NABC Awards Banquet

[fcnews]

I was kind of strange that the NABC agreed with D3hoops for POY.

[Pat Coleman]

We can't always disagree, I guess. But this is the first time in our short POTY history that we've completely agreed.

In 2006 we chose Lincoln's Kyle Myrick as Player of the Year. But since Lincoln was an independent and had no conference coaches able to vote for him in the NABC team, he only made third team All-Region, which was a joke, clearly politics to anyone who watched Mid-Atlantic basketball that season.

In 2007 we chose Ben Strong and they chose Ben Strong and Andrew Olson as co-players of the year. Kind of a cop-out but both were certainly worthy POTY candidates. Olson was someone we considered strongly, as it were.

In 2008 we chose that Troy Ruths guy and he wasn't even on their All-American team. Again, a player without conference coaches in his region able to vote for him, with the UAA scattered all over the country. The NABC chose Olson again, which is fine, though not a choice anyone who saw the Final Four would make, I think.

To me, it's not that the NABC chose players that weren't worthy as their POTY, it's that some worthy POTY candidates weren't even on their All-American team at all, because of the system.

I just figured I should be specific about my feelings, since sometimes my position gets assumed and taken out of context, etc. I don't intend to turn it into a long diatribe on the subject, just getting the history on the record, so to speak.

[CCIWchamps]

I guess we should just propose that all awards, other then d3.com, be abolished. 

Now don't go getting all huffy on me!

But awards allocated by regions, by voters who may know nothing about players outside their regions, are a little suspect.

I honor players who receive other awards, but admit I think d3.com awards are the 'gold standard'.

Say more about this... isn't it good that people in a region only vote on people in their region? 

It is -- however, the fact that all regions get the same number of people on the team, whether it's the 30-some team East and Atlantic, the Northeast (double the size) or the Midwest/West/Great Lakes (where the best teams in Division III are most years) makes it open to ridicule.

Isn't it possible some years that more than one Midwest player should be on the first team? Or some years, more than one Northeast player, or some years more than one East player? There's no possibility of that with the NABC All-American team.

Thank you for the clarification.  I thought that is what he was getting at, but wasn't sure.

[fcnews]

Pat I was in know way trying to start anything. We've disagreed in the past, but I have become a custom to the direction you are trying to take this site. And, I do appreciate it.

I was just trying to reinforce your choice for POTY.

If I'm not mistaken, the NABC ballots do not take into account post season. That may explain Ruths omission. He was pretty much held in check against Fontbonne last year. Before exploding for a Hellva Tourney.

It's all in the eye of the voter. I tend to think that the politicing part may be a tad over blown. The coaches I know do take it pretty seriously.

[Pat Coleman]

No doubt and they may well take it seriously, but when in doubt, a coach is also going to vote for his own conference's guys first, and that couldn't happen for Ruths or Myrick.

Ruths was still an All-American before the tournament started last year. He wasn't a Player of the Year candidate (we had talked about Olson, Raymond, Strong and to a lesser extent, Cooper) but he was definitely an All-American in our mind.

[Gregory Sager]

I love the fact that a board that's ostensibly about an awards banquet is already close to starting its third page.

[Hugenerd]

Summary of Awards:

http://nabc.cstv.com/genrel/040909aam.html