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Wednesday, February 28, 2001
New Hawkeyes helped Iowa instantly
ESPN.com
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ESPN.com
Newcomer of Year
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Reggie Evans
Iowa
Forward
14.9 ppg
12.0 rpg
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Transfers from four-year schools and junior colleges are becoming the norm nationally, making the impact of these players paramount to a quick fix.
Iowa had two in Reggie Evans and Luke Recker. The Hawkeyes' inside production in scoring and on the boards was a given with the JC transfer Evans. He was dominant in the post most games. Recker could have been Big Ten MVP had it not been for a knee injury. His scoring from the baseline, the 3-point arc and the free-throw line extended made him one of the toughest wings to guard in the league.
Oklahoma State got an unexpected lift with the addition of scoring point/shooting guard Maurice Baker. His perimeter play kept the Cowboys in every game and made them a factor in the Big 12.
Troy Murphy is a player of the year candidate, but he might not have been if Oklahoma's Ryan Humphrey didn't transfer to Notre Dame. Humphrey took the pressure off Murphy inside, allowing him to freelance more on the perimeter when Humphrey was at home in the lane.
Oklahoma shifted to an outside-in game this season with the versatility of JC transfer Aaron McGhee. His production allowed the Sooners to be back in contention in the Big 12 after losing Eduardo Najera.
Utah ended up back atop the Mountain West and the development of JC guard Kevin Bradley had something to do with that. Bradley got used to Utah's system midway through the season and became one of the tougher guards to stop in the league.
Maurice Evans was a late bloomer for Texas after transferring from Wichita State. But his long range game and quick mid-range shot made him the star guard later in the year in the Big 12.
New Mexico got a steal with JC transfer Eric Chatfield. He made waiting for Arizona transfer Ruben Douglas less pressing. Chatfield had stretches where he was the go-to scorer for the Lobos and a reason why they got off to a sensational start to the season.
Wyoming's Uche Nsonwu-Amadi gave the Cowboys a dominant low-post presence to go with sophomore shooter Marcus Bailey and prohibitive MWC player of the year favorite Josh Davis. The Cowboys needed an answer in the middle and the JC transfer Nsonwu-Amadi delivered.
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ALSO SEE
ESPN.com's Player of Year
ESPN.com's Coach of Year
ESPN.com's Freshman of Year
ESPN.com's Defensive Player of Year
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