Off The Boards
By Jack Scheuer
March 1, 2017 Edition
As the season is winding down, it’s time to pick the third annual Big 5 Boards Awards, and they are as follows:
MVP- Villanova’s Mr. Everything, Josh Hart. No surprise here, however it must be said that Jalen Brunson has also had a terrific season, and is a close second.
Most Improved – Shizz Alston, Jr. from Temple. After averaging 2 points per game last season, he’s scored 14 a game this year, and leads the Owls in assists.
Rookie of the Year – Saint Joe’s 6-7 freshman Downtown Charlie Brown. He is averaging 12.8 points and has made 64 three-pointers in taking over the scoring brunt for the injury-riddled Hawks. Penn’s AJ Brodeur also impressed.
Coach of the Year – Jay Wright, who despite having just a 7-man rotation (and sometimes 6) has his Wildcats ranked # 2 in the nation, with high hopes heading into tournament time.
Unsung Hero- La Salle’s Amar Stukes. The junior guard has very quietly had a very solid season for the inconsistent Explorers. He’s averaging 8.6 points per game, and his 109 assists are 37 more than any teammate.
There should also be some mention here of Saint Joe’s junior guard Shavar Newkirk, who was on his way to a terrific season (20 ppg) before being sidelined with an injury.
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Congratulations to Speedy Morris for being honored as the recipient of the 2017 Morgan Wootten Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball as announced by the Naismith Hall of Fame. A well deserved award for a Philadelphia treasure.
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John Gillon, Syracuse’s much traveled guard, has made 47 straight free throws. The previous school record was held by Brandon Triche at 37. The Atlantic Coast Conference record is 66, held by N.C. State’s Scott Wood.
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Trivia Time: Speaking of free throws, who is the NBA’s all- time best foul shooter (at least 800 attempts)? Answer at the end of the column.
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Whenever I see a coach on the sidelines going a little crazy, waving his arms, pointing here and there and constantly yelling instructions, I think of a quote by John Wooden. “I don’t understand it,” said the greatest coach ever, ” what do they do at practice?”
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This and That: Bill (fumes) Walton stops being funny when he babbles on while there is action on the court….Also, by accident, I clicked on the Shannon and Skip show, and it is still brutal. They should bring in Stephen A to add a little humility….La Salle leads the A-10 in free throw shooting, but the Explorers also give up the most points. (77.4 per game)…..I would think Drexel’s Kurk Lee certainly has a chance of being the CAA’s Rookie of the Year…. Look out for Kentucky. Those lightning-quick freshmen guards (Fox and Monk) will have experienced a lot of games come tournament time…Bryce Alford, playing for Dad Steve, is going to end up being 5th on UCLA’s all-time scoring list…. And whatever happened to Andrew Bynum?
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Answer to Trivia Time: The all-time leader is Steve Nash (90.4%). Mark Price is a close second.
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