2007 College Hoop Superlatives!

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kevin Durant, Texas. Out of all the outstanding players and the many outstanding performances this year, is there another player who did so much for his team so often? And highlight-film hero Durant did it among a starting quintet of one soph and four freshmen! And from the beginning of the season to the end, not only leading one of the nation’s strongest leagues in scoring (25.8 ppg) & rebounding (11.1), but also finishing fourth in steals (1.9 pg) and hitting 40% of his triples! Although this award is usually reserved for upper-classmen, we hope you enjoyed him, as it’s important to give the versatile and distance-shooting Durant his due because the chances of witnessing his artistry on the collegiate level next season are slim and none, and “slim” just got in his SUV and has Texas in his rearview mirror.

Runner Up: Jeff Green, Georgetown. Yes, he had a poor game in the Final Four vs. Ohio State. But over the course of the entire season he shined. And, sometimes, statistics don’t tell the whole story. Contributions can be measured in a variety of ways, and using those criteria, we don’t know of anybody who did much more than the Hoyas’ Green. Keep in mind that working within the structure of Georgetown coach John Thompson III’s modified Princeton attack pretty much precludes a player from posting anything close to Kevin Durant-like numbers. Yet Green is perhaps the most refined multiple threat in the college ranks—strong around the bucket, with a deft touch on mid-range jumpers, with the ability to also float beyond the arc. Moreover, he is completely unselfish, as he demonstrated in a key moment of the Hoyas’ exciting Elite Eight win over North Carolina when he rose above three Tar Heel defenders in heavy traffic and pushed a soft lob to Patrick Ewing, Jr. for a mini alley-oop. And Green can make the crucial bucket too, as he did in the final seconds with an inconceivable twisting bank shot that proved the decisive bucket in the Sweet 16 vs. Vanderbilt. Effective in the post, as a playmaker, or creating shots for himself, Green's versatility made him a unique weapon in college hoops this year, even if it’s hard to tell from the stats.
HONORABLE MENTION: Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt.

NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR: Kevin Durant, Texas, and Mike Conley, Ohio State. As for Durant, see the above. As for Conley of Ohio State, fellow frosh Greg Oden got more preseason hype. But it was the speedy Conley who turned out to be the key to the Buckeyes’ season-long success. The multi-talented Conley took over control of the offense as a true freshman and rarely showed his actual youth, even with three other true frosh playing immensely significant roles. Conley assumed command of the offense from the get-go—when Oden was sidelined with a wrist injury—easily adapted his play to include the big guy when Oden was available, and stepped up the pace wonderfully whenever OSU went “small” when Oden was sidelined with his frequent foul problems. Along the way, the ever-confident Conley led the rugged Big Ten in assists, steals and minutes played, hitting 50.5% of his own shots. It was Conley, not Oden, who was the constant, irrepressible force for the Buckeyes.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Corey Brewer, Florida. A lot of observers are surprised to find that Brewer stands a tall 6-9, because the fluidity of his movement makes him seem smaller. But make no mistake, Brewer is big enough to handle most defensive assignments, and his exceptional length makes him a great weapon when closing down opponents on the perimeter. Indeed, Brewer’s defense is one of the main reasons Florida allowed a nation-low 29.4% opponents threes, and he regularly assumed the most difficult defensive assignment for the defending-champ Gators.

Runner-Up: DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Greg Oden, Ohio State. Even though he is prone to foul problems, Oden’s combination of size, reach, power, quickness and shot-blocking prowess (3.5 per game) made him unparalleled in altering opponents' shots and defending in the paint.

HONORABLE MENTION (in no particular order): Chaz Crawford, Drexel; Arron Afflalo, UCLA: Stephane Lasme, UMass; Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth; Joakim Noah, Florida; Jerel McNeal, Marquette; Drew Streicher, Butler; Brook Lopez, Stanford; D.J. Strawberry, Maryland; Al Horford, Florida; Jamon Gordon, Virginia Tech; Geoff McDermott, Providence; Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth; Darren Collison, UCLA.

LEAST PUBLICIZED GOOD PLAYER: Morris Almond, Rice. Playing at one of the smallest schools in Division I in one of the least-publicized conferences, the 6-6 sr. averaged 26.4 points per game and 6.6 rebound a game for the Owls this season despite being constantly hounded and doubled-teamed by opponents virtually from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer, with no other player on his team even averaging double digits. And Almond wasn’t just gunning away, as he hit 48.3% from the field, 45.6% from downtown, and 84.6% from the free-throw line. With the lightly-talented Owls making few TV appearances (last NCAA tourney team was in 1970!), Almond has labored steadily and effectively—but mostly in obscurity.

THE YEAR OF THE “SWINGMAN.” Indeed, we were tempted to add another position beyond the traditional guards, forwards, and centers top this year’s All-America list. That’s because so many of our honorees are special weapons noted for their versatility—dangerous “swingmen” in the purest form. The likes of Georgetown’s Jeff Green, Texas’ Kevin Durant, UCLA’s Arron Afflalo, and Vandy’s Derrick Byars proved especially awkward matchups for opponents due to their size and versatility, each able to shoot over opponents, post them up, or take them off the dribble. Indeed, this seems to be the mold of the new-breed “forwards” who enhance their value by being able to step out and hit that makeable 3-point shot, causing further nightmares for opponents who often have to design gimmick defenses to in an attempt to deal with the best of them.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Todd Lickliter, Butler. Check back to any preseason publications and see where most predicted Butler to finish in the Horizon League. It certainly wasn’t on top (Loyola-Chicago was a near-unanimous preseason selection). And the Bulldogs weren’t even given a chance in the Horizon League’s own poll of coaches, SIDs, and members of the media, who tabbed Butler for sixth place in the league behind Detroit, UW-Green Bay, and others. All Lickliter did was preside over one of the top feel-good stories of the season, as the unheralded Bulldogs, in true Hoosiers-like fashion, began punching above their weight class from the outset, shocking a series of high-profile foes to win the loaded NIT Preseason Tip-off Tourney and continuing to confound the experts all of the way to the Sweet 16, where it took an all-out effort by defending champion Florida to finally end Butler’s Cinderella season. Keep in mind that Butler had three starters to replace from last year’s NIT team and didn’t have anyone taller than 6-7 on its roster, but still managed to beat the likes of Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee, Gonzaga, and Purdue prior to New Year’s (with none of those games in Butler’s historic Hinkle Fieldhouse), then knock off dangerous Old Dominion and surging ACC entry Maryland in the sub-regional before giving the Gators a real scare. The Bulldogs were teamwork personified, running their modified Princeton-style offense with precision. Deadeye G A.J. Graves was complemented perfectly by his new backcourt mate, Towson transfer Mike Green (who also led the Bulldogs in rebounds despite standing only 6-0), and by role players such as 3-point specialist Pete Campbell, an unheralded 6-7 transfer from IPFW who hit an astonishing 52% beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were also tenacious defensively, holding foes to only 40% FGs. Lickliter’s team proved that solid fundamentals and complete unselfishness remain bankable attributes that can compensate for lack of pure physical ability.

Runners-up: That Matta, Ohio State, and John Beilein, West Virginia. Yes, the Buckeyes were loaded with talent. But they were also loaded with youth, and high school superstar Greg Oden was injured before the season and could not play all out until after the midway point. Even then, Oden was frequently plagued by foul problems, causing Matta to adjust his team nearly every game, all the while with a true frosh point guard directing the Buckeyes on the floor. Through it all, Matta kept his players motivated and their egos in check. And by the end of the regular season, Ohio State owned the longest winning streak in the nation and was ready to challenge for the national title.

Even with a rebuilt team that had lost five key starters from his previous NCAA tourney teams, Beilein worked his magic to get his group of not-very-fast, not-very-big newcomers to over-achieve repeatedly, all the way to the NIT title. Using his now-trademark 1-3-1 defense and baffling pass-and-screen offense to near perfection, Beilein’s heady group of Mountaineers showed they deserved more, such as a bid to the Big Dance.

HONORABLE MENTION (in no particular order): Tony Bennett, Washington State; Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt; Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois; Ben Howland, UCLA; Lon Kruger, UNLV; John Thompson III, Georgetown; Anthony Grant, Virginia Commonwealth; Brad Brownell, Wright State; Ernie Kent, Oregon; John Calipari, Memphis; Bruiser Flint, Drexel; Billy Gillispie, Texas A&M; Dave Leitao, Virginia; Sidney Lowe, N.C. State; Rick Pitino, Louisville; Dave Rose, BYU; Kevin Bromley, Cal Poly SLO; Billy Donovan, Florida; Bobby Cremins, College of Charleston; Gregg Marshall, Winthrop; Jeff Bzdelik, Air Force; Bob McKillop, Davidson; Larry Reynolds, Long Beach State; Sean Miller, Xavier; Dick Davey, Santa Clara; Tim Floyd, Southern Cal; Bo Ryan, Wisconsin; Oliver Purnell, Clemson; Ronnie Arrow, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

BEST COACHING DEBUT: Tony Bennett, Washington State. Bennett has been named universally as national “Coach of the Year,” but this is perhaps the more fitting category for this rookie, who took over in outstanding fashion for his father, Dick. Low-scoring, thinly-talented Wazzu (11-17 in 2005-06; 4-14 in the Pac-10) had been widely picked to finish ninth or tenth in the conference after top scorer Josh Akognon had transferred. But the eager Bennett hustled during the offseason, adding lots of quickness, much depth, and some valuable size. Bennett then loosened the reins a bit on the Cougar offense, and the team blossomed, finishing a surprising second in the conference, matching the 1940-41 school record for wins with 26, and gaining a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tourney. All the while, Bennett displayed cool, calm, confident, beyond-his-years leadership and decision-making on the bench that immediately gained the respect of all of his fellow coaches.

Runner-up: Anthony Grant, Virginia Commonwealth. A former top assistant for Billy Donovan, the poised, Grant calmly, steadily led the Rams to the CAA regular-season and conference tournament championships, then to a well-earned upset of Duke in the NCAA tourney. With excellent point guard Eric Maynor returning to direct the offense and help organize VCU’s confusing array of presses and traps, the Rams have a bright future.

FRED SHERO AWARD: Bo Ryan, Wisconsin. It’s a good thing they don’t score basketball by style points, or Wisconsin would never have made it into the Big Dance or NIT. Coach Bo Ryan’s shrewd but unpleasant style of play turns most Badger games into a mosh pit featuring the kind of sledge picks, hip checks, and jersey-grabbing defense that would have made Shero’s old “Broad Street Bullies” Philadelphia Flyers proud. Indeed, we wondered at the time if we had ever seen a less-artistic national “showdown” game than Wisconsin’s 49-48 loss at Ohio State February 25 that looked as if it were being played in quicksand. It was no surprise to us that the Badgers had loads of trouble with 15th-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first round of the NCAA sub-regional, then were unceremoniously dumped by UNLV in the second round. And we wonder how ugly it will get in Madison next season after the only two exciting players on this year’s team—srs. Alando Tucker & Kammron Taylor—have graduated.

BEST CLUTCH PERFORMANCE: Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth, in Colonial Athletic Association tourney final vs. George Mason. There were so many performances that could qualify for this award that it made us dizzy, but we keep coming back to VCU guard Maynor’s exploits in the closing moments of the exciting CAA title game at the Richmond Coliseum. With the Rams trailing George Mason 57-52 and less than two minutes to play, Maynor decided it was time to take over the game. Which he did, first stealing the ball at midcourt and converting an old-fashioned 3-point play when fouled by the Patriots’ Gabe Norwood with 1:54 remaining, then immediately stealing the ball from Norwood and making a lay-up to tie the game at 57. Maynor then rebounded Folarin Campbell’s errant 3-pointer and drove upcourt, converting a difficult off-balance jumper in the lane with 45 seconds left to put VCU in front 59-57. He then grabbed yet another rebound off a Dre Smith miss and was fouled, calmly nailing two more free throws with 19 seconds left that put the Rams safely ahead 61-57 en route to a 65-59 win. Maynor had scored 9 straight points in just over a minute and a half, recording every steal and every rebound during that stretch, singlehandedly changing the outcome of the game! For good measure, Maynor confirmed his flair for the dramatic in VCU’s first-round NCAA upset of Duke, scoring 6 of his 22 points in the final 1:24, including hitting the winning 15-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds to play (above left) in the Rams’ thrilling 79-77 triumph.

WORST CALL OF THE YEAR: Florida-Butler Sweet 16 game at St. Louis. It’s a shame that one erroneous call had so much to do with the outcome of such an important game. And, no, we’re not even talking about the apparent travel by Georgetown’s Jeff Green in the final seconds of the Hoyas’ Sweet 16 thriller vs. Vanderbilt that occurred almost simultaneously with another controversial call in the Florida-Butler game in St. Louis. In Green’s case, the question is not whether he picked up his pivot foot on the game-winning shot (which is okay as long as his foot doesn’t come down before he shoots or passes the ball), but whether he was sliding enough along the Meadowlands floor before going up for the shot, which would have justified the traveling call. But in the Florida-Butler situation, there’s no explanation for calling the Bulldogs’ Brandon Crone for a shooting foul against the Gators’ Al Horford with 2:34 to play. Horford received the ball in the post, with Crone directly behind him, and proceeded to back into Crone as a big truck would into a loading dock. Horford eventually bumped Crone hard enough to send him sprawling while Horford made a short turnaround shot, getting the foul call and a chance at a three-point play, which Horford converted at the foul line. Instead of the score 54-54 and the proper charge being called on Horford, Florida was up 57-54 and Butler’s best post defender, Crone, had fouled out of the game. Was Crone simply supposed to get out of Horford’s way, and allow him an unimpeded route to the basket?

MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAMS: Arizona...With three starters returning from a perennial NCAA tourney team—plus versatile, high-scoring, ready-to-start, 6-7 frosh Chase Budinger and Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson—the Wildcats played “matador” defense all year, struggled to get to 20 wins, then were easy victims in the first round of both the Pac-10 and NCAA tourneys. It call be argued that in 2006-07, Arizona did the least with the most. LSU...No one thought it was going to be easy for LSU to get back to the Final Four, especially after man-child F Tyrus Thomas and productive G Darrell Mitchell departed from the 2005-06 edition. But with bruising 6-9 Glen “Big Baby” Davis (left)—the featured performer from the Final Four team—making a surprise return for his junior season, along with returnees 6-5 Dameon Mason, 6-7 Tasmin Mitchell, point guard Tack Minor, and with 6-6 Texas Tech transfer Terry Martin becoming eligible after the first semester, there seemed to be no shortage of athletes and firepower at coach John Brady’s disposal. Another NCAA berth seemed a foregone conclusion. And things didn’t seem too bad entering SEC play, as the Tigers, despite a couple of hiccups, were sitting at 11-3 as late as January 8, owning a win over Texas A&M and having whipped UConn in their last pre-league encounter. But things began to go pear-shaped shortly thereafter, as close SEC losses mounted, Davis missed a few games with injury, and the erratic Minor, who never took hold of the point guard position, was dismissed for academic reasons in late January. Minor’s absence robbed the team of depth, and despite occasional flashes of their old selves (including a home upset of Florida on Feb. 24 and a first-round upset of Tennessee in the SEC Tourney), the Tigers never pulled out of their nosedive, finishing last at 5-11 in the SEC West and surrendering meekly to Ole Miss 80-60 after springing their SEC tourney shocker over the Vols.

POINTSPREAD CHAMPS: Southern Miss 17-4, Butler 20-10, Purdue 20-10, Mississippi State 20-10, Southern Cal 20-11, Georgetown 20-11, Idaho 16-8, Towson 19-10, West Virginia 19-11, Maryland 18-10, Kansas State 19-11, Texas A&M 19-11.

POINTSPREAD CHUMPS: Ball State 9-19, Princeton 8-18, Loyola-Marymount 7-16, Georgia 9-17, Minnesota 9-17, Illinois 11-19, LSU 11-18, Portland 11-18, Oklahoma State 10-17.

MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nick Fazekas, Nevada. We know Wolf Pack fans and WAC followers might bristle at the notion of being lumped at the “mid-major” level. After all, the best of the “mids” (including Nevada) have been proving they can compete with the big boys of college hoops for several years. But this gives us a chance to honor some extra players, and none is more deserving than Fazekas, who pulled his name from last June’s NBA draft to return for one last hurrah at Nevada. And he didn’t disappoint, notching an unprecedented third straight WAC MVP honor while ranking high in national scoring (20.4 ppg; 19th) and rebounding (11.1 rpg; 5th) as the Wolf Pack reached the second round of the NCAA Tourney. Most impressively, Fazekas played through a painful ankle sprain in midseason that kept him out of two games entirely and severely limited his mobility in several others. Nonetheless, Fazekas’ offensive game was so refined that he managed to stay productive despite the handicap, and in February he led Nevada into the Top Ten for the first time in school history.

MID-MAJOR NEWCOMER OF YEAR: Stephen Curry, Davidson. The son of former NBA star and three-point specialist Dell Curry proved a real chip off the old block. The young Curry opted for Davidson (near his Charlotte home) instead of higher-profile schools in the region. He then proceeded to set the underrated Southern Conference on fire, scoring a league-best 21.5 ppg, which was also good enough to get him ranked ninth nationally. He was a major reason the Wildcats were able to return to the Big Dance after losing seven seniors (four of those starters) from last year’s team. And he made his mark in the Davidson’s NCAA first-round matchup vs. Maryland, scoring 30 points against one of the ACC’s top defenders, the Terrapins’ D.J. Strawberry, and had the Wildcats on the brink of a significant upset before Maryland’s superior depth and firepower turned the tide in the late going.

BEST CONFERENCE: Pac-10. It’s a close call, with the SEC also making a strong case, thanks in large part to its lack of soft touches (last year’s Final Four team, LSU, led by Glen “Big Baby” Davis, finished at the bottom of the Western Division). However, there was more excellence in the Pac-10 than any other conference, as reflected in its strong showing in the NCAA Tourney (UCLA-Final Four, Oregon-Elite Eight, USC-Sweet 16, Washington State-second round, plus Arizona and Stanford also into the Dance). And the good times figure to keep rolling next season, with stellar recruits lined up for UCLA (Kevin Love), Southern Cal (O.J. Mayo), Arizona (Jerryd Bayless), and Arizona State (James Harden), plus the bulk of players on this season’s Big Dance qualifiers, not to mention improving Washington and Cal. Could the Pac-10 be even better next season?

WORST CONFERENCE: Mid-American Conference. This is certainly open to debate, and there is no shortage of candidates. But unlike other mid-major loops that have made positive marks in recent seasons (the Missouri Valley, Colonial, and Horizon immediately come to mind), the MAC seems to have regressed, with its basketball more and more resembling an inferior version of the declining Big Ten, with a slowdown roller-derby-style that often harkens back to the set-shot era. The MAC tourney title game featuring Akron and Miami-Ohio was certainly no advertisement for the league, with the RedHawks’ tackle-football-style fouling reminiscent of gridiron action. And the Zips have the right to feel robbed by the wild chain of events that occurred in the final moments, when the game clock failed to start for well more than one second (maybe even two) following Cedrick Middleton’s missed FT with 6.6 seconds to play. The clock didn’t start on the subsequent tip-out by Miami’s Michael Bramos, who then fed to Doug Penno for an improbable three-point bank shot at the buzzer, which prompted an unruly ten-minute debate as referees huddled around a monitor at midcourt trying to decide what to do. In the end, the Zips were the victims, their mostly-outstanding play all season going for nought because of the timekeeping and officiating goofs. And to make matters worse, Akron’s 26-7 record was eventually not even deemed enough to get the Zips an at-large berth in the NIT, much less the NCAAs.

BEST VENUE: Memorial Gym, Vanderbilt. We have visited many college basketball arenas over the years, and we have to say that Vandy’s Memorial Gym is definitely the most unusual. Its configuration more resembles a European-style soccer stadium, with four “wings” instead of the usual arena seating-in-the-round. Each wing is triple-decked, and the accompanying acoustics create a cacophony unlike anything we’ve ever heard in a basketball arena. Sound cascades down from the balconies to the unique playing surface, which is raised almost like a boxing ring (though not quite as exaggerated) from the sideline seats. That requires team benches to be placed on the baseline, where the court is not elevated from the seats, in order for fans in the first several rows of the sideline sections to actually get a chance to view the game. As odd as it sounds, it creates a delightfully different perspective. And we dare say the rabid Commodore fans (who were in full throat that day we watched Vandy upset Florida 83-70) make more noise than was ever heard in the Nashville’s nearby historic Ryman Auditorium that hosted the “Grand Ole Opry” for generations.!

HONORABLE MENTION: Taco Bell Arena, Boise State. When speaking of athletic facilities in Boise, the blue-carpeted Bronco Stadium of the Boise State football team is usually mentioned. The fact is that it’s not even the best facility on campus. The adjacent Taco Bell Arena (where, by the way, Taco Bell food isn’t even available!), home of the Bronco basketball team, is a modern-day version of Oregon’s venerable McArthur Court, with its triple decks providing the same sort of unbelievable sightlines, yet doing so in relative comfort and accessibility. It’s no wonder Boise has been a preferred destination of the NCAA tourney, which has staged several Big Dance sub-regionals at the facility in recent years.

“BEST” SPELLING: West Virginia. Reminding alert sports fans of the time a few years ago when a player for one of the American League Blue Jays took the field wearing a jersey with “TOROTNO” emblazoned across the front, the Mountaineers eagerly unboxed their new souvenir T-shirts and pulled them down over their heads after a beautifully-executed game vs. a quicker, more-athletic Clemson team to win the National Invitation Tournament. Much to their chagrin (but to the great amusement of everyone else, however), the shirt printers had unfortunately placed a big, bold “WEST VIRGINA” atop the 2007 NIT logo on the shirts. Wear ‘em proudly, guys!

BEST CHRIS ROCK LOOK-A-LIKE: Kammron Taylor, Wisconsin (left). Runner-up: Aaron Brooks, Oregon.

BEST NUTS-AND-BOLTS ANALYST: Rick Majerus, ESPN. While some analysts shout, wail and/or pontificate, Majerus is the best at focusing on what the players are doing on the floor and what decisions the coaches are considering on the sideline. And he’s the best at staying on message of talking about the game the viewers are watching (as opposed to every other issue in basketball—such as who should be in the Hall of Fame, how the rules should be changed, what names colleges should choose for their arenas, which incoming freshmen will be great next season, whether a player should stay in college another year or declare for the draft, how nice a coach’s wife is, ad nauseum—while there is important action happening on the court). The Wisconsin-born Majerus is the best at describing a team’s offense (or should we say “OH-fense”) and defense, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of a scheme and suggesting possible countermeasures.

MOST AFFABLE ANALYST: Fran Fraschilla, ESPN. In addition to being gracious and eloquent, the former Manhattan, St. John’s and New Mexico head coach chooses his time well for his comments, which always seem appropriate for the situation on the floor. And he doesn’t go overboard with his old coaches’ quips, of which he has plenty (e.g., “I also am no longer coaching due to illness; they got sick of me.”) Along with the smooth, always-prepared, always-aware, play-by-play partner Ron Franklin (lauded many times of these pages for his excellent work in both football and basketball), the pair makes for two hours of a most enjoyable TV-viewing experience.

To simplify things because of all the leagues in Division I basketball, we have traditionally divided our regional newcomers by the NCAA’s “districts.” However, because of the many changes in alignments with some conferences branching out in recent years, we have decided to keep all the teams from one league in the same “region.” And we combine some leagues that greatly overlap in territory. Players from the “low majors” are also considered.

Our newcomers include only those players making their varsity debut in official games. This includes freshmen, soph “non-qualifiers” from the previous year’s recruiting crop, junior college transfers in their first year at the varsity level, and foreign players seeing their first NCAA action. regardless of their designated class. Transfers who previously saw action at four-year NCAA programs are excluded, even if they spent some time at a junior college before re-emerging with their current team.