CBS SportsLine.com unveils its annual conference awards with one word of caution: On Thursday our national awards will be given. Understand something: The All-American teams will be devoted to the 15 best players in America. Conference Player of the Year awards are given to the league's MVP.
Small difference. But a difference to keep in mind.
With that, read on ...
ACC
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| Tyler Hansbrough averaged 19 points per game as a frosh. (Getty Images) |
Freshman of the Year: Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
Coach of the Year: Roy Williams, UNC
Last word: All self-explanatory. Tobacco Road bias lives on.
Big East
Player of the Year: Randy Foye, Villanova
Freshman of the Year: Dominic James, Marquette
Coach of the Year: Andy Kennedy, Cincinnati
Last word: Hardest part was picking between Foye and teammate Allan Ray. The previous sentence is one reason why Kennedy gets the nod over 'Nova's Jay Wright.
Big Ten
Player of the Year: Dee Brown, Illinois
Freshman of the Year: Jamelle Cornley, Penn State
Coach of the Year: Thad Matta, Ohio State
Last word: Brown over Iowa's Greg Brunner and Ohio State's Terence Dials was close. Cornley and Matta were runaways.
Big 12
Player of the Year: P.J. Tucker, Texas
Freshman of the Year: Brandon Rush, Kansas
Coach of the Year: Bill Self, Kansas
Last word: This league has some serious in-fighting. Tucker's only competition for Player of the Year was teammate LaMarcus Aldridge. Rush had to beat out teammate Mario Chalmers for top freshman. Self? No competition from anyone.
Missouri Valley
Player of the Year: Jamaal Tatum, Southern Illinois
Freshman of the year: Jason Holsinger, Evansville
Coach of the Year: Dana Altman, Creighton
Last word: Altman took this award from Wichita State's Mark Turgeon by responding to Nate Funk's injury by still leading Creighton to the brink of an NCAA bid.
Pac-10
Player of the Year: Brandon Roy, Washington
Freshman of the Year: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, UCLA
Coach of the Year: Ben Howland, UCLA
Last word: Lots of tough-luck losers in this league. In order: Leon Powe was an animal for Cal. Freshmen Marcus Williams of Arizona and Jon Brockman of Washington are awfully good. And USC coach Tim Floyd did more than anyone expected.
SEC
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| Glen Davis and LSU went 14-2 in the SEC. (Getty Images) |
Freshman of the Year: Tyrus Thomas, LSU
Coach of the year: Bruce Pearl, Tennessee
Last word: The only close call was among the freshmen. Under the radar because his team didn't win, Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon had an amazing season.
Conference USA
Player of the Year: Rodney Carney, Memphis
Freshman of the Year: Shawne Williams, Memphis
Coach of the Year: Mike Anderson, UAB
Last word: How come Anderson over Memphis' John Calipari? Well, look who won the player and freshman honors. And look who won when Memphis visited UAB.
Atlantic 10
Player of the Year: Steven Smith, La Salle
Freshman of the Year: Tommie Liddell, Saint Louis
Coach of the year: John Giannini, La Salle
Last word: Smith and Giannini led the Explorers to third place in the A-10, a more stunning accomplishment than GW's domination that will earn Karl Hobbs plenty of awards elsewhere. And Liddell? He barely beat out teammate Kevin Lisch.
Mountain West
Player of the Year: Brandon Heath, San Diego State
Freshman of the Year: Trent Plaisted, BYU
Coach of the Year: Jeff Bzdelik, Air Force
Last word: Easy picks. All three.
WAC
Player of the year: Nick Fazekas, Nevada
Freshman of the Year: N/A.
Coach of the Year: Reggie Theus, New Mexico State
Last word: Fazekas and Theus were easy. Finding a good WAC freshman? Impossible.
Colonial
Player of the Year: Loren Stokes, Hofstra
Freshman of the Year: Tim Crossin, Towson
Coach of the Year: Jim Larranaga, George Mason
Last word: Northeastern's Jose Juan Barea has better numbers, but Stokes has led Hofstra to a (much) better season.
West Coast
Player of the Year: Adam Morrison, Gonzaga
Freshman of the Year: Mike Gerrity, Pepperdine
Coach of the Year: Randy Bennett, St. Mary's
Last word: Bennett lost almost his whole team from last season, and still the Gaels finished second in the WCC.
Sun Belt
Player of the Year: Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Lekheythan Malone, Arkansas-Little Rock
Coach of the Year: John Pelphrey, South Alabama
Last word: To be honest, the choice wasn't between Lee and Denver's Yemi Nicholson. It was between Lee and WKU teammate Anthony Winchester.
Mid-American
Player of the Year: DeAndre Haynes, Kent State
Freshman of the Year: Carlos Medlock, Eastern Michigan
Coach of the Year: Jim Christian, Kent State
Last word: Christian has earned the interest of whichever bigger schools come calling this offseason. And if they're smart, they'll be calling.
MAAC
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| Bobby Gonzalez has a 85-41 career mark in MAAC games. (Getty Images) |
Freshman of the Year: Kenny Hasbrouck, Siena
Coach of the Year: Bobby Gonzalez, Manhattan
Last word: With C.J. Anderson, then without him, Gonzalez guided the Jaspers back atop the MAAC.
Horizon
Player of the Year: Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee.
Freshman of the Year: Leon Young, Loyola
Coach of the Year: Todd Lickliter, Butler
Last word: Joah Tucker gets more attention, but Tigert's the gas that powers UWM's engine.
Big Sky
Player of the Year: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
Freshman of the Year: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
Coach of the Year: Mike Adras, Northern Arizona
Last word: Stuckey, a Pac-10 talent, is in the wrong league.
Big South
Player of the Year: Jack Leasure, Coastal Carolina
Freshman of the Year: Joseph Harris, Coastal Carolina
Coach of the Year: Buzz Peterson, Coastal Carolina
Last word: Leasure's a scoring-passing treasure. And I say that with pleasure.
OVC
Player of the Year: J. Robert Merritt, Samford
Freshman of the Year: Mike Robinson, Eastern Illinois
Coach of the Year: Steve Payne, Tennessee Tech
Last word: Payne has done an incredible job leading the Golden Eagles while head coach Mike Sutton has battled Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Patriot
Player of the Year: Charles Lee, Bucknell
Freshman of the Year: Derrick Mercer, American
Coach of the Year: Pat Flannery, Bucknell
Last word: Lee is among league leaders in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
Southland
Player of the Year: Alan Daniels, Lamar
Freshman of the Year: Tony Hooper, Louisiana-Monroe
Coach of the Year: Mike McConathy, Northwestern State
Last word: Daniels' team finished well behind NW State, but that doesn't change the fact that he was too good for this conference.
Southern
Player of the Year: Elton Nesbitt, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year: Jermaine Johnson, College of Charleston
Coach of the Year: Ernie Nestor, Elon
Last word: Elon had no business winning the North Division. None.
Big West
Player of the Year: Christian Maraker, Pacific
Freshman of the Year: Chaz Thomas, Cal Poly
Coach of the Year: Bob Thomason, Pacific
Last word: Pat Douglass of UC Irvine was a tempting pick for top coach, but Thomason has Pacific among league leaders after losing four starters from last season.
NEC
Player of the Year: Chad Timberlake, FDU
Freshman of the Year: Jeremy Chappell, Robert Morris
Coach of the Year: Howie Dickenman, Central Connecticut
Last word: Timberlake does it all, and without those pesky wardrobe malfunctions.
Ivy
Player of the Year: Ibrahim Jaaber, Penn
Freshman of the Year: Adam Gore, Cornell
Coach of the Year: Fran Dunphy, Penn
Last word: Let's just name the thing after Dunphy, huh?
America East
Player of the Year: Jamar Wilson, Albany
Freshman of the Year: Mike Trimboli, Vermont
Coach of the Year: Al Walker, Binghamton
Last word: Jamar Wilson is a scoring point guard and a winner.
Atlantic Sun
Player of the Year: Tim Smith, ETSU
Freshman of the Year: Andre Morgan, Kennesaw State
Coach of the Year: Matt Doherty, FAU
Last word: Doherty nearly won the league title with the same players (minus scoring leader Mike Bell) that got Sidney Green fired.
Mid-Continent
Player of the Year: Caleb Green, Oral Roberts
Freshman of the Year: Derick Nelson, Oakland
Coach of the Year: Ron Hunter, IUPUI.
Last word: One of the most obvious Player of the Year awards ever.
MEAC
Player of the Year: Antonio Webb, Bethune-Cookman
Freshman of the Year: Jesse Brooks, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Coach of the Year: Greg Jackson, Delaware State
Last word: Delaware State ran away and hid from the rest of the MEAC.
SWAC
Player of the Year: Brion Rush, Grambling
Freshman of the Year: Jeremy Wiley, Prairie View
Coach of the Year: Rob Spivery, Southern
Last word: Spivery's first year has resulted in Southern's SWAC dominance.
Independents
Player of the Year: Chris Daniels, Texas A&M-CC
Freshman of the Year: Ben Woodside, North Dakota State
Coach of the Year: Tim Miles, North Dakota State
Last word: N.D. State's win at Wisconsin was upset of the season.
