MVCfans.com 2014 Player of the Year and All-MVC teams

by **MVCfans** » March 2nd, 2014, 11:53 am

As I posted in the other thread, this year it was really difficult choosing All-MVC teams. We all have our own criteria and the decisions are very far from black and white. I expressed on twitter that I think very highly of one player who I gave 1st team recognition to, but who I doubt other voters will. In turn, by adding that player to my first team, someone had to get bumped down to the second team. Again, not an easy decision.

While I have MVC media credentials, I am not one of the designated school voters who will be actually choosing the award winners. I am sure that you understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I have done my best to be fair to the process.

link: The MVC Report - MVCfans.com 2014 Player of the Year and All-MVC teams

**Sponsor**

by **DUBulldog** » March 2nd, 2014, 12:17 pm

MVCfans wrote:As I posted in the other thread, this year it was really difficult choosing All-MVC teams. We all have our own criteria and the decisions are very far from black and white. I expressed on twitter that I think very highly of one player who I gave 1st team recognition to, but who I doubt other voters will. In turn, by adding that player to my first team, someone had to get bumped down to the second team. Again, not an easy decision.

While I have MVC media credentials, I am not one of the designated school voters who will be actually choosing the award winners. I am sure that you understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I have done my best to be fair to the process.

link: The MVC Report - MVCfans.com 2014 Player of the Year and All-MVC teams

Can't disagree with Van Vleet as POY.....as to your comparison between him and Emmenecker; there is no comparison....Van Vleet is much better by any measure. Far better shooter, far better A:TO ratio, etc. There are Drake fans (myself included) who never understood the Emmenecker love-fest....it wasn't so much that he made his team better as much as it was his teammates that allowed him to look much better than he really was. You had 4 guys on the court with range to 3-4 feet beyond the 3-point line.....any point guard can look pretty good when the court is spread out that much and defenders can't help off of anybody.

by **Wufan** » March 2nd, 2014, 12:35 pm

POY could be Early or VanVleet…I have no valid argument for one over the other.

I personally like the inclusion of Tuttle and Odum on first team. Cotton/Odum/Baker is a toss-up to me, and with ISU finishing second, I can see their 4 year senior starter and best player getting the nod over the third or forth best WSU player.

I get the argument for Balentine on first team, but his stats are exaggerated by # of shot attempts and minutes played. He also plays on the 9th place team and is not known as a good defender. He's on my second team.

Also, I get the argument against Cotton. Statistically, there are many stronger players.

by **MVCfans** » March 2nd, 2014, 12:49 pm

DUBulldog wrote:
MVCfans wrote:As I posted in the other thread, this year it was really difficult choosing All-MVC teams. We all have our own criteria and the decisions are very far from black and white. I expressed on twitter that I think very highly of one player who I gave 1st team recognition to, but who I doubt other voters will. In turn, by adding that player to my first team, someone had to get bumped down to the second team. Again, not an easy decision.

While I have MVC media credentials, I am not one of the designated school voters who will be actually choosing the award winners. I am sure that you understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I have done my best to be fair to the process.

link: The MVC Report - MVCfans.com 2014 Player of the Year and All-MVC teams

Can't disagree with Van Vleet as POY.....as to your comparison between him and Emmenecker; there is no comparison....Van Vleet is much better by any measure. Far better shooter, far better A:TO ratio, etc. There are Drake fans (myself included) who never understood the Emmenecker love-fest....it wasn't so much that he made his team better as much as it was his teammates that allowed him to look much better than he really was. You had 4 guys on the court with range to 3-4 feet beyond the 3-point line.....any point guard can look pretty good when the court is spread out that much and defenders can't help off of anybody.

The intent of the comparison was rooted in the fact that the award was going to someone who maybe didn't score the most points, but was invaluable to his team. I had an additional sentence that I ultimately deleted referencing FVV's scoring potential being greater than that of Emmenecker's, but I decided just to use the floor general making his team better angle instead.

by **BradleyBrave** » March 2nd, 2014, 1:01 pm

I would drop Lemon down to Honorable Mention and remove Pickett altogether. Both have performed well below expectations this season for arguably the league's most disappointing team. Their poor performances and lack of leadership contributed more than anything to BU's trainwreck of a season.

by **TheAsianSensation** » March 2nd, 2014, 2:59 pm

I would have Pickett on the 2nd team, but I already made the argument elsewhere that I wouldn't even have Lemon on a 3rd team (mostly because the league is loaded at the guard position and I ran out of room, but still).

I think if you're building a team, Cotton > Baker is fine, but for recognition of what they've produced on-court this season, Baker > Cotton. But really, could go either way and I'd willingly follow the opinions of the Shocker fanbase on that one.

by **saluki762** » March 2nd, 2014, 3:13 pm

BradleyBrave wrote:I would drop Lemon down to Honorable Mention and remove Pickett altogether. Both have performed well below expectations this season for arguably the league's most disappointing team. Their poor performances and lack of leadership contributed more than anything to BU's trainwreck of a season.

Lemon and Desmar Jackson = Allen Iverson

Great scorer, not a winner.

by **usmcsaluki** » March 2nd, 2014, 3:26 pm

Pretty fair picks, but Early is POY IMO. I think Baker and FVF could win it as well, but all three deserve a slot on the first team.

by **glm38** » March 2nd, 2014, 4:59 pm

I really don't know how you could leave any of the Shox top 4 players off the 1st team. Lots of worthy players from other teams but with the way the Shox and those 4 have played they are the most deserving. I'm afraid Cotton or Baker get left off. Cotton has the least impressive offensive stats but he's also the BEST defensive player in the league. Which should count for a lot.

It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

by **KC MVC FAN** » March 2nd, 2014, 5:49 pm

Have to consider who is most important player on a team. To me, the way Baker at WSU goes is how WSU goes--has to be the MVC POY. Wish he would loose the Guber haircut--those wings combed over the ears looks like the Dukes of Hazzard and the 1970s Georgia or Alabama. All he needs is some white buck shoes and a white patent leather belt. Just joking. The class of the MVC--a very, very good BB player