Halfway home Big East awards

by Mike Rutherford on Feb 6, 2009 1:20 PM EST in Basketball Comment 14 comments

Today marks the unofficial - unofficial as in I'm calling it unofficial - midway point of the Big East season.

On a day of such unofficial splendor, I thought it was only fitting that we hand out some halfway home Big East awards.

Player of the Half Year: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

It'd be hard to give this award to a guy on a 3-7 team if it were phrased "Most Valuable Player," but it isn't, and 'Gody's stats are up fairly significantly from a year in which he ran away with the award. I still think the race here is wide open, but as of right now Bad Hair-on-Gody is still my pick.

Coach of the Half Year: Buzz Williams, Marquette

Should be unanimous

Freshman of the Half Year: Mike Rosario, Rutgers

Really a toss-up between Rosario and Greg Monroe at this point, and even though I noted the difference between "Player of the Year" and "Most Valuable Player" earlier, I have to admit that I would be leaning towards Monroe if Georgetown hadn't struggled so much recently.

First Team All-Big East Half Year

Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut
Terrence Williams, Louisville
Jerel McNeal, Marquette
DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh

Second Team All-Big East Half Year

Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
Wesley Matthews, Marquette
Sam Young, Pittsburgh
Jonny Flynn, Syracuse
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia

Third Team All-Big East Half Year

Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati
Earl Clark, Louisville
Jeff Adrien, Connecticut
Dante Cunningham, Villanova
Dominique Jones, South Florida

Damn, there are a lot of good players in this league.

Feel free to toss out your midway awards in the comments section.

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Comments

E5

You maybe giving too much to E5 at this point…that could change by the end of the conference season…

by tnatburks on Feb 6, 2009 1:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Geez

One bad game against the best team in the country, and everyone forgets E5’s tied for the team lead in scoring, second in rebounding, first in blocks, and the second best defender on the team. He was a beast during our 8-0 run to start the Big East schedule (see big clutch outside shots against Pitt and Syracuse). Also, I still believe the current E5 is much better than the T-Will from the previous three years, with the exception of T-Will’s passing ability.

I might have awarded a spot somewhere to true point guards Dominic James and A.J. Price.

by Hari Seldon on Feb 6, 2009 2:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

yeah I was going to say

Ive read way too much negativity re E5 lately on here and the boards I frequent. This team would be a lot worse off without him-one bad game should not negate all his positives. Earl was caught up in the moment-30+ NBA scouts can do that to a prospective draft pick. I can also imagine that he wants to start taking care of his young family soon as well.

He will bounce back. Too good of a player not to.

by twistedwedge on Feb 6, 2009 3:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Earl

Earl frustrates me more than any UofL player in recent memory. I feel like he is having a completely terrible year but thats only because my expectations are so high for him. You see what he is capable of when he drives and crams on Harangody or when actually recognizes that few people can match his athleticism in the paint and you expect him to play on that level all the time. If Earl could just understand you cant take 3 steps without dribbling and he is not Reggie Miller I would be a lot happier with his play.

by Web on Feb 6, 2009 5:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Three?

He’s just preparing for the "next level’ (oh, I am so sick of that phrase) where you get SEVEN steps before dribbling.

by Roz on Feb 6, 2009 8:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hey Web,

How about this overused phrase: “I love the way he STAYS WITHIN HIMSELF.”
Four cliche points for that one, don’t you think?

by Roz on Feb 6, 2009 8:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Statistically

you are so right, Mr Seldon. That is, without even stressing E5’s game winner against Pitt, and his dagger from above the elbow on the road at Syracuse.

I think the phase of his game which he does not live up to are the intangibles. I think we wish he would be more
agressive in the paint, more proactive in weak side offensive rebounding, and less apt to lift his pivot foot (in what one day will be the most inopertune time) before he begins his dribble. Because of his limitless potential, maybe we expect too much from him. After all, as theoldman said, “We tend to forget that these guys are kids…eighteen and nineteen year olds,” and that being apropos, the second edge of this truth blade is that because of this, the game still retains a “pureness” that is hard to find anyplace else. And again, because of this, I think we all can be accused of taking the game “too seriously.” The whole thing, how way we get involved, the pure joy we feel, the crushing burden we feel at the low points…..Hell, this thing we feel, it’s like star crossed love.

But that’s the way it will be. Yes, Earl has the stats, but there is still unfullfilled promise that we all ache and dream he could attain.

by Roz on Feb 7, 2009 1:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

To be honest,

I’d try to put Jeff Adrien, much as I don’t like him, on the first team if I could figure out who do drop. Since that’s so hard, I’d switch Adrien and Johnny Flynn. I guess; I dunno. Too many really good players. How’s about a 10-player “first” team?

theoldman

by theoldman on Feb 6, 2009 3:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Biggest Dwight Schrute look-alike mistake of the half year

Tom Crean and IU waaaaaaaaaay down
Marquette waaaaaaaaay up
Schruteness……..pretty much the same. Maybe more beet farms in Indiana.

DocCardsFan
The 'Ville, KY

by DocCardsFan on Feb 6, 2009 4:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thoughts

1. Vickynea: thanks for that spam.

2. I generally agree with the allocation of the all Big East teams, but doesnt the Big East have a huge list of first teamers such that all 15 folks you have listed are going to be on the first team?

3. In the next two games, Jerel McNeal will become Marquette’s all-time leading scorer. For a program with an NCAA title and Olympians as alums, that’s pretty impressive. I can’t think of a more under-the-radar player in recent memory. I would suspect that each year, about 2-4 schools in Division I have someone break the all-time scoring record at that school. The fact that McNeal is doing that at Marquette, you have to give him some kudos.

by Quinn1979 on Feb 7, 2009 8:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

10 players go on the first team

Which I think is ridiculous and diminishes the honor.

by Mike Rutherford on Feb 7, 2009 12:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It is ridiculous

But is it more ridiculous than the number of teams in the Big East?
The league is almost a caricature of itself. And then the commissioner’s party line propaganda is that they have to wring their hands and that “gosh, there are so many good players, it’s impossible to just pick five.”
There’s a rumour floating that in 2014 our next expansion will include a community college in the Kingdom of Sikkim.
At least then, the new team will be from the “east.”

by Roz on Feb 7, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs