Former Bradley recruit Frank Kaminsky wins the Player of the Year awards

[Da Coach]

Frank Kaminsky won the Oscar Robertson Trophy, voted on by the United States Basketball Writers Association, for the Player of the Year for 2015, then today, he was named the AP Player of the Year award for 2015, and the voting for both awards was not even close.

That is 2 out of the last 6 National AP Player of the Year awards that went to players from high schools in Illinois and from Big Ten Universities. Furthermore, both high schools are private Catholic schools barely a dozen miles apart in the western Chicago suburbs, and both from the same conference (the East Suburban Catholic Conference [ESCC]!). Evan Turner (from Westchester St. Joseph's) won the award in 2010, and Kaminsky (from Lisle Benet HS) in 2015. (note: Westchester St, Joe's has since moved to a different conference in 2011- the Chicago Catholic League, but at the time Turner was there St. Joe's was in the ECCC)

Now here is even more irony- both players are from the same AAU program (the Illinois Wolves), both players were strongly recruited by Jim Les to come to Bradley, and both players were extremely close to committing to Bradley, but it didn't quite happen. What could have been....

[Da Coach]

Here is a trivia question-
Only 2 Missouri Valley players have ever won the AP College Player of the Year.
Can you name them?

Here are the answers- scroll your cursor over these next 2 lines to see the answer
> 1988 Hersey Hawkins- Bradley
> 1979 Larry Bird- Indiana State
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associa...er_of_the_Year

Oscar Robinson is not one of the answers- since the award was first awarded in 1961, the year after Robinson graduated
Neither wasa Doug McDermott- McDermott was the winner of the award in 2014, but in 2014, Creighton was no longer in the MVC


The other major Player of the Year award, the US Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year award, now called the Oscar Robinson Award since Robinson was the winner its first 2 years.
Hersey Hawkins also won that POY award in 1988.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Robertson_Trophy

[tornado]

Congrats to former BU recruit Frank Kaminsky, the Illinois Wolves - he was the #9 overall draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets...what a great dream fulfilled - a lottery pick!!

[tornado]

Wow, Larry Nance, Jr. - another past BU recruit - just got drafted #27 by the Lakers...

http://www.ohio.com/sports/college-basketball/revere-graduate-larry-nance-guides-wyoming-into-ncaa-tournament-1.575697

now he has a choice because he was also the top draft pick of the Harlem Globetrotters.

http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/mbb/former-wyoming-forward-larry-nance-jr-drafted-by-harlem-globetrotters/article_50d4659a-19bc-11e5-938f-57b80af6bb15.html

his coach ranks him among the top three best "Basketball IQ's" ever - and guess who the other two are? One was a Bradley head coach ...

http://www.nba.com/2015/news/features/chris_dortch/06/23/larry-nance-jr-wyoming-standout-ready-for-his-nba-draft-moment/

[Chico]

Wow, Larry Nance, Jr. - another past BU recruit - just got drafted #27 by the Lakers...

http://www.ohio.com/sports/college-basketball/revere-graduate-larry-nance-guides-wyoming-into-ncaa-tournament-1.575697

now he has a choice because he was also the top draft pick of the Harlem Globetrotters.

http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/mbb/former-wyoming-forward-larry-nance-jr-drafted-by-harlem-globetrotters/article_50d4659a-19bc-11e5-938f-57b80af6bb15.html

his coach ranks him among the top three best "Basketball IQ's" ever - and guess who the other two are? One was a Bradley head coach ...
http://www.nba.com/2015/news/feature...-draft-moment/

Quite a compliment to our ex coach.

[lefty]

Wow, Larry Nance, Jr. - another past BU recruit - just got drafted #27 by the Lakers...

http://www.ohio.com/sports/college-basketball/revere-graduate-larry-nance-guides-wyoming-into-ncaa-tournament-1.575697

now he has a choice because he was also the top draft pick of the Harlem Globetrotters.

http://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/mbb/former-wyoming-forward-larry-nance-jr-drafted-by-harlem-globetrotters/article_50d4659a-19bc-11e5-938f-57b80af6bb15.html

his coach ranks him among the top three best "Basketball IQ's" ever - and guess who the other two are? One was a Bradley head coach ...
http://www.nba.com/2015/news/feature...-draft-moment/

I just skimmed the last article but it says his only D-1 offers were Bowling Green before Wyoming??¦??¦Is that right?

[tornado]

I seem to recall that Nance had other offers....but was a very late bloomer in high school due to illness....
I also recall talk about him visiting Bradley and that he was going to be offered, but that was so long ago I doubt I have any articles that discuss it....
this article at least notes Bradley was interested in him..

http://www.ohio.com/sports/college-basketball/revere-graduate-larry-nance-guides-wyoming-into-ncaa-tournament-1.575697

and this thread from 2011 discusses us expecting Nance on campus at Bradley but we got into the race too late & he went with Wyoming

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=229960&highlight=nance#post229960

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=228665&highlight=larry+nance#post228665

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=229110&highlight=nance#post229110

Larry Nance Sr. said this...
"...he had real offers from Central Michigan, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Ohio, James Madison and Wyoming.
..Wyoming seemed the least likely place for Larry because of the distance. ...
I do know that [new Bradley Coach] Geno Ford really wanted Larry."

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2011/05/larry_nance_jr_happy_to_contin.html

(Nance signed with Wyoming on May 2, 2011, and by then we had already locked up DS, Wells, & Crawford, - and were targeting Hodges & Shayok who verballed May 6 & 8 )

This article from March, 2011 says his offers include...
"..holds offers from Central Michigan, Western Carolina, Akron, Toledo, Kent State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with Big Ten schools showing heavy interest."

https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1201976

And then here is an article how John Beilein and Michigan struggled over who to give their last scholarship to..
they had boiled it down to either Max Bielfeldt or Larry Nance, Jr. - they chose unwisely...

http://www.umhoops.com/2011/02/09/class-of-2011-intro-larry-nance-jr/

[lefty]

Thanks??¦I found it hard to believe he only had 2 offers??¦??¦..

[Da Coach]

Thanks??¦I found it hard to believe he only had 2 offers??¦??¦..

Another similar story is Richaun Holmes, from Lockport Township HS in Lockport, Illinois, who was the #37 pick by the Philadelphia 76er. He is a 6'9" forward from Bowling Green.
He had ZERO offers out of high school despite being a full qualifier. He then went to a Division II junior college, Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois, and played 1 season. He got 2 offers after his freshman season at juco (Bowling Green and lowly Florida A&M), and transferred to Bowling Green. He had a good career at BGSU, then impressed at the NBA Combine with his physical attributes and leaping ability.