Awards

2008 CHN All-Final Four & MOP

Jeff Fox — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:09:11 -0700

After a National Championship game for the ages, and a Final Four utterly dominated by Kansas & Memphis, it is no shock that CHN’s All-Final Four team is all Jayhawks and Tigers.

MOP: Mario Chalmers, Kansas

Final Four Averages: 14.5ppg, 3.5rpg, 3.0apg, 3.5spg

Chalmers truly was Super Mario in the championship game versus Memphis. By now the whole world has heard and seen his last second three-pointer to tie the game in regulation, but he excelled in other aspects of the game also. Always a tough defender, he was a thorn in Memphis’ side as they tried to run their offense and picked off four balls. Plus Memphis’ ultimate Achilles Heal was Chalmers strong suit this game – he was 6-6 from the charity stripe.

MOP Runner Up: Darrell Arthur, Kansas

Final Four Averages: 13.0ppg, 9.5rpg, 2.0bpg

Arthur quietly had an excellent championship game also. He was his usual exceptional self down low, providing scoring and rebounding (including five on the offensive end), and also knocked down some face up jumpers. Plus he didn’t miss a free throw (2-2).

All Final Four Team:

Guard: Mario Chalmers, Kansas

Guard: Brandon Rush, Kansas

Final Four Averages: 18.5ppg, 6.5rpg, 16/26 FG

Rush scorched UNC to get the Jayhawks into the final. Against Memphis he had a very solid 12 points and six boards. NBA, here he comes (finally).

Guard: Derrick Rose, Memphis

Final Four Averages: 21.5ppg, 7.5rpg, 6.0apg

Rose’s explosive NCAA tournament performance has shown why he, and not Michael Beasley, is the top prospect of this year’s NBA draft.

Guard: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

Final Four Averages: 25.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 15/20 FT

His inability to hit clutch free throws kept Memphis from winning its first men’s hoops national championship and also kept Douglas-Roberts from being CHN’s Final Four MOP. Pretty sure the first one hurts more than the second.

Forward: Darrell Arthur, Kansas

2008 CollegeHoops.net Program & Conference of the Year

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:18:53 -0700

After a lengthy run of individual awards, we finally reach CHN's program and conference awards. As always, CHN writers voted for the best of the best:

CollegeHoops.net Program of the Year: Drake

By now, Drake’s surprise success has been discussed many times over. The 28-5 record, the MVC Championship, the Top 25 Ranking. The unknown players like Adam Emmenecker turning in all-star seasons, and a first year coach earning National Coach of the Year plaudits. But every time you read about the success of Keno Davis’s squad, the more shocking it truly seems.

Here at CHN, we pride ourselves on our top quality season preview and preseason rankings. Yet when it came to Drake, like everyone else, we were completely wrong. 165^th place was our prediction.. and we were only about 140 places off. In fact, Drake was projected to be 85 places worse than the 2^nd lowest team (Western Kentucky) that ended up in our Final Top 40. For shocking CHN’s experts and college basketball nation, Drake is a worthy program of the year.

Runner Up: Texas

After losing NBA All-Rookie performer Kevin Durant to the Draft, many thought that the Longhorns would regress. But instead, Rick Barnes led Texas to a record 31 win season as well as their 3^rd Elite Eight trip of the last six years. Amazingly, not one major contributor from the co-Big 12 champion is a senior, and the program’s continued success seems like a lock.

CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major Program of the Year: Davidson

Davidson was arguably the national Program of the Year due to their amazing Elite Eight tournament run, but their success wasn’t nearly as surprising as Drake’s. After losing some close games to major Top 10 powers like UNC and UCLA, the Wildcats bounced back to utterly dominate the Southern Conference. They won all 20 league games, and swept the conference tournament with an average margin of victory of 26 points. Their overall 25-game winning streak was the best in the nation, and helped Coach Bob McKillop and star guard Stephen Curry amass some impressive hardware. More impressive than their 29-7 record or any individual’s numbers is the way they captivated the country by letting it all out during the NCAA Tournament.

Runner Up: South Alabama

The Jaguars had an impressive season this culminated in at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. This was the first time in 14 years that a Sun Belt team had received at-large consideration. Their 26-7 overall record included two wins over Sweet Sixteen team (and conference rival) Western Kentucky, as well as tournament squads Mississippi State and San Diego. Coach Ronnie Arrow won Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors, returning to a position he once held 13 years ago.

CollegeHoops.net Conference of the Year: Pac-10

Simply put, no league offered more exciting individual and team matchups than the Pac-10 on a weekly basis. With the exception of Oregon State, every team in the league was capable of beating every other team.. and this overall depth of talent lead to an amazing 9 postseason bids for the 10 team league.

At the team level, UCLA was the true class of the league leading the way with a 16-2 record. The Bruins were led by Kevin Love, just one of many potential NBA lottery picks scattered throughout league rosters. Brook Lopez, OJ Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Ryan Anderson and others lit up the scoreboards on a nightly basis.

Overall, the Pac-10 ended up 2^nd in RPI to the ACC, but the league members led the country with an amazing .798 out-of-conference winning %. This is even more impressive when you consider that as recently as 2004, the Pac-10 was 9^th in overall RPI. With big time coaches and big time programs, there’s no reason not to expect another great Pac-10 run next year.

Runner Up: Atlantic 10

This was somewhat of a renaissance season for the A10, as the league finished 7^th in overall RPI, easily its best season in a decade. Conference leader Xavier made an impressive run to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, and they were joined in the Big Dance by conference tournament winner Temple and St. Joseph’s. Even more impressively, the league had great depth as teams like Dayton, UMASS, and URI all made strong claims to Top 25 consideration at one point or another.

Check out all the: CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more

DJ Augustin Wins Bob Cousy Award

Press Release — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:01:32 -0700

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — University of Texas sophomore guard D.J. Augustin has been named the winner of the 2008 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford, an honor presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate point guard. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., made the announcement on Thursday. Mr. Cousy will present Augustin with the award during a press conference at the Marriott River Walk hotel in San Antonio on Monday, April 7 at 11 a.m. (central).

Augustin was chosen from a pool of over 50 top candidates and 16 finalists from NCAA Division I, II and III institutions across the country. He was selected by a Blue Ribbon Selection Committee comprised of 30 members made up of coaches, Hall of Famers, Sports Information Directors and media from around the nation.

A first-team Academic All-American, Augustin has earned first-team All-America honors from The Associated Press, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He is one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award and the Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA National Player of the Year).

Augustin leads the Big 12 Conference in assists (5.8 ppg) and ranks second in the league in scoring (19.2 ppg). He led Texas to a school-record 31 victories (31-7 record), a Big 12 Conference regular season title and an appearance in the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Tournament this season.

“The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford has established itself as one of college basketball’s premier awards,” said John L. Doleva, Hall of Fame President and CEO. “Mr. Cousy has set a standard for the point guard position which is represented with this award. Leadership, vision and integrity are just a few of the traits that each of the finalists for this year’s award has demonstrated both on and off the court.”

This marks the fifth year that the Cousy Award has been presented. Augustin joins a prestigious group of past winners that includes Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s, 2004), Raymond Felton (North Carolina, 2005), Dee Brown (Illinois, 2006) and Acie Law (Texas A&M, 2007).

2008 CollegeHoops.net Coach of the Year Awards

CHN — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:32:20 -0700

CollegeHoops.net Coach of the Year: Keno Davis (Drake)

In the category of “first year coaches taking over for their father’s somewhat struggling program”, Tony Bennett’s 2006-07 campaign seemed to be as good as it got. Bennett took over for his father Dick, and won 26 games while finishing 2^nd in the Pac-10. However, Keno Davis took things to new levels this year when he led the Drake Bulldogs to a shocking 28-5 record and an MVC Championship. Not since 1971 had Drake won 20 games, and it was that same season the program last made the NCAA Tournament. Thirty seven lean years later Drake was back in the Big Dance, and would have advanced to the Second Round if not for WKU’s last second prayer. Davis was handed a bunch of relatively unknown players like Adam Emmenecker and turned them into stars. Who knows what kind of success awaits Davis in the future, but Bulldog nation couldn’t be happier with what they’ve got.

Runner Up: Matt Painter (Purdue)

Last Year: Tony Bennett (Washington State)

CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major Coach of the Year: Bob McKillop (Davidson)

The general public might not have been aware of Bob McKillop’s Wildcats until this season’s magical Elite Eight run. But those in college basketball circles have known for years that Davidson has done nothing but win under his reign. In 12 of the last 13 seasons, McKillop’s Cats have finished either 1^st or 2^nd in their Southern Conference division. In that same period, he’s led Davidson to 5 NCAA Tournaments, 7 postseason bids, and 7 twenty wins seasons. Not bad considering when McKillop took over 18 years ago, the program was reeling to the tune of a 4-24 record. But this year’s Mid-Major Coach of the Year award is not about career success, but an outstanding 29 win season that included 25 straight over a four month period. With a little help from friends Stephen Curry and Jason Richards, the Wildcats blazed an impressive NCAA Tournament trail, knocking off three big name programs along the way, and winning over the hearts of the American public.

Runner Up: Darrin Horn (Western Kentucky)

Last Year: Gregg Marshall (Winthrop)

Check out all the: CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more!

CollegeHoops.net All-Elite Eight Team & MOP

Jeff Fox — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:17:27 -0700

All-Elite Eight & MOP
Jeff Fox

Well Davidson, good night and thanks for the memories. However, there is no doubt that the four best teams in college basketball are still remaining. After the dust had settled, here is how CHN’s All-Elite Eight squad played out.

CollegeHoops.net Elite Eight MOP: Derrick Rose, Memphis
21 points, nine assists, six boards

Derrick Rose made his case as the best NBA prospect currently in college with his Elite Eight performance. He knocked down his shots (7-10 FG, 7-8 FT), took care of the ball (nine assists vs. two turnovers) and flirted with a triple double.

MOP Runner Up: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
28 points, 13 boards, two steals

Psycho T was at his most psychotic in the Elite Eight, motoring all over the court and going all out. Kansas’ big men better get their body armor ready.

All Elite Eight Team:

Guard: Derrick Rose, Memphis

Guard: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis
25 points, three boards, three assists

CDR must not have gotten the memo regarding Memphis not being able to shoot free throws – he was 14-17 vs. Texas. UCLA better make sure to cc him that memo before Saturday.

Forward: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, UCLA
13 points, 13 boards, three assists, three steals

This is the type of performance Love and company need from Mbah a Moute if they hope to not go home from another Final Four empty handed.

Center: Kevin Love, UCLA
19 points, 10 boards, four assists, two blocks

Another dominant game and blatant disregard for CHN’s advice to stop shooting threes (he was 2-4).

Forward: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

CHN All-Sweet Sixteen Team: Curry is MOP

Jeff Fox — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:31:26 -0700

The clock has struck midnight and the chariot has turned back into a pumpkin for all the Cinderellas except for Davidson. Not surprisingly their star is CHN’s Sweet Sixteen Most Outstanding Player.

CollegeHoops.net Sweet Sixteen MOP: Stephen Curry, Davidson
33 points, four assists, four steals, three boards

There really wasn’t much deliberation with this selection – everything about Stephen Curry’s Sweet Sixteen game was Most Outstanding. He totally scorched a very tough defensive team in Wisconsin and is off to the Elite Eight. Pretty amazing stuff considering he is only 12-years-old (What’s that you say? He’s actually 20?!? Seriously? Can someone verify that?!).

MOP Runner Up: Josh Duncan, Xavier
26 points, five boards, 3-4 3pts

The senior Josh Duncan picked a fine time to come up with his career-high in points – the Musketeers needed every one of them to get by West Virginia.

All Sweet Sixteen Team:

Guard: Stephen Curry, Davidson

Guard: D.J. Augustin, Texas - 23 points, seven assists, five boards, two steals
The short Longhorn slays the Stanford giants.

Guard/Forward: Earl Clark, Louisville - 17 points, 12 boards, four blocks, two steals
It’s a nice luxury to be able to get a stat line like that from a bench player.

Forward: Kevin Love, UCLA - 29 points, 14 boards, four assists, four blocks
The man-child has another monster game. All other centers need not apply – the position has been filled.

Forward: Josh Duncan, Xavier

2008 CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman

CHN — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:12:45 -0700

CollegeHoops.net High-Major Freshman of the Year: P’Allen Stinnett (Creighton)

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman Team

G: Armon Johnson (Nevada)

G: P'Allen Stinnett (Creighton)

G: Charles Jenkins (Hofstra)

F: Austin Daye (Gonzaga)

F: Herb Pope (New Mexico St)

CollegeHoops.net Second Team High-Major All-Freshman

G: R.L. Horton (Southern Miss)

F: Chris Wright (Dayton)

F: Tirrell Baines (Marshall)

F: Billy White (San Diego State)

F: Lavoy Allen (Temple)

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention High-Major All-Freshman: Kevin Anderson (Richmond), Alphonso Dawson (Delaware), Papa Dia (SMU), Dairese Gary (New Mexico), Steven Gray (Gonzaga), Sam Maniscalco (Bradley), Chad Tomko (UNCW)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Up next are our Mid-Major All-Freshman teams.

CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more!

2008 CollegeHoops.net All-Freshman Team

CHN — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:11:58 -0700

CollegeHoops.net Freshman of the Year: Michael Beasley (Kansas State)

CollegeHoops.net First Team All-Freshman
G: OJ Mayo (USC)
G: Derrick Rose (Memphis)
G: Jerryd Bayless (Arizona)
F: Kevin Love (UCLA)
F: Michael Beasley (Kansas State)

CollegeHoops.net Second Team All-Freshman
G: Eric Gordon (Indiana)
G: Nick Calathes (Florida)
G: James Harden (Arizona State)
F: Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)
F: Blake Griffin (Oklahoma)

CollegeHoops.net Third Team All-Freshman
G: Jonny Flynn (Syracuse)
F: Bill Walker (Kansas State)
F: Kyle Singler (Duke)
F: Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
C: AJ Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention All-Freshman
James Anderson (Oklahoma State), DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh), LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor), Donte Greene (Syracuse), JJ Hickson (NC State), Davon Jefferson (USC), James Johnson (Wake Forest), Dominique Jones (South Florida), Patrick Mills (Saint Mary’s), Anthony Randolph (LSU), Chris Warren (Ole Miss)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Up tomorrow are our High & Mid-Major All-Freshman teams.

CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more!

2008 CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Americans

CHN — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:24:19 -0700

CollegeHoops.net High Major Player of the Year: Gary Forbes (UMASS)

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-American
G: Drew Lavender (Xavier)
G: Robert Vaden (UAB)
F: Gary Forbes (UMass)
F: Reggie Larry (Boise State)
F: Trent Plaisted (BYU)

CollegeHoops.net Second Team High-Major All-American
G: Eric Maynor (VCU)
G: Adam Emmenecker (Drake)
G: Jaycee Carroll (Utah State)
F: Will Thomas (George Mason )
F: Will Daniels (Rhode Island)

CollegeHoops.net Third Team High-Major All-American
G: Jeremy Pargo (Gonzaga)
G: Rob McKiver (Houston)
G: Dionte Christmas (Temple)
F: J.R. Giddens (New Mexico)
F: Pat Calathes (St. Joseph's)

CollegeHoops.net Fourth Team High-Major All-American
G: Brian Robers (Dayton)
G: Josh Young (Drake)
G: Stefon Jackson (UTEP)
G: Lee Cummard (BYU)
F: Josh Duncan (Xavier)

CollegeHoops.net High-Major Honorable Mention:
Wink Adams (UNLV), Antoine Agudio (Hofstra), Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga), Bryant Dunston (Fordham), Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State), Randal Falker (Southern Illinois), Leemire Goldwire (Charlotte), Justin Hawkins (New Mexico State), Marcelus Kemp (Nevada) Jermaine Taylor (Central Florida), Jeremy Wise (Southern Miss)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Up tomorrow are the Mid-Major All-American teams.

CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more!

CollegeHoops.net All-Second Round Team & MOP

Jeff Fox — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:16:18 -0700

College basketball can be so boring and predictable some times. Everyone knew at the starting of the tournament that Villanova, Davidson, Western Kentucky and West Virginia would be playing in the Sweet Sixteen. It was so obvious.

Now, with tongue firmly out of cheek, here are CHN’s All-Second Round Team and MOP

CollegeHoops.net Second Round MOP:

Kevin Love, UCLA

19 points, 11 boards, seven blocks

Now this was actually predictable – despite just being a teenager, Kevin Love continues to play like a man among boys. He bullied a pesky Aggies squad that wouldn’t go away, swatting seven of their shots. Now if he would just stop shooting so many threes (he was 1-4), he could really do some damage.

MOP Runner Up: Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky

29 points, seven boards, three steals

Hate to keep tooting CHN’s horn, but with the way the writer’s NCAA brackets are going, any time we get something correct we have to bring it to your attention. As we predicted at the starting of the tourney, Courtney Lee was a potential breakout star. After his killer game vs. San Diego (9-15 FG, 4-5 3Pts, 7-8 FT) he has us looking smart. Thanks Courtney.

CollegeHoops.net All-Second Round Team:

Guard: Mitch Johnson, Stanford - Nine points, 16 assists, one turnover

Mitch Johnson nailed all three of his long-bombs he shot and had a 16 to 1 assist to turnover ratio for the game. Deadly efficient.

Guard: Joe Mazzulla, West Virginia - 13 points, 11 boards, eight assists

Channeling his inner-Havlicek, bench player Joe Mazzulla slayed the mighty Blue Devils and almost notched a triple double in the process.

Guard/Forward: Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky

Forward: Brook Lopez, Stanford - 30 points, four boards

Time and time again the Cardinals went to Brook Lopez in crunch time versus Marquette, and time and time again he came through, including a very difficult game winner in overtime.

Center: Kevin Love, UCLA

- All First-Round Team & MOP