Mid Year BE Awards

[nyg]

With half the season over, here are some picks:

Player of Year - Luke Harangody (ND)
Most Improved Player - A.J. Price(Conn)/Lazar Hayward(MU)
Rookie of Year - Dujaun Blair(Pitt)
Most Disappointing Team - Villanova
All Big East - Harangody (ND)
                  Gransberry (USF)
                  Young (Pitt)
                  Sapp (Geo)
                  Price (Conn)

[spartan3186]

how bout sam young for most improved? Up 11 points and 4 boards

[Doctor V]

With half the season over, here are some picks:

Player of Year - Luke Harangody (ND)
Most Improved Player - A.J. Price(Conn)/Lazar Hayward(MU)
Rookie of Year - Dujaun Blair(Pitt)
Most Disappointing Team - Villanova
All Big East - Harangody (ND)
                  Gransberry (USF)
                  Young (Pitt)
                  Sapp (Geo)
                  Price (Conn)

i believe theres 10 on the first team all BE

[nyg]

Not a real formal list, just throwing it out there.  Fell free to add 5 more.

[Doctor V]

Not a real formal list, just throwing it out there.  Fell free to add 5 more.

not sure if they go by position, but at the half way point id go with:

Harangody(poy)
Price
Thabeet
Adrien
Young
Gransberry
Hibbert
Laing
Greene
Williams

MIP- Price
ROY- Blair
Most Disappointing- Villanova/Providence
Most Surprising- Seton Hall/UConn

PS: I would have Hayward, DJ, and McNeal all on the 2nd team with Matthews as an honorable mention

[Pardner]

COY=Jamie Dixon.  He was dealt a bad hand with the injuries,  He is winning games on D using his strengths the best he can on O.  I have seen no excuses from him where he has many.   In the pat, I wondered if some of his teams underachieved, but not his season.

[IlikecreansoIcantposthere]

Does all BEast include all games or just BEast games?  If its just BEast games Lazar should be 1st team.

[Marquette84]

COY=Jamie Dixon.  He was dealt a bad hand with the injuries,  He is winning games on D using his strengths the best he can on O.  I have seen no excuses from him where he has many.   In the pat, I wondered if some of his teams underachieved, but not his season.

Based on this logic, Crean deserves COY more than Dixon.

Mbwake was expected to be a huge part of solving MU's biggest weakness and may well have been the starter from day one based on his play in the scrimmages.   Our 3 point shooting has been hampered all season by injuries to Christopherson, Cuby and Fitz.  And James hasn't been full strength since his wrist injury.   

[Final Four or Bust]

COY=Jamie Dixon.  He was dealt a bad hand with the injuries,  He is winning games on D using his strengths the best he can on O.  I have seen no excuses from him where he has many.   In the pat, I wondered if some of his teams underachieved, but not his season.

Based on this logic, Crean deserves COY more than Dixon.

Mbwake was expected to be a huge part of solving MU's biggest weakness and may well have been the starter from day one based on his play in the scrimmages.   Our 3 point shooting has been hampered all season by injuries to Christopherson, Cuby and Fitz.  And James hasn't been full strength since his wrist injury.   

Um.....no.   Pitt is losing starters and leaders, none of those guys are that.  If we lost James, McNeal and Lazar it might be comparable.   And please lets wait until Mbwake steps on the court before we annoint him.

And no COY should have been blown out in 1/3 of his BE games.

[77ncaachamps]

COY = Mick Cronin

How many of us thought they'd be this good this season?

[Marquette84]

COY=Jamie Dixon.  He was dealt a bad hand with the injuries,  He is winning games on D using his strengths the best he can on O.  I have seen no excuses from him where he has many.   In the pat, I wondered if some of his teams underachieved, but not his season.

Based on this logic, Crean deserves COY more than Dixon.

Mbwake was expected to be a huge part of solving MU's biggest weakness and may well have been the starter from day one based on his play in the scrimmages.   Our 3 point shooting has been hampered all season by injuries to Christopherson, Cuby and Fitz.  And James hasn't been full strength since his wrist injury.   

Um.....no.   Pitt is losing starters and leaders, none of those guys are that.  If we lost James, McNeal and Lazar it might be comparable.   And please lets wait until Mbwake steps on the court before we annoint him.

And no COY should have been blown out in 1/3 of his BE games.

First, Mbwake did step on the court--we saw enough in the scrimmage at MM to know that he was a good one.  To suggest that he wouldn't have helped us this year is crazy.  He would have to be a bust of Lloyd Moore like proportions to wave off his expected contributions like you did.

Also crazy is suggesting that the loss of Cook would be like us losing Hayward.  Losing BLAIR or YOUNG would be like us losing Lazar.  Losing Cook would be like us losing Burke. 

And as good as Fields was, I don't think he was as good as both McNeal AND James. 

More fundamentally, Pitt's losses were in areas that they had able backups.  Ramon is a decent PG with senior experience, and actually a better outside shooter over his career.   Blair and Young are easily able to absorb Cook's minutes.  I don't think you can say the same about MU's inside depth or outside shooting.   

Finally, can a coach who is blown out by Rutgers on his home court be considered COY?

[Final Four or Bust]

First, Mbwake did step on the court--we saw enough in the scrimmage at MM to know that he was a good one. 

Well excuse me, I guess you are right - he would have certainly been an anchor in the middle with his showing in the scrimmage at MM.  What was I thinking? 

Show me again where he logged a minute in an actual game this year?  Sorry, I don't expect frosh to come in an be critical components of the program -- doesn't happen very often.

[jaygall31]

Lazar would be on the first team if it ended today. no question

[Pardner]

Finally, can a coach who is blown out by Rutgers on his home court be considered COY?

Pitt was up nine points with 2/3rds of that game gone.  With their starting five now averaging well into 30+ minutes a game with their depth depleted...some in the high thirties...yes, hitting the wall can happen.  Losing by one to Duke in NY shows how good this team was in a supposedly rebuilding year.  More so, they are the only BE team to beat GT.  I am not a big Dixon fan, but he has done a great job so far.

Looking ahead, his lack of depth is and will be taking its toll.  My guess is they will fade the second time through the conference--with the hardest part of their schedule to come.  But, their first half has surprised me after the key injuries.  Young has stepped it up.

[Marquette84]

First, Mbwake did step on the court--we saw enough in the scrimmage at MM to know that he was a good one. 

Well excuse me, I guess you are right - he would have certainly been an anchor in the middle with his showing in the scrimmage at MM.  What was I thinking? 

Show me again where he logged a minute in an actual game this year?  Sorry, I don't expect frosh to come in an be critical components of the program -- doesn't happen very often.

And who is that kid on Pitt who's carrying them right now?  Oh, yeah, DeJuan Blair.  As I recall, he's a frosh, isn't he?

Two years ago we had an amazing run at the end of the season to score a first round bye in the BET.  Our starting PG that year was Dominic  James.  A frosh.  Who was our staring 2G that year?  Why, it was none other than Jerel McNeal (also a frosh).    Matthews also started 14 games that year, and he only played in 23 due to injury.  Last year, Lazar Hayward averaged 16 mpg and started nearly half of MU's games.

Maybe this will come as a surprise to you, but frosh are often critical components of their program--especially when a team lacks depth at their position. 

Now, perhaps you've missed the season-long discussion on these boards, but in case you haven't noticed, MU lacks quality and depth up front on this years team.  And from what I've seen and read, Mbawke would have challenged for not just major minutes, but even a starting role. 

If you want to argue that Mbwake would have sat on the bench this year, you'll have to try better than a generic "frosh typically don't play major roles".