of competition in the regular season?

[Samdari]

Who here has asserted he didn't dominate the regular season?

By the way, your stats tell me that Anthony played better in the tournament than the regular season. Would you care to compare the average level of competition in the tournament to the average level of competition in the regular season?

Your first point is semantics. You did argue he was not clear cut player of the year. He was.

As for the second point, since SU played 4 Big 12 teams and two other teams clearly below the average big east team in the tourney, I'd say that the level of competition dropped significantly once they made it to the tourney :)

Seriously, how many SU games did you watch before the tournament?

[Huckleberry]

I have no idea. 5 maybe? I don't exactly keep a tally around here.

As for my comment about his not being clear cut player of the year, that was said because I knew Bosco was basing a lot of his comment on the tournament. I don't think Anthony was a "clear cut" player of the year even after the tournament. Obviously he was great and a good choice, but there were other good choices last year.

[Bosco]

So you don't think the fact that he led Syracuse to the title has anything to do with Bosco's contention that he was the clear player of the year?


Could it be that my contention comes from the fact that has a UConn fan I saw an awful lot of Carmelo last year. After one game against him the coaches and media were hyping up the fact that Anderson shut him down in a game where he scored 19 points. The kid was the best player in college last year. Its a fact.