Odum for FOY

[MacGuyver]

This is stupid. One day Doug will win two MVC Jake Odum Player of the Year awards!

[sycamorestateofmind]

Of 14 such accolades handed out this year Doug has been acknowledged on 7 such occasions, with 4 of those coming prior to conference play - so Doug is one up on Odum since MVC play started as Odum has been acknowledged only 2 times this season. Same amount for Rice.

I don't think they give the award away at the end of the season based on how many times you were selected for the award during the regular season do they? Doubtful - once again I point out to you that yes Dough ran away with it in the early going but Odum didn't get the Keys to the Kia until 6 games into the season (or about the first week of December). Once he did he played well but was playing in a much more difficult situation than McDermott.

So when Odum plays stelar on Saturday and puts up another above average performance in a winning effort for the Sycamores and locks up his second strait NOW award should that carry more weight because he will have equaled McDermott during MVC play and outplayed him down the stretch?

This all assumes that Odum played - seeing as how the Sycamores done clinched the 3rd slot thanks in large part to Odum (just a better all around player), who could really use a game to rest his ailing left calf muscle. You all do realize that Odum has been slighted his entire life, this will be nothing new to him and it's going to come back and haunt MVC foes for years to come - he's going to go all kinds of crazy on the league after this. He kinda plays with a chip on his shoulder the way it - playing in arguably the best high school athletic conference in the nation (MIC) in high-school while still gaining little respect will do that kind of thing for you.

[BirdmanBB]

So now that we figured that out, who is the 6th man of the year now that O'Rear has missed the end of the season?

[sycamorestateofmind]

Definitely player B.

I don't even think it's close. Hasn't McDermott pretty much secured about every newcomer of the week? One would think that racking up as many of those as he has would equate to NOY or FOY(as you put it).

Odum has "racked up" quite a few of his own chief....just fyi

A few would require more than a couple, which is all that Odum has "racked up." While McDermott has legitimately racked up 7 newcomers of the week. Like I said, I don't even think it's close. McDermott should be a lock. (side note: Rice also has 2) While I think players like Odum and Rice are going to be fantastic in this league, I just think McDermott has done more across the entire schedule to earn it.

He's done more in the way of scoring and rebounding - that's it... He hasn't been a better all around player - he owns Odum in 2 categories and other than that they are either tied or he gets it handed to him. When is the last time a freshman was top 2 in the MVC in steals and assists? Can someone please answer that for me? Or has it never happened? I honestly don't know and you guys seem to know so much I figure someone around here has to know.

I mean you guys are brilliant, probably played a lot of basketball in your day? He's a freshman PG playing 30 plus minutes a game? You don't think he carries a little more responsibility? Please..... That's not an excuse either, rather it's a great qualifier for his team has finished 3rd in the Valley - look I wouldn't be on here running my jaws if the Sycamores had finished 6th or 7th it'd be a no contest. As it works out he's the best player (a freshman) on the 3rd best team in the MVC - you can BOOK that!

[DUBulldog]

Definitely player B.

I don't even think it's close. Hasn't McDermott pretty much secured about every newcomer of the week? One would think that racking up as many of those as he has would equate to NOY or FOY(as you put it).

Odum has "racked up" quite a few of his own chief....just fyi

A few would require more than a couple, which is all that Odum has "racked up." While McDermott has legitimately racked up 7 newcomers of the week. Like I said, I don't even think it's close. McDermott should be a lock. (side note: Rice also has 2) While I think players like Odum and Rice are going to be fantastic in this league, I just think McDermott has done more across the entire schedule to earn it.

Rice actually has 3 (12/13, 2/7 and 2/22)....theMVC list for some reason still doesn't list the awards from 2/22.

[sycamorestateofmind]

If you vote on the basis that the following don't matter then I concede my entire argument and I will not be back to MVCfans.com (yes I will take my ball and go home) and I thank everyone for keeping it friendly.

Leadership - Odum is more of a leader to his team, hands down.

Best Player on the team that finished higher in the ranks than the other players teams in question

MVC stats - Odum has been the better player statistically during MVC play

Steals - Top 2 in the MVC all season long, 7th in the nation

Assists - Top 2 in the MVC all season long

Pre Season projections (Sycamores picked 7th) if that holds no weight then stop doing pre season rankings

Overall Stats (players stats relative to his position and his size) If you can explain to me how a player with only 9 steals on the season and 3 blocks is deserving of any award is silly to me.

SOS - Sycamores played a more difficult non-conference slate

Head-to-Head - Odum posted career highs in assists (9) and points (23) in game(s) vs. Creighton


I'm moving on now, you guys obviously don't take these things into consideration when selecting these kind of awards. I have presented my case and I've spelled it out for you - a select few of you have even been able to attempt to spell anything out for me. You don't have a good case that's why - you got nothing to go on but points and rebounds - both of which Odum happens to do pretty well. He's not a complete scrub at those statistics like McDermott is blocks, steals and assists.

[DUBulldog]

If you vote on the basis that the following don't matter then I concede my entire argument and I will not be back to MVCfans.com (yes I will take my ball and go home) and I thank everyone for keeping it friendly.

Leadership - Odum is more of a leader to his team, hands down.

Best Player on the team that finished higher in the ranks than the other players teams in question

MVC stats - Odum has been the better player statistically during MVC play

Steals - Top 2 in the MVC all season long, 7th in the nation

Assists - Top 2 in the MVC all season long

Pre Season projections (Sycamores picked 7th) if that holds no weight then stop doing pre season rankings

Overall Stats (players stats relative to his position and his size) If you can explain to me how a player with only 9 steals on the season and 3 blocks is deserving of any award is silly to me.

SOS - Sycamores played a more difficult non-conference slate

Head-to-Head - Odum posted career highs in assists (9) and points (23) in game(s) vs. Creighton


I'm moving on now, you guys obviously don't take these things into consideration when selecting these kind of awards. I have presented my case and I've spelled it out for you - a select few of you have even been able to attempt to spell anything out for me. You don't have a good case that's why - you got nothing to go on but points and rebounds - both of which Odum happens to do pretty well. He's not a complete scrub at those statistics like McDermott is blocks, steals and assists.

You state your case well, Mr Odum. That being said, McDermott will win the award.

[sycamorestateofmind]

You state your case well, Mr Odum.

Not the case at all... Just a Sycamore basketball fan that's all. 25 year old former athlete at Indiana State (ran track and field if even matters, (2006 MVC Conference Championship). Not related to the kid at all. I just wanted to open your eyes to some things, see how my argument was received.

[DUBulldog]

There's three really good freshmen in the MVC this season in McDermott, Rice and Odum. Good for the future of the league.

Drake has two other freshmen who redshirted this season. Amazingly, both were rated higher (by ESPN) than Rice coming out of high school.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/2181/class/2010

[BirdmanBB]

There is definitely an argument to be made for Odum and I respect the one that your making, but even you gotta admit, when fans of teams outside of those two are looking at both players and saying that McDermott should be the winner, I think that says something.

I think you definitely changed my opinion that McDermott is the easy pick, but I still think he wins it. Players like McDermott, Odum and Rice give me hope for improvement in this conferences future. We got a rude awakening with the BB and it's easy to see that it has a lot to do with the quality of play in the MVC. They say schedule a hard non-con to prepare yourself for the rigors of the MVC, but the MVC didn't prepare our teams for the rigors of the Bracketbuster. Those of us who want out of the event just got shot with a huge dose of reality last week. I think we better stay in it.