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ESPN.com Player of Year
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Shane Battier
Duke
Senior | Forward
19.0 ppg
6.5 rpg
48.6% FGs
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Talk about splitting votes. A case could be made for any of those five on ESPN.com's first team. But the most complete player was Duke's Shane Battier.
Battier is a statesman in the game, and he deserves this award not just for his overall career, but for the improvement this season.
Battier continued to move his game further out on the floor this season, looking for his 3-pointer more than his post game. That fit Duke's offense this season where shooting 3s is required.
Battier's leadership can't be overlooked, either. He's the consummate winner and was critical in Duke's resiliency in coming back from losses against Stanford, North Carolina and Virginia.
North Carolina's Joseph Forte was, and is probably just as deserving, with his dominating play at shooting guard this season. He makes scoring look almost too easy without changing his expression. His rise as a go-to scorer took the pressure off the Tar Heels' committee of point guards and allowed them to be a Final Four contender again.
A strong case also exists for Jamaal Tinsley because of his ability to take Iowa State back to the top of the Big 12. The Cyclones were thought to be out of contention when Marcus Fizer bolted to the pros. But Tinsley led a core group of seniors -- Kantrail Horton, Martin Rancik and Paul Shirley -- and helped nurture two freshmen (Shane Power and Jake Sullivan).
Duke's Jason Williams is the best scoring point guard and equal to Tinsley in terms of importance. But he had some help with freshman Chris Duhon, something Tinsley didn't have at Iowa State. Choosing Williams over Tinsley, Forte and Battier would be a tough sell.
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ALSO SEE
ESPN.com's Defensive Player of Year
ESPN.com's Coach of Year
ESPN.com's Freshman of Year
ESPN.com's Newcomer of Year
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