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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015
PAGE 7
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THE DAILY DEBATE
Who should win the Wooden Player of the Year?
Griffin Hughes
@GriffinJHughes
"MONTREZL HARRELL"
The Wooden Award is an honor that doesn't reward just the nation's top scorers; it rewards the most complete and well-rounded basketball players in all of college basketball.
The mark of a great all-around basketball player is not merely the ability to score points, but the ability to rebound and assist, to be a lockdown defender, to come up clutch in wins and fight hard in losses. No athlete in the country exhibits the all around qualities of a great basketball player better than Louisville's Montrezl Harrell.
The man with a funny name is anything but a joke on the court: He accounts for 19 percent of his team's total points, 21 percent of his team's total rebounds, 19 percent of his team's total blocks and 10 percent of his team's total steals. Bear in mind Louisville is a team that has a rotation of at least 10 guys per game that relies on one man for almost a quarter of their offense and work on the glass.
Louisville is not a very good team — they have average talent at best — and it plays in the second best conference in
the country. They have signature wins this season against powerhouses Minnesota, Ohio State and North Carolina. Harrell dropped a season-high 30 against Minnesota, 13 against Ohio State and 22 against North Carolina.
In fact, he's only been held to single-digit points three times, and in those games he took fewer than 10 shots, grabbed at least five rebounds and came up with a steal.
That's evidence of a guy who understands when his team needs him to be a scorer and
as well as be a bruiser down low; he has incredibly difficult to guard. He has a keen awareness of the ball on defense — which accounts for his 1.2 blocks per game — and he excels at selecting his shot. He has never shot below 58 percent from the field for the season in his career.
In wins and losses, Harrell plays well and gives his team the chance to win. His defense in the paint often allows his team to better defend the perimeter; his rebounding allows them to run out in transition; and his physicality allows them
"HARRELL IS A REMARKABLE BASKETBALL PLAYER PLAYING FOR AN ALTOGETHER UNREMARKABLE TEAM."
when someone else has a hot hand. It took Kentucky and a miracle shot at the buzzer from Marcus Paige to take down Louisville when Harrell had fewer than 10 points.
Louisville is not an exceedingly talented basketball team, but Harrell pulls them up because he's an exceedingly talented basketball player. Standing at 6 feet 8 inches tall, and weighing 240 pounds, Harrell has the ability to step out and hit threes
work the ball down low.
Harrell is a remarkable basketball player playing for an altogether unremarkable team. The reason the Cardinals look remotely decent is because of this man's basketball ability.
The Wooden Award was simply made for players like Montrezl Harrell.
- Edited by Lane Cofas
"JAHLIL OKAFOR "
Nick Couzins
@Ncouz
If there is one person who deserves to win the Wooden Award for player of the year it is Jahil Okafor of the Duke Blue Devils. He was the top recruit coming out of Whitney Young in Chicago and he proved to be deserving of that
and played for the then Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets). Okafor has scored in double digits in all 21 games so far this season. Also in these 21 games, he has produced six double doubles and four triple doubles.
NBA scouts are already calling him the number one overall pick for this June's draft. Especially with
"OKAFOR HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE DIGITS IN ALL 21 GAMES SO FAR THIS SEASON. ALSO IN THESE 21 GAMES, HE HAS PRODUCED SIX DOUBLE DOUBLES AND FOUR TRIPLE DOUBLES."
ranking. This year he has carried a very impressive Blue Devil team to impressive victories over Michigan State and ACC leader Virginia.
Okafor has basketball in his blood. His cousin Emeka won a National Championship at UConn
Rasheed Sulaimon being dismissed from the team, the Blue Devils will rely on him even more as a presence in the key.
The Blue Devils might have four losses in the ACC right now but with the win on Saturday against the Cavaliers, momentum is on their side and that involves
Okafor being a leader as a freshman. Okafor sits at 6 feet 8 inches tall and 265 pounds and scares many defenses in the paint.
If the Blue Devils want to advance in the tournament this March and emerge victorious in the ACC, it will be his job to carry them. He has proven to be their go-to man all season and there is no reason why he shouldn't be when it comes to postseason play.
The Blue Devils have it pretty easy to end the year only having to play ranked opponents three more times before the beginning of ACC tournament play.
It has been a historic season for the Blue,Devils as coach Mike Krzyzewski clinched win No.1,000 and the program landed the nation's No.1 recruit in Okafor. Okafor should be the unanimous Wooden Award winner when the season ends. If his double double and triple double performances can't convince the voters, I don't know what could.
Edited by Kayla Schartz
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