MVC Player of the Year

[Da Coach]

The Creighton beat writer thinks it will be one of UNI's players- maybe Jordan Eglseder (or Kwadzo Ahelegbe).-

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100126/SPORTS/701269829

He also has a numer of other interesting bits, including a report on ticket sales for the MVC Tournament-
The Valley sold 5,913 all-session tickets before Jan. 1 for the league tournament in March. That's down from 6,624 last year at the same point, with a drop of about 500 tickets at Creighton (1,500 to 1,000) accounting for most of the decrease.

[tornado]

Let's pick up on this POY discussion...
plus, here's another thread on the same topic...

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14595

But here are all the best players on each team in the Valley...

BU - Maniscalco, Warren, Brown, Roberts
CU - Lawson, Carter
DU - Young, Wedel
UE - Ryan, Haarsma
ISU - Odiakosa, Phillips, Eldridge
InSU - Marshall, Lathan
MSU - Weems, Leonard
UNI - Eglseder, Koch, Ahelegbe
SIU - Dillard, Fay, Freeman
WSU - Durley, Murry, Hannah

Seriously - I can really only see maybe 6-8 who would be even marginally legitimate contenders for Player of the Year..
Eglseder, Koch, Maniscalco, Warren, Odiakosa, Eldridge, Marshall, Hannah..

But seriously - you can delete most of those names as they aren't playing for teams above the bottom of the Valley or are not even the best player on their own teams...
So I think it boils down to just two players making a legitimate run for the award, which by the way all the votes are submitted BEFORE the beginning of Valley Tournament play, so there's only ONE game left to present the evidence..

I think it is between Dinma and Sammy even tho UNI had such a great season....but then nobody on the Panthers has really distinguished themselves except Eglseder, then he's been out with the DUI - which will ruin his chances...

But Bradley played the far tougher schedule, and Sammy does way more than just get one or two numbers in the stats....
I think hands down the award should go to Sam Maniscalco....
but I suspect the other teams' representatives will still feel compelled to give votes to someone on UNI...so it will be interesting...
One thing for sure....if anyone puts Eldridge higher than even 3rd on their ballot, then that guy has NOT been watching any Valley play for the past 1 or 2 months....OE hasn't even been the 2nd best or most valuable player on his team in that span...

[Braves4Life]

I applaud your optimism tornado, and nobody loves Maniscalco more than me, but there is NO WAY he will be named POY. I would consider it a long shot for him to even be named 1st Team All MVC. Not that he doesn't deserve; he does! But I still don't think he has the reputation of being a true PG for the All MVC 1st Team and the POY will come from either UNI or ISU. I really hope I'm wrong because nobody has meant more to their team and pulled out more wins than Sammy. But POY will not go to a middle-of-the-pack team, IMO.

[ER3]

I applaud your optimism tornado, and nobody loves Maniscalco more than me, but there is NO WAY he will be named POY. I would consider it a long shot for him to even be named 1st Team All MVC. Not that he doesn't deserve; he does! But I still don't think he has the reputation of being a true PG for the All MVC 1st Team and the POY will come from either UNI or ISU. I really hope I'm wrong because nobody has meant more to their team and pulled out more wins than Sammy. But POY will not go to a middle-of-the-pack team, IMO.

Agreed...there is 0 chance he gets POY. Not gonna happen.

When is the last time the POY in the Valley came from a 5th place team?

I don't think it's a long shot that he makes 1st team All-Conference, though. At least I'm hoping that it's not. We'll see.

[tornado]

When was the last time New Orleans won the Super Bowl, or prior to 2005 when was the last time the White Sox won the World Series?
Or the last time we 29 inches of snow in DC, or the last time a Nobel Prize winner admitting his research was all totally fraudulent??
Or the last time a PG in the Valley shot 52% from the floor or a kid who was a walk on got the Valley Player of the Year (Emmenecker)?
Unusual things happen every day...

[electricmayhem]

When is the award announced?

[Da Coach]

They are usually announced at the start of the week before the tournament, so probably Monday or Tuesday.

Last year's announcement was on Tuesday, March 3, 2009-

http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=36371&SPID=2901&DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=3683318

[Braveman]

Sammy is the MVP of Bradley- I don't think many would argue that... but I will be beyond shocked if he gets POY...

If he doesn't get first team MVC- I also will be shocked.... Voters tend to go with upper tier teams for these awards- and don't leave as heavily on stats as some of us might...

Odiakosa is an interesting outside choice- but I think UNI has someone to get it....

[Air Petey]

IMO, POY = Kwadzo Ahelegbe

I hope SM gets enough for 1st team.

It will be close!

[tornado]

so we have many who are agreeing that it is appropriate to give the POY award to a player
who is NOT really deserving, but who just happens to play on the top team in the league?

This is sad....I hope the people who vote for the Player of the Year, use fair and objective criteria
and have the balls to give it to the most deserving individual and are not influenced by ignoring the evidence
on the player and instead looking at the standings and driven by the pressure to follow the pattern of the past
and give it to a player on one of the top teams.
I can live with the award going to Dinma, but feel Sammy is the MOST deserving....
and absolutely could NOT accept that anyone on either UNI or WSU are more deserving or more valuable players.

[BradleyBrave]

When was the last time New Orleans won the Super Bowl, or prior to 2005 when was the last time the White Sox won the World Series?
Or the last time we 29 inches of snow in DC, or the last time a Nobel Prize winner admitting his research was all totally fraudulent??
Or the last time a PG in the Valley shot 52% from the floor or a kid who was a walk on got the Valley Player of the Year (Emmenecker)?
Unusual things happen every day...

Like when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor...

[Braveman]

so we have many who are agreeing that it is appropriate to give the POY award to a player
who is NOT really deserving, but who just happens to play on the top team in the league?

This is sad....I hope the people who vote for the Player of the Year, use fair and objective criteria
and have the balls to give it to the most deserving individual and are not influenced by ignoring the evidence
on the player and instead looking at the standings and driven by the pressure to follow the pattern of the past
and give it to a player on one of the top teams.
I can live with the award going to Dinma, but feel Sammy is the MOST deserving....
and absolutely could NOT accept that anyone on either UNI or WSU are more deserving or more valuable players.

I am unsure who you include in your statement "many who agree it is appropriate to give the POY award to a player who is really not deserving.."

I never said that- I just said that Sam likely wouldn't get it and that traditionally it goes to someone from one of the top teams... I hope like hell he does get it- just don't think its likely... I again go back to Adam Emenecker- He was likely on very few radar screens prior to the season Drake had a few years back, but due to the team's success AND his role with the team, he won... Unfortunately, Bradley's Jekyll and Hyde season will affect votes for Sammy..

Fair, maybe , maybe not- but it is reality..

[Air Petey]

so we have many who are agreeing that it is appropriate to give the POY award to a player
who is NOT really deserving, but who just happens to play on the top team in the league?

I don't agree (or feel appropriate) with the votes.... But I'm guessing who gets the votes. I really agree with you (If not SM, UNI or WSU) , but I think the media feels ISU will win the tourney and they are voting for the future.

I love SM heart and style of play. Just don't think he will get enough votes.

See everybody in St. Louis..... GO BRAVES

[SaintLouBrave22]

How come no mention for Farokhmanesh?



BTW...I think Eglseder cost himself any chance at PoY with his suspension....just as I felt like Taylor cost himself any shot he had at 1st team (as little as it was)



My 1st team:

Adam Koch
Dinma Odiakosa, PoY
Harry Marshall
Clevin Hannah
Ali Farokhmanesh
Sam Maniscalco


And yes, I did throw 6 on there...couldn't get a clear cut 5....also I think Eglseder, Ahelegebe (sp), and Young could get 1st team merit.

[tornado]

Farokhmanesh has had several nice games, and he is a big part of their current season, but he's also been very inconsistent...
So I guess if you only look at his good games, then he seems deserving...
PLUS - he is quite uni-dimensional...and not even all that good at the one dimension he has....so like him if you want, but here are some real facts....

In Tuesday's loss to Evansvile, Ali was back to his pattern of going MIA -- 1-7 from 3-pt and 1 asst, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, totally unable to guard Evansvilles bigger guards who went a combined for 36 points compared to just a grand total of 14 points for the UNI guards (Moran 3, Ali 7, Ahelegbe 2, James 0, Sonnen 0, Dunham 2)

Farokhmanesh is averaging 9.9 ppg (not even inside the top 30 players in Valley play), 1.3 apg, and his 3-pt shooting pct. isn't even in the top 20 3-pt shooters in Valley play!!!
(he ranks 23rd with 33.7% - WELL behind 3 different Bradley players!)