Big East First Team

[NewBigEastConf]

Here are my First and Second Teams for the Big East at this point:

First Team

Doug McDermott (Creighton)
JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova)
Kellen Dunham (Butler)
Bryce Cotton (Providence)
D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown)

Second Team

D'Angelo Harrison
Darrun Hilliard (Villanova)
Khyle Marshall (Butler)
Cleveland Melvin (DePaul)
Matt Stainbrook (Xavier)

Thoughts?

[Friarfan2]

Some of us have posted on this topic in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2988

I think james bell has been the biggest challenge to mcdermott's player of the year candidacy. You don't have him even on the second team? Other than that my first team is similar (I did poy + 5, but didn't decide on the fifth)

Cleveland melvin and stainbrook were not on my radar. After taking a second look at them, they still are not on my radar.

[Blue Blobs Bro]

Semaj Christon?

[XUFan09]

Semaj Christon?

Semaj hasn't looked like a world-beater recently, but I think he's still adjusting to not having to be The Man every time he comes down the court. He's been playing very unselfishly and is just trying to figure out how to still assert his superiority over most players within a better-functioning offense while not turning into a ballhog. He's been good overall, but I wouldn't put him on 1st or 2nd team at this point. When all is said and done, though, I'm willing to bet you'll find him there.

[NewBigEastConf]

I really wavered on including Bell but at the end of the day his stat line just doesn't quite cut it at this point.I placed a greater value on Hilliard's assist margin than I did Bell's rebounding margin. The FG% discrepancy was the icing on the cake. Bell is shooting 32% from 3pt range. Bell is having a great year but I do not think he is coming close to challenging McDermott or even a number of other players I have listed ahead of him. I'd be willing to put him on the Second Team ahead of Hilliard but beyond that who would you take off in his stead? You could submit Stainbrook but his inclusion had more to do with the position he plays more than anything.

[NewBigEastConf]

In terms of not including Cleveland Melvin I think if you take into account the productivity of one's team then you have a very good argument. If you're looking at contribution to one's team Cleveland Melvin has to be included.

[Friarfan2]

I guess I just put more emphasis into being a very good player on a good team, and helping the team win, than you do. You obviously prefer big stats, regardless of how it impacts the team.

Basketball is different than a sport like baseball. Stats in baseball rule. In basketball, stats tell part of the story, but team effort tells more.

Bell is the best player on the best team. If you look at how nova compensates for its size disadvantage and what allows them their unique match ups, Bell is the reason for this. Bell is the wing player who can transform himself into a post defender, and his rebounding and defensive contributions are huge. This is a very good defensive team, and it starts with bell.

Regarding anyone on depaul: no matter how bad a team is, someone is going to put up numbers. Baskets are still scored. I give little value to putting up 17 pts on a bad team as being preferred over 12 pts and a huge team role on a good team. If melvin were any good, depaul wouldn't have lost to illinois state.

Just my opinion.

[GumbyDamnit!]

The problem (probably not the right word) for Nova this year with these All-league teams is that they rely equally on about 6 or 7 guys. Put Hilliard, JVP, Bell, Arch, & Hart in a hat and pull out a name and you can make a case for each one. I think by the end of the year you will see 5 guys on Nova averaging between 10-15 pts. Arch and Bell's shooting #'s are down a bit so far but when they find their stroke both will be just fine. I think JVP has probably the best chance to a be a 1st team All-League but even the most loyal Nova fan would have a tough time laying a path in which any Nova player beat out GM for POY. The only players that have a shot would be guys like Cotton, Harrison, Dunham, Rivera, Criston or Gardner who absolutely carried the scoring load for a team that finishes first, and Creighton finishes near the middle of the pack or below. Nova shares the ball too much for any one player to stand out enough to win an award like that.

[XUFan09]

Xavier had the same problem back in 2008, the more recent year they made the Elite Eight. They had a top fifteen team, easily the best in the A10, yet no one got named to first-team all-conference...in the A-friggin-10. The top of the league is admittedly pretty good, but the problem was really that coaches didn't know who to choose out of a crew of six guys averaging double figures (all within a point or so from each other).

[Friarfan2]

The atlantic 10 is famous for rewarding guys who "exceed expectations" moreso than "the best players". They love taking the guy on the bad team who has slightly better stats than a more team orientated player on a good team who sacrifices some stats in the interest of team play.

Let's hope we don't adopt that mid major attitude. I know some here already have it.

Btw, I watched cleveland melvin from depaul last night v northwestern. Please scratch him off this list. He is not a good player. He is talented, but he isn't interested in winning. Just look at his defense down the stretch.