By Paul M. Banks
My first ever United States Basketball Writers Association ballot! Which includes voting for an all-district team (the Upper Midwest of course!), All-American team, national freshman of the year, coach of the year, and player of the year. In addition, the ballot includes player and coach of the year, for the district. Remember college basketball is bigger than Jesus to me, so here’s the list of who I tried to help canonize this winter.
So here’s how I stuffed the virtual ballot box
For All-District Team
(note: for interviews, descriptions, stats, details on each player click their name where highlighted)
Illinois’ Demetri McCamey (he is second in the nation in assists), Michigan St.’s Kalin Lucas and Draymond Green, Penn State’s Talor Battle, Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson and Robbie Hummel, Iowa St.’s Craig Brackins (kind of struggled with the last spot here), Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, Ohio State’s William Buford and Evan Turner, the latter of which getting my district player of the year vote.ET was just so dominant, I couldn’t see any other possible realistic choice. For all-district Coach, I went with Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan. I honestly picked Sconnie to finish 8th or 9th in preseason because I really thought this was the year they would have to rebuild their system. But it’s AMAZING what Ryan has done with what he has.
For the National awards….
Freshman of the year: Kentucky’s John Wall, this is really a slam dunk choice, about as easy as you can get,
Call me a Big Ten homer if you will, but I copied and pasted my Coach and player of the year picks over from my district. Yes, Bo Ryan and Evan Turner again. You can argue with me about Ryan, and I’d like to hear it. But you can’t complain much about Turner, unless you’re a Wall die-hard. But I know I’m right.
Joining Wall and Turner on my All-American team:
Kansas’ Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, South Carolina’s Devan Downey, Ok st.’s James Anderson,Pete’s boy from Nova Scottie Reynolds, Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson, Hummel, and Wall’s UK teammate DeMarcus Cousins.
My preaching is done. I have spoken. This mass has ended, please go in peace.