More from Vitale — All-Rolls-Royce teams and national awards
March 7, 2005
With today's unveiling of my ACC and A-10 awards, I've finished honoring the best of the best from 10 conferences – my all-conference teams and award winners for the regular season (I announced my awards two conferences at a time, in reverse alphabetical order):
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ACC Awards
All-ACC Team
Chris Paul | sophomore guard | Wake Forest
Raymond Felton | junior guard | North Carolina
J.J. Redick | junior guard | Duke
Shelden Williams | junior forward | Duke
Sean May | junior forward/center | North Carolina
ACC Diaper Dandy of the Year – Marvin Williams | freshman forward | North Carolina
ACC Coach of the Year – Frank Haith | Miami
ACC Player of the Year – J.J. Redick | Duke
Comment – Picking the All-ACC team is tough because there are a number of worthy contenders. I went with the three-guard offense since many schools use that now. UNC's Rashad McCants, Wake's Eric Williams and NC State's Julius Hodge received consideration, but the guys I chose have been stellar. It was also difficult picking Coach of the Year given the job done by Haith, Virginia Tech's Seth Greenberg and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski. Miami was picked last in the preseason polls. Redick got the POY nod over Paul and Shelden Williams; the Duke guard has been sensational ... just ask Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser.
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Atlantic 10 Awards
Mardy Collins | junior guard | Temple
T.J. Thompson | senior guard | George Washington
Pat Carroll | senior guard/forward | St. Joseph's
Steven Smith | junior forward | La Salle
Rashaun Freeman | junior forward | Massachusetts
A-10 Diaper Dandy of the Year – Bryant Dunston | freshman forward | Fordham
A-10 Coach of the Year – Phil Martelli | St. Joe's
A-10 Player of the Year – Steven Smith | La Salle
Comment – Smith has put up terrific numbers all season long, but few have seen La Salle play. Martelli has done a great job, especially in league play. He doesn't have Jameer Nelson or Delonte West this season, and he still won the A-10 regular-season title.
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Big East Awards
All-Big East Team
Carl Krauser | junior guard | Pittsburgh
Gerry McNamara | junior guard | Syracuse
Hakim Warrick | senior forward | Syracuse
Craig Smith | junior forward | Boston College
Jared Dudley | sophomore forward | Boston College
Big East Diaper Dandy of the Year – Jeff Green | freshman forward | Georgetown
Big East Coach of the Year – Al Skinner | Boston College
Big East Player of the Year – Hakim Warrick | Syracuse
Comment – It's a tough call between Warrick and Craig Smith for player of the year. Al Skinner is a legit candidate for national coach of the year. Jared Dudley gets the nod over Ryan Gomes, because to the victor goes the spoils.
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Big Ten Awards
All-Big Ten Team
Deron Williams | junior guard | Illinois
Dee Brown | junior guard | Illinois
Luther Head | senior swing guard | Illinois
Mike Wilkinson | senior forward | Wisconsin
Maurice Ager | junior guard/forward | Michigan State
Big Ten Diaper Dandy of the Year – D.J. White | freshman forward | Indiana
Big Ten Coach of the Year – Bruce Weber | Illinois
Big Ten Player of the Year – Deron Williams | Illinois
Comment – Picking between the three Illini players for player of the year is really difficult. Deron Williams is a stabilizer who can't just be measured by stats. Head gets one of my frontcourt all-league spots as a swing guard. Any one of the three Illini players is a good choice.
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Big 12 Awards
All-Big 12 Team
John Lucas | senior guard | Oklahoma State
Aaron Miles | senior guard | Kansas
Wayne Simien | senior forward | Kansas
Joey Graham | senior forward | Oklahoma State
Taj Gray | junior forward | Oklahoma
Big 12 Co-Diaper Dandy of the Year – Aaron Bruce | freshman guard | Baylor || Daniel Gibson | freshman guard | Texas
Big 12 Co-Coaches of the Year – Bob Knight | Texas Tech || Billy Gillispie | Texas A&M
Big 12 Player of the Year – Wayne Simien | Kansas
Comment – Leaving Texas Tech guard Ronald Ross off the All-Big 12 Team is extremely tough. Ross has had a terrific season as a former walk-on. Knight and Gillispie each have done an outstanding job.
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Conference USA Awards
All-C-USA Team
Travis Diener | senior guard | Marquette
Francisco Garcia | junior guard/forward | Louisville
Quemont Greer | senior forward | DePaul
Curtis Withers | junior forward | Charlotte
Jason Maxiell | senior forward | Cincinnati
C-USA Diaper Dandy of the Year – Darius Washington Jr. | freshman guard | Memphis
C-USA Coach of the Year – Tom Penders | Houston
C-USA Player of the Year – Francisco Garcia | Louisville
Comment – Garcia handles the ball so much and does it all for the Cardinals, so he warrants both all-league backcourt honors and my nod as top player. Diener clearly makes All-C-USA despite his late-season injury. Penders turned a dormant Houston program into one that upset Louisville and beat Memphis.
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Mountain West Conference (MWC) Awards
All-MWC Team
Jay Straight | senior guard | Wyoming
Brandon Heath | sophomore guard | San Diego State
Andrew Bogut | sophomore center | Utah
Odartey Blankson | senior forward | UNLV
Danny Granger | senior forward | New Mexico
MWC Diaper Dandy of the Year – Jason Smith | freshman forward | Colorado State
MWC Coach of the Year – Ray Giacoletti | Utah
MWC Player of the Year – Andrew Bogut | Utah
Comment – The Utes ran away with the regular-season title, and Bogut is a legitimate candidate for national player of the year. I haven't seen these teams as much as others, so some of this is based on conversations with basketball experts I know and trust.
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Pac-10 Awards
All-Pac-10 Team
Salim Stoudamire | senior guard | Arizona
Nate Robinson | junior guard | Washington
Channing Frye | senior center | Arizona
Ike Diogu | junior forward | Arizona State
Dijon Thompson | senior forward | UCLA
Pac-10 Diaper Dandy of the Year – Jordan Farmar | freshman guard | UCLA
Pac-10 Coach of the Year – Lute Olson | Arizona
Pac-10 Player of the Year – Salim Stoudamire | Arizona
Comment – It's a tough choice for player of the year between Diogu and Stoudamire, who has really been consistent shooting the 3-pointer. Diogu is skilled, but the emphasis with a player-of-the-year award is on winning. And sometimes guys don't get the credit they deserve because we expect them to succeed. Lute Olson has his Wildcats peaking at the right time.
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SEC Awards
All-SEC Team
Anthony Roberson | junior guard | Florida
Earnest Shelton | senior guard | Alabama
Lawrence Roberts | senior forward | Mississippi State
Brandon Bass | sophomore forward | LSU
Kennedy Winston | junior forward | Alabama
SEC Diaper Dandy of the Year – Glen Davis | freshman forward | LSU
SEC Coach of the Year – Tubby Smith | Kentucky
SEC Player of the Year – Anthony Roberson | Florida
Comment – The battle for player of the year between Roberson and Roberts is as tough a call as any conference pick. Roberts has been a warrior, while Roberson has been the SEC's top scorer. LSU's Glen "Baby Shaq" Davis, a force on the glass, gets the nod as top diaper dandy over Toney Douglas of Auburn and Ronald Steele of Alabama. Tubby Smith has done an outstanding coaching job with a young team.
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Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Awards
All-WAC Team
Bryan Hopkins | junior guard | SMU
Omar Thomas | senior guard/forward | UTEP
Nick Fazekas | sophomore forward | Nevada
Paul Millsap | sophomore forward/center | Louisiana Tech
Michael Harris | senior forward | Rice
WAC Diaper Dandy of the Year – Ramon Sessions | freshman guard | Nevada
WAC Coach of the Year – Mark Fox | Nevada
WAC Player of the Year – Nick Fazekas | Nevada
Comment – You also could make a case for Paul Millsap or Michael Harris for player of the year. Mark Fox has done a tremendous coaching job at Nevada in his first season (he replaced Trent Johnson, who went to Stanford). At 6-foot-5, Omar Thomas falls into the swing category and isn't really a pure guard, but I wanted to honor this Miners star.
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question to Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.
