There are a lot of great basketball players in the ACC, and as each season concludes they are properly recognized and rewarded. But why should those guys hog the attention and the hardware just because they have talent? Hardly seems fair.
The Ekene Ibekwe Award
For hideous shooting during conference play.
Nominees:
Jontel Evans, UVa: 26.4 eFG%
Cortney Dunn, BC: 29.1 eFG%
Julius Mays, NCSU, 31.7 eFG%
Josh Southern, BC: 34.1 eFG%
Making the transition from high school to D-I is tough. A lot of kids get chewed up and spit out; they go from the guy to that guy in a flash, and the remains are often barely recognizable. Jontel Evans is a case in point. The Cavaliers didn't demand much of Evans, either in terms of workload or playing time, but he still stunk the joint up like a dead hooker. (And at least she could score, amirite?)
The Quentin Thomas Award
For the most turnover-prone player during conference play.
Nominees:
Dexter Strickland, UNC: 30.2 TO%
Mfon Udofia, GT, 28.4 TO%
Biko Paris, BC, 44.5 TO%
Michael Snaer, FSU: 28.4 TO%
Biko Paris started 11 conference games. Eleven!
The Tunji Soroye Hole In The Lineup Award
Free lunches.
Nominees:
Cortney Dunn, BC: 8.3 %Poss
Terrell Bell, VT: 11.6 %Poss
Victor Davila, VT: 11.8 %Poss
Lance Thomas, Duke: 11.9 %Poss
Even Lance Thomas's teammates agree that he is useless. He's the eager but skill-less player you find in every pickup game you've ever played. The best thing you can say about Thomas is that he isn't Lee Melchionni. That is, he's never celebrated a made three-pointer four minutes into the first half like he just won the fucking Super Bowl. Granted, if Thomas made a shot outside of fifteen feet, he'd earn the excessive chest-bumps.
The Anthony Harris Award
For the league's most inefficient player.
Cortney Dunn, BC: 66.6 ORTG
Will Sherrill, UVA: 78.1 ORTG
Biko Paris, BC: 71.1 ORTG
Jontel Evans, UVA: 71.7 ORTG
Cortney Dunn used less than 10% of Boston College's possessions and still managed to be awful. Guys in this range are of the touch-ball-pass-ball-oh-look-I-found-a-layup-this-one-time variety. It's a real challenge to be bad under those circumstances. I worry about Dunn, I really do. This is a cry for help. He's here every day like the rest of you jerks!
When I was in elementary school, I played in a basketball league at Millbrook Exchange. We had a girl on our team. (Ironically, my team, the Steamrollers, never steamrolled anyone.) She generally had no idea what was going on and once shot the ball at our own basket after securing a defensive rebound. That's pretty much how I picture Cortney's game.
The Impressively Short Tall Guy Award
For defensive rebounding like a girl during conference play.
Nominees:
Victor Davila, VT: 7.5 DR%
Josh Southern, BC: 12.6 DR%
Ryan Reid, FSU: 9.1 DR%
Deon Thompson, UNC: 11.4 DR%
Only eleven players grabbed fewer defensive boards than Victor Davila; all 11 are guards.