Getty Images When it comes to selecting all-league, all-american, all-world teams, there are usually a few easy choices (See: Thomas Robinson, Anthony Davis), but filling out the last few spots on various teams can be difficult.
Take the CAA.
Michael Litos, who runs CAA Hoops, blogged yesterday about his picks for player of the year, all-league team, coach of the year, etc. (He writes about where’s he’s leaning here.) But he’s struggling with whom to include and where.
Here’s his thought process:
I can argue, without blushing, that Hofstra (Mike Moore, Nat Lester) has as many players in the top 10 in the league as Drexel and Mason combined (Frantz Massenat, Ryan Pearson). Delaware is tied with Georgia State. The Hens have two players nestled on the first team cut line (Jamelle Hagins, Devon Saddler) and the Panthers may not have anyone in the top 15 players.
That’s weird, isn’t it? But it goes deeper.
The third best big man in the conference (behind Hagins and Keith Rendleman) may be Towson’s Robert Nwankwo. Or Juvonte Reddic, who started slowly but is coming on fast. Or Chris Cooper, who is a beast defensively but not offensively gifted. Nwankwo and Cooper average a double-double of the 11/11 variety, and Reddic is a highly-effective and efficient 50% shooter.
What do you do with VCUs Briante Weber, who most assuredly won’t make all freshman team but likely makes all defensive team? That’s, uh, weird.
Yes, these are #sportswriterproblems, but they’re the kinds of things writers get crucified over by fans. (And yes, crucified is a strong word. But fans feel really strongly about these things.) Thus, the stress. Thus, the need to get things correct. Or as correct as possible.
In the next few days, I’ll start arguing with Rob Dauster about our picks for PoY, CoY, etc., etc. And we’ll be doing the same thing.
Here’s me hoping that the next 10 days or so creates some separation between the elite players and the really good.
You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.
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Niagara’s Joe Mihalich adds two fellow Philadelphians to roster
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Coastal Carolina to host next three Big South tournaments
May 31, 2012, 10:25 PM EDT
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Louisville to host Richard Pitino’s FIU squad on December 19th
May 31, 2012, 9:30 PM EDT
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Louisville is coming off of a season where they won the Big East tournament and made a run all the way to the Final Four. They are heading into a season where they will be a consensus top three team when the official preseason polls are released. In other words, there probably aren’t three programs…
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Time to say farewell to the much-maligned Mtn. Sports Network
May 31, 2012, 6:30 PM EDT
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UCLA to host Indiana State in November to open newly renovated Pauley Pavilion
May 31, 2012, 3:41 PM EDT
UCLA will debut its revamped roster and newly renovated stadium with a season opener on Nov. 9 against Indiana State, the Associated Press is reporting. The Bruins’ historic Pauley Pavilion has undergone $136 million renovations in recent months, including new locker rooms, concession stands, and video boards. The decision to play Indiana State is a…
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Penn assistant Mike Martin to be named head coach at Brown
May 31, 2012, 2:18 PM EDT
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Coach K viewing Andre Dawkins ‘more as a redshirt situation’, No decision until fall
May 31, 2012, 12:24 PM EDT
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The last few months have brought a good deal of speculation about the future of Duke guard Andre Dawkins, ranging anywhere from rumors that he was to be kicked off the team to the notion that he would redshirt. On Wednesday, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told the Associated Press that “Andre’s situation, right now we’re…
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Top-100 prospect Jalen James reportedly decommits from Illinois
May 31, 2012, 11:05 AM EDT
Jalen James, a 2013 guard and native of Chicago. Ill., has decommitted from Illinois, Jeff Borzello of CBSSports.com is reporting. The 6-3, 175-pound guard had been committed to the Fighting Illini for over a year, even following the firing of coach Bruce Weber, but now felt it was time to part ways. “Jalen James will…
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Charlotte has picked up a late addition to its 2012 recruiting class, adding graduate transfer JT Thompson from Virginia Tech, the school has announced. Thompson has sat out the past two seasons with injuries, having worked back from major surgery on both knees. He last played in 2009-10, when he averaged 7.3 points and 4.6…
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AP
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Conference realignment is a nightmare for a lot of people, and while it will wreak havoc on writers trying to remember who plays in what league, the college hoops scribes certainly don’t have the worst of it. I feel bad for league schedule makers. With conferences continually becoming bloated, increasingly less recognizable amalgams of programs…
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Last Friday, I wrote a column over at SI.com about the Georgetown Hoyas and how John Thompson III is continuing the school’s tradition of producing big men, only his bigs are of a much different ilk than those of his father. Big John is known for churning out all-star centers that thrive on their size,…
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Marquette fires Illinois-bound volley on Chicago recruiting trail
May 30, 2012, 5:21 PM EDT
AP
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Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton reportedly stepping down
May 30, 2012, 3:49 PM EDT
Bob Burton, Cal State-Fullerton’s head basketball coach for the past decade, is stepping down, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. His replacement on an interim basis will likely be associate head coach Andy Newman. In ten seasons with the Titans, Burton amassed a record of 155-122, including guiding the school to one of just two…
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John Calipari and Bobby Knight have what you could call a contemptuous relationship. The latest round of hostility began last April, when Knight said during a speaking engagement in Wabash, IN, that “Kentucky, year before last, started five players in the NCAA tournament games that had not been to class that semester. That’s that one…
