| |||||||
National Player of the Year: Michael Beasley, Kansas State
For the second straight season, a freshman from the Big 12 earns National Player of the Year honors from Athlon Sports. Last year it was Kevin Durant; this year, it was Beasley who dominated the league. The 6'10" forward averaged a Big-12 best 26.2 points per game and led the nation in rebounding with 12.4 per contest. He scored 40 points or more three times, topped the 30-point mark on eight other occasions and scored in double figures in all but one game. In addition, Beasley led Kansas State to its first win in the NCAA Tournament since 1988; the Wildcats, a No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region, knocked off No. 6 USC 80–67 before falling to No. 3 Wisconsin.
Freshman of the Year (other than Beasley): Kevin Love, UCLA
The savvy 6'10" center from Oregon emerged as one of the elite big men in his first and only season at UCLA. The Pac-10 Player of the Year averaged 17.6 points and 10.7 rebounds while shooting .565 from the floor. He started his career with a 22-point, 13-rebound game against Portland State in November and added 22 more double-doubles to his resume heading into the Final Four.
Sophomore of the Year: D.J. Augustin, Texas
He’s one of the most difficult players to guard in college basketball, and he’s the primary reason Texas won 31 games and advanced to the Regional Finals. The jet-quick point guard averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 assists for the Horns, who won more games and advanced farther in the NCAA Tournament in 2008 after losing the ’07 National Player of the Year Kevin Durant.
Junior of the Year: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
You could make a very strong case that Hansbrough, not Beasley, deserves National Player of the Year honors. The heart and soul of the top-ranked Tar Heels averaged 22.8 and 10.3 rebounds. He has said he will remain in college until North Carolina wins a national title; he's got one more shot.
Senior of the Year: Shan Foster, Vanderbilt
The sweet-shooting swingman averaged a career-high 20.3 points while shooting .523 overall and .469 from 3-point range. Foster scored 20 points or more in eight of the 16 regular-season SEC games, including a spectacular 42-point performance in an overtime win over Mississippi State on Senior Night. He ended his career as Vanderbilt’s all-time leading scorer and ranks second in SEC history in made 3-point field goals.
Coach of the Year: Bo Ryan, Wisconsin
The Badgers lost two seniors from last year’s team who accounted for over 50 percent of their offense, including first-team All-American Alando Tucker. Ryan didn’t miss a beat, guiding Wisconsin to the outright regular season Big Ten title and the Big Ten Tournament title.
Transfer of the Year: Tyler Smith, Tennessee
South Carolina point Devan Downey had more impressive numbers, but Smith, who spent one season at Iowa before moving back to his native Tennessee, had a huge impact on Bruce Pearl’s club. The combo forward averaged 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds and gave the Vols’ some much-needed toughness around the basket.
Junior College Transfer of the Year: Marcus Thornton, LSU
Thornton stepped in and provided the Tigers with some scoring punch in the backcourt, averaging a team-high 19.6 points per game, thanks in part to three games (all in league play) of at least 36 points.
You must have an account to post comments. Go ahead and register now. It's completely free and takes 5 seconds.
