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rockmeli1 wrote: Jeffrey:What are you smoking? None of these guys are Player of the Year material, if they were, they would have been in the NBA long before their senior seasons. Jacob Pullen is an above-average guard at best, a good college guard but nowhere near contention for the best player in the country. Kyle Singler is just another overrated Duke Blue Devil, getting consideration only because of his coach. Look at all those All-World former Duke superstars who now reside in the NBA but we hear nothing about them; they are average, second-strings pros. JaJuan Johnson is just a solid team player but not worthy of even being mentioned in terms of Player of the Year. LaDarius Dunn on the other hand is an above-average guard but after his recent off-the-court problems, we are not sure what will happen to him or if he will even suit up.I contend that most if not all the players you named are only being considered in the top ranks because of their respective coaches - all are among the best. I say we look at a school with a not so good coach and consider a couple of legitimate contenders; Texas. Most NBA people as well as scouts and agents recognize that Rick Barnes has had enormous talent at Texas but has never known how to coach them past the Elite 8. This year he will have his best talent since Kevin Durrant. Cory Joseph is a freshman point guard with all the tools to make a name for himself at the guard position; most likely one and done. By the time the conference tournaments roll around, his name will be out there as a potential Player of the Year. Jordan Hamilton is another Texas player that will be there at voting time. This guy can fill the basket from all points on the floor, and if Barnes do the right thing and move him to shooting guard along with Joseph at the point, he will be unstoppable at 6.7'. In addition, he still is pissed from last season when Barnes lost control of the team because by all accounts, he should have made the NBA draft, and he would have if he had chosen Duke or North Carolina over Texas.Finally, Gary Johnson, also of Texas...the word is out that he has slimed down, improved his ball-handling ability as well as his shooting range and will rotate from power forward to assume Damion James vacated small forward spot, the same position once held by Kevin Durrant. He has always been the Longhorns best defensive player and was even voted their Most Improved Player last year. This will also be his senior season and he is as pissed as Hamilton at how the season got away from them last year. He will be my sleeper as Big 12 Player of the Year as well as National Player of the Year; last accomplished by that other Longhorn - Durrant.The pre-season pollsters have already installed Mich. St., North Carolina, Duke, and Kansas St. as championship favorites based solely on what they did last year and who they are coached by. Likewise, they are purnishing Texas because of what they did last year (from Number 1 to out of the Top 25 in two weeks), and who they are coached by.
JMart, KU fans are going to be spamming you for saying Carolina won the 'ship in 2008.
Tyler Hansbrough guided North Carolina to the 2008 national championship.
http://blogs.chron.com/ncaatournament/
