| |
NOMINEE |
THE SKINNY |
| Overrated |
The ACC |
League coaches complained when the NCAA tournament committee handed down only three bids, but the plain truth is: that's exactly what the league deserved. No, it's not easy to play Duke, Maryland and North Carolina twice, but you still have to win a couple of games. |
| Underrated |
Lavor Postell, St. John's |
The senior forward is one of my favorite players in the game, a versatile scrapper on a roster teeming with more glamorous figures. Ron Artest and Erick Barkley got most of the hype during the Johnnies' run to the Elite Eight, but Postell -- who can handle the ball, shoot threes and scrap for garbage -- has been the most valuable player in that program the last two years. |
| Annoying |
Fuss over going pro |
The chorus of Cassandras who eagerly predict the demise of college basketball because of all the player defections to the pros. If a guy has no interest in academics, I would much prefer he went pro than return to school and hand in term papers written by his tutor. Anyone who thinks college hoops is dying should try sitting through an entire NBA regular-season game sometime. |
| Breakthrough |
Jim Calhoun, Connecticut |
Few coaches suffered like Calhoun, who seemed as if he would never get away from questions about never having made it to the Final Four. Not only did Calhoun make it at last to the final weekend, he thoroughly outcoached Mike Krzyzewski in the championship game to win the title. |
| Uplifting |
Charles Heyward, UNC-Charlotte |
The freshman forward showed admirable character and perspective during his battle with leukemia, which he eventually lost during the summer. |
| MVP |
Ricky Moore, Connecticut |
Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin scored most of the points, but Moore is the reason the Huskies won the national championship. As he demonstrated in the first half against Duke, he was always capable of scoring. He just chose not to. |
Storyline to
follow in 2000 |
Foreign players |
The influx of foreign players is growing with each passing year, and since most of them have had some type of experience with a professional club, the NCAA is having a tough time figuring out who should be eligible and who shouldn't. With so many guys trying to leave college, why don't we start worrying about the ones who want to come? |
