Unlike the Academy Awards, you don’t need a limo, a publicist or an Armani outfit to attend our annual awards ceremony. However, shirts and shoes are required.
And the winners are . . .
Player of the year
The candidates: Colorado guard Chauncey Billups, Stanford guard Brevin Knight, Utah forward Keith Van Horn, North Carolina forward Antawn Jamison, Kansas forward Raef LaFrentz, Kentucky guard Ron Mercer, California guard Ed Gray, Wake Forest center Tim Duncan, Cincinnati forward Danny Fortson, Colgate center Adonal Foyle, Notre Dame forward Pat Garrity.
The skinny: Billups, a sophomore, averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals. No wonder coach Ricardo Patton is reluctant to ditch Colorado for another job. . . . Knight (15.5 points, 7.8 assists) and coach Mike Montgomery are the two reasons Stanford sneaked into the tournament. Knight’s passes are almost too good for his less talented teammates. . . . Van Horn is good enough to take Utah to the Final Four. . . . Jamison doesn’t have much of a perimeter game (yet), but he is a rebounding machine. Dean Smith runs a little two-man game down low, and Jamison takes full advantage of it (19.5 points, 9.5 rebounds). . . . LaFrentz averages 19 points and nine rebounds, which doesn’t begin to describe how good he is. Might skip his senior season for NBA. . . . The ultra-athletic Mercer, who will come out after this season, averages 18.3 points and has taken up slack in injured Derek Anderson’s absence. . . . Gray, who broke his foot late in the season, finished second nationally in scoring (24.8) and was MVP of the Pac-10. . . . The Demon Deacons depend on Duncan for everything. Wouldn’t you? . . . Fortson isn’t our favorite player, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore his numbers–21.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 11.2 scowls. . . . Foyle will take his 24.4 scoring average, 13.1 rebounding average and 6.4 blocks per game to the NBA next year. . . . Garrity was no courtesy pick. Tough as a manhole cover, he averaged 21.7 points.
The selection: Duncan, who should look nice in a Celtics uniform next season. Honorable mentions: Van Horn, LaFrentz.
Coach of the year
The candidates: North Carolina State’s Herb Sendek, Minnesota’s Clem Haskins, UCLA’s Steve Lavin, North Carolina’s Dean Smith, College of Charleston’s John Kresse, South Carolina’s Eddie Fogler, Kansas’ Roy Williams, Utah’s Rick Majerus, Colorado’s Ricardo Patton.
The skinny: Sendek will never pass for dynamic, but he did the second-best coaching job in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference this season. Depending almost exclusively on its starting five, Sendek’s team reached the finals of the ACC tournament. And despite a 16-14 record, the Wolfpack deserved an NCAA tournament at-large bid more than, say, 16-11 Texas. . . . Haskins put his reputation on the line by predicting a big season for the Golden Gophers. He was right. . . . The Bruins were a mess in December, a monster in March. Lavin deserves most of the credit. . . . It’s only fitting that Smith break Adolph Rupp’s victories record this season. It might have been one of the best coaching performances of his 36-year career. . . . Kresse’s team has the longest winning streak in the nation. . . . Gamecocks fans are sweating out Fogler’s job search. . . . Williams has the most talent, but he also had the most key injuries (Jacque Vaughn, Jerod Haase, Scot Pollard). . . . Anyone notice that Majerus’ Runnin’ Utes have lost only three games? . . . Colorado went from a 9-18 record last season to 21-9 this season. Not bad for what amounts to a rookie coach.
The selection: Smith. Honorable mention: Haskins, Williams.
All-American team
The selection: Duncan, LaFrentz, Van Horn, Knight, Mercer.
Big Ten player of the year
The candidates: Iowa guard Andre Woolridge, Minnesota guard Bobby Jackson, Illinois guard Kiwane Garris, Indiana guard A.J. Guyton, Purdue guard Chad Austin.
The skinny: Woolridge did everything for the Hawkeyes except tape ankles. Averaged 19.5 points, 5.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds. . . . Jackson did everything for Golden Gophers except tape ankles. Averaged 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.1 steals. . . . Garris is going to make some NBA team very happy. Scorer (19.3 points) who isn’t afraid to pass (5.5 assists). . . . Someone should check Guyton’s admittance records and make sure he’s only a freshman. Averaged 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists. . . . Year of the Guards in the Big Ten. Austin averaged 17.1 points for Boilermakers.
The selection: 1-a. Jackson, 1-b. Woolridge, 1-c. Garris .
All-injury team
The selection: Iowa State’s Dedric Willoughby, Iowa’s Jess Settles, Bradley’s Anthony Parker, Kentucky’s Derek Anderson, Kansas’ Jacque Vaughn.
All-disappointment team
The candidates: ACC officials, Michigan’s Maurice Taylor (in fact, make it the whole Michigan team), Wake Forest’s Ricky Peral, Texas Tech coach James Dickey, Fresno State’s Dominick Young, Brigham Young Athletic Director Rondo Fehlberg.
The skinny: The country’s best conference had some of the worst instances of officiating this season. . . . We’re still trying to figure out how Taylor became a finalist for the Booth Naismith Award, which is presented to the player of the year. . . . Peral averaged 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds last year and shot 51 percent from the three-point line. This year he’s averaging 7.8 points and four rebounds, and his shooting percentages are way down. . . . Dickey needs a remedial course in player eligibility rules. An oversight cost the Red Raiders an NCAA bid. . . . Young was a shooting mess, and now come allegations of consorting with a known gambler. Say it ain’t so. . . . Fehlberg fired Roger Reid eight days before Christmas. The Cougars were 1-7. They finished 1-25. So much for change.
The selection: Our all-disappointment MVP Fehlberg.
Around the country: As predicted, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim wasn’t thrilled by the NCAA tournament snub. The Orangemen were 19-12 on Selection Sunday, had a decent RPI (60) but apparently didn’t have enough quality wins to satisfy the committee. “I look at some of the teams in the tournament and I’m amazed,” Boeheim said. “I’m even more surprised that the Big East can’t get five teams in.” . . . Movie trivia: Fairfield, destined to become floormats for No. 1 seed North Carolina in Thursday night’s East Regional, had a big role in Eddie Murphy’s “Trading Places.” The Jesuit school’s administration building doubled as Murphy’s mansion in the movie. Movie trivia II: North Carolina State forward Luke Buffum played at Beverly Hills High School. Under the school’s gym floor is a swimming pool, the same pool seen in the Jimmy Stewart classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” . . . Five of the 25 schools listed in the preseason Associated Press poll failed to make the NCAA tournament. The Un-Fab Five: Michigan (9), Syracuse (12), Arkansas (13), Fresno State (14) and George Washington (24). The coaches voting in the USA Today poll didn’t do any better, missing out on Michigan (9), Syracuse (12), Arkansas (18), Fresno State (19) and Tulane (23). And the next time Minnesota’s Haskins lectures the media on a lack of respect for his program, he might want to remember that his own peers didn’t have the Golden Gophers ranked in the preseason Top 25. In fact, Minnesota didn’t make its first appearance in the coaches’ poll until Dec. 2. The writers had them No. 22 in the preseason pick.
Rumor alert. Ohio State wants South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler, with Providence’s Pete Gillen, Stanford’s Mike Montgomery, George Washington’s Mike Jarvis and Southwest Missouri State’s Steve Alford on the short list. If Mike McGee, South Carolina’s knucklehead athletic director doesn’t handle the situation properly (translation: big raise), Fogler is gone. Rutgers also is interested in Fogler. Also, don’t be surprised if Dave Bliss leaves New Mexico and Rick Pitino leaves Kentucky. . . . Brigham Young could have had former UCLA coach Jim Harrick. Instead it chose junior-college coach Steve Cleveland.
Tennessee women’s coach Pat Summitt made a last-ditch effort to persuade Kevin O’Neill to stay put. O’Neill and Summitt are close friends and the two talked until nearly 2 a.m. Monday before O’Neill said he wouldn’t change his mind about taking the Northwestern job. . . . This hasn’t exactly been a banner year for the Big East Conference. Only four of the league’s 13 teams received NCAA berths, and none of the seedings are higher than Villanova’s No. 4. Two are so-so No. 10 seeds (Georgetown and Providence). Plus, Providence’s Gillen is supposedly looking to get out, preferably to Ohio State. And who can forget Black Monday, when Seton Hall canned coach George Blaney and Athletic Director Larry Keating? . . . Quick, which state has the most teams in the NCAA tournament? . . . No matter what happens to his Utah team during the tournament, coach Rick Majerus will be at the Final Four. Recently appointed coach of the U.S. entry in the under-22 world championships, Majerus has to recruit college stars for the team. . . . Answer: California with six (UCLA, Stanford, Pacific, St. Mary’s, Cal and USC).
