All Conference and Award predictions

[hawkssb04]

I don't comment on here often enough, but I love putting these together to see where my predictions stack up when they are actually announced. Here are my thoughts with only four games left in conference play.

MVP: Kareem Jamar (Montana) or Davion Berry (Weber State)
Logic: I originally would have gone with Mathias Ward over Jamar, but his recent injury could shelve him for the rest of the season, prohibiting him from capping a big season. Cherry just hasn't performed like an MVP this year, thanks to his early-season injury. As far as Berry goes, I think he's the obvious choice for WSU, especially if they catch Montana for the regular-season title.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR: Jamal Webb (North Dakota)
Logic: Although the coaches will surely vote for Cherry, I think Webb has been slightly better this season. He has played some of the top guards in the league very well this season. Eastern Washington's Venky Jois and Weber State's Joel Bolomboy also come to mind as the best defensive post guys in the Big Sky, but this is a discussion better suited for Freshman of the Year.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Venky Jois (Eastern Washington)
Logic: This one pains me, because I truly think Bolomboy is the better all-around player with the most talent and potential. But Jois has simply received the minutes Bolomboy hasn't and his numbers reflect that, leading the Big Sky in blocked shots and rebounds. This season has the deepest crop of talented freshman the Big Sky has seen in a long time.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Davion Berry (Weber State)
Logic: This one is a no-brainer. Also an MVP contender, the Cal State Monterey Bay transfer has exceeded expectations after sitting out last season via transfer rules. There really is no other choice.

ALL CONFERENCE TEAMS
1st Team
Jackson Stevenett, F, Senior (Southern Utah)
Mathias Ward, F, Senior (Montana)
Kareem Jamar, G, Junior (Montana)
Davion Berry, G, Junior (Weber State)
Venky Jois, C, Freshman (Eastern Washington)
Gabe Rogers, G, Senior (Northern Arizona)

Logic: I believe the top five on this list are all locks. For the sixth and final spot, it's hard to ignore being tied for the conference lead in scoring and that's why Rogers gets the nod. Bamforth, Tresnak and Southern Utah's Damon Heuir and Sac State's John Dickson also were considered. I couldn't go with Cherry simply because of reasons I already explained. A shame considering he was the preseason favorite for MVP.

2nd Team
Damon Heuir, G, Senior (Southern Utah)
Will Cherry, G, Senior (Montana)
Scott Bamforth, G, Senior (Weber State)
Kyle Tresnak, C, Junior (Weber State)
John Dickson, F, Senior (Sacramento State)

3rd Team
Dylan Garrity, G, Sophomore (Sacramento State)
Frank Otis, F, Senior (Weber State)
DeWayne Russell, G, Freshman (Northern Arizona)
Derrick Barden, F, Junior (Northern Colorado)
Jamal Webb, G, Junior (North Dakota)

Thoughts? Complaints?

 

[weberwildcat]

i have been waiting for this thread. it will be exciting to see how it plays out. i really like your list. i would make some tweaks but i still think things may change with 4 games to go.

if we can get a share of the title or even outright i think we automatically have a shot at 2-3 1st teamers (trez, bam, berry) and probably get the mvp award. if there is no clear mvp or any other award the hosting team generally gets more accolades. also it hurts ur chances for awards if your team does very poorly for example ewu in 2006 when stucky didnt win the mvp despite being an nba first rounder. lol.

i have to wonder though, hawks, i would probably put my money on your second team against your 1st team in a real game. :mrgreen: :shocking:

i think this is your best annual prediction of the awards but i have enjoyed them each year. thanks. :thumb:

 

[weberwildcat]

i do think there should be 5 first team between weber and griz

 

[n.ogdencat]

Nice job Hawks. I usually appreciate your post and always respect them, well for the most part (something I would never say for bengalhater). hahaha...

Anyway, I really don't think Jois is a 1st teamer. He will, in all likelihood, get the Freshman of the Year award, but a 1st teamer? Probably not. Knowing the Sky, he will end up Honorable Mention. I think Tres or Bam will end up being a 1st teamer. Tres has really improved throughout his career and has turned the corner. Only reason he doesn't get it this year is because Bam is a Sr. Scotty will get the nod. I also think Dylan Garrity should possibly get some attention, but won't because same situation as Tres...Dickson is a Sr.

Best Players by position in the Sky (my opinion):
1. Cherry UM, Salvidar NAU, Richardson Weber, Garrity SAC, Stevennette SUU, Anderson UND
2. Bamforth Weber, Jamar UM, Unruh UNCO, Russel NAU, Hueir SUU, Moon MSU
3. Berry Weber, Troy Huff UND, Rogers NAU, Chiverton EWU, Hanson ISU, Blount MSU
4. Barden UNCO, Moore PSU, Jois EWU, Dickson Sac, Otis Weber, Brekke UND
5. Ward UM, Tresnak Weber, Veteto Sac, Jacobsen NAU, Parker PSU, Cheeseman SUU, Eguadaldo (sp?)MSU.

Sixth Man: Bolomboy Weber, Weisner UM, Garnica UNCO

Top Freshman:
PG: Colbert MSU
SG: Russel NAU
SF: Wiley UM
PF: Bolomboy Weber
C: Jois EWU

 

[hawkssb04]

i do think there should be 5 first team between weber and griz

It's hard to imagine that would actually happen, just because the coaches vote, even though in the last two seasons, there has been extreme parity between WSU and Montana versus the rest of the conference. There hasn't been a single Big Sky team to receive more than two first teamers since the league cut down their first-team selections to only six players back in 2006.

It's such a bizarre conference this season this season, because there aren't the one or two big stars in the league as we have been accustomed to during Damian Lillard's tenure. There really are 10-12 players that could ALL make legitimate arguments for first-team selections, and even 3-4 guys between WSU and Montana that could make legitimate arguments for the league MVP. There are no real runaways, which makes it so hard to predict this time around. It reminds me of the 2008-09 season when Kellen McCoy won MVP. This WSU team is very similar in the respect that there isn't one superstar guiding the squad. Serious team depth makes the team tough to beat, but also tough to select award-winners from.

 

[hawkssb04]

Nice job Hawks. I usually appreciate your post and always respect them, well for the most part (something I would never say for bengalhater). hahaha...

Anyway, I really don't think Jois is a 1st teamer. He will, in all likelihood, get the Freshman of the Year award, but a 1st teamer? Probably not. Knowing the Sky, he will end up Honorable Mention. I think Tres or Bam will end up being a 1st teamer. Tres has really improved throughout his career and has turned the corner. Only reason he doesn't get it this year is because Bam is a Sr. Scotty will get the nod. I also think Dylan Garrity should possibly get some attention, but won't because same situation as Tres...Dickson is a Sr.

Best Players by position in the Sky (my opinion):
1. Cherry UM, Salvidar NAU, Richardson Weber, Garrity SAC, Stevennette SUU, Anderson UND
2. Bamforth Weber, Jamar UM, Unruh UNCO, Russel NAU, Hueir SUU, Moon MSU
3. Berry Weber, Troy Huff UND, Rogers NAU, Chiverton EWU, Hanson ISU, Blount MSU
4. Barden UNCO, Moore PSU, Jois EWU, Dickson Sac, Otis Weber, Brekke UND
5. Ward UM, Tresnak Weber, Veteto Sac, Jacobsen NAU, Parker PSU, Cheeseman SUU, Eguadaldo (sp?)MSU.

Sixth Man: Bolomboy Weber, Weisner UM, Garnica UNCO

Top Freshman:
PG: Colbert MSU
SG: Russel NAU
SF: Wiley UM
PF: Bolomboy Weber
C: Jois EWU

I can't argue much with those picks. Unfortunately, the best players sometimes don't get the accolades, just like the Rodney Stuckey argument. I also agree with your stance on seniors. They will usually get the votes from their coaches (well, the push for votes since they can't vote for their own players) over underclassmen. Sorry Tres. I'm also glad you pointed out Garrity and Chiverton (I don't know what happened to Chiverton after a great breakout campaign last season). They are perfect examples of how many "good" players there are, but just not enough "great" ones to make the easy All-Conference picks.

 

[weberwildcat]

ya that is a good point about seniors vs freshman. the voting always favors seniors it appears when it is up in the air as a fresh would still have 3 more chances to win an award. same with the conference champion. i think hawks' awards are pretty much how i see it with griz as out right champs but if we were to host then i think we could end up with a few more awards that we may not be getting such as fresh award, add another 1st or 2nd team.

coach of the year talks comes later but usually its who ever hosts coach gets the award. the last yr a non champ coach won was MSU in 2005.

last coaches to win award without hosting since 1990:

2005: msu
2000: ewu
1998: ewu
1993: boise
1990: ewu

5 times in 22 yrs.

 

[oldrunner]

MVP almost always comes from the first or second place team, usually first. Dame was an exception last year, coming from a second place team. It would be really hard to vote for anyone on a losing team. A lot of politicing goes on with these awards. It's sort of a 'You vote for my guy and I'll vote for yours', sort of thing. Many phone calls happen over this. If we host, Berry will have a great shot at it. If we don't, it's Ward or Cherry. These days, with 11 teams in the league, It will be hard to get more than 2 on the first team, deserved or not. Everyone will be pulling for their guys and usually you have to give something to get something. Hopefully, it washes out to be the recognition goes to those who are deserving.