Awards (pre)Season
The season is here, with most Big Ten teams starting non-conference play on Friday. The Gophers start the season against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, in what I’m sure could be one of the oddest billings to ever be described as a “golden” match-up. But before the season starts, I’ll hand out some pre-season team awards, and look at our top-five must-watch games of the year.
MVP: Damian Johnson and Lawrence Westbrook
Both DJ and Lawrence are primed for excellent senior campaigns. It looks like it will be the type of year where you don’t want to single one out as MVP, so they can share the honor.
Damian is the best defensive player on a defensive team, and he sets the tone for the squad. His defensive versatility is rare: Don’t be surprised if he averages six-plus steals and blocks per game. I’ve been adamant that he will win the Big Ten defensive player of the year this season, and I still see no reason why he won’t. (Although I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Kramer steals it from him, based almost solely on the fact that he plays for Purdue. It happened with Walton last year.)
What excites me most about DJ this season, though, is his offensive potential.
- Damian’s mid-range game will be crucial to the Gophers this season.
I see him becoming a better and more versatile scorer; he has slimed down noticeably this year, and has shown a nice mid-range touch. The Gophers need a player or two to step up and consistently down mid-range jumpers. Johnson should be able to do that. DJ will post the best offensive numbers of his career this season.
Lawrence can be a top-notch scorer, but needs to develop more consistency to become the premier offensive threat he can be. And he has to become a better distributor of the ball. He averaged 1.4 apg last season; that’s not good enough for a player of his caliber. He could, and probably should, average around 3.5 to 4 apg this season. If he can do that—and I think he will—we have a chance to do a lot of damage in the Big Ten.
Newcomer of the Year: Rodney Williams
This one has become progressively easier over the last couple of weeks. And even if he takes this one almost by default, how can you not be excited every time Williams steps on the floor? He has the potential to be one of the most electric players in the Big Ten as a freshman.
Watch him closely next game. On offense, he will stand by the baseline, slowly creep towards the basket, and call for an alley-oop. Every possession. And somehow nobody threw him one last game. I was thoroughly disappointed.
There is more to Rodney’s games than dunks. Those get all the hype, and, honestly, deserve most of it. He will have a lot of memorable dunks over the course of his Gopher career. But he’s also got a nice shot and can drive the lane, both of which our offense needs. In the end, though, the Kid’s appeal is dunking. When you can throw it down like he can, that’s not surprising.
Most Improved: Ralph Sampson III
The “most improved” debate surrounds RSIII and Devoe Joseph. Both should be greatly improved and accept larger roles in their sophomore seasons. Devoe’s outside shooting will be crucial to the Gophers this year, and if he shoots like he did against Minnesota State-Moorhead he will not disappoint. (He did haveelectric shooting games last season, but also had his share of quiet ones. If he develops a more consistent outside shot this year, watch out.)
I went with Intensity because it looks like he will play a slightly bigger role than Devoe. Tubby will find ways to get Devoe into the game, rotating him at both one- and two-guard, but Nolen and Westbrook will limit his plying time. Ralph, though, is our go-to big guy. And I think he will be able to shoulder the extra load. He is bigger and stronger entering his second year, and his offensive skills, while still developing, are becoming more well-rounded. Intensity’s post game will surprise many this year. He should be better on the boards and defensively as well. RSIII will take some major steps in his second season.
Comeback Player of the Year: Blake Hoffarber
In his freshman season, Blake averaged 8.4 ppg and shot .425 from behind the arc. His sophomore season was a step back, though, and he averaged 6.4 ppg and shot .341 on his threes. He could just never get on track, and was visibly frustrated with his shooting in a lot of games last year.
But Hoff is a hard worker, and I think he will regain his swagger this year, posting numbers that will match—and possibly exceed—his freshman year. Hoffarber should win back the heartthrob moniker that he may have lost last year, and he will certainly be the Gopher of choice for the entire 13- to 15-year-old girl fan base. I don’t see how they couldn’t like Ralph, but, then again, I don’t really have any solid ground on which to relate to 13- to 15-year-old girls.
In addition, Blake has shown an improved all-around game in the couple of exhibitions, clearing a few boards and attacking the basket. Hopefully this trend will continue throughout the season.
- Seriously, how could you not love him?
Defensive Player of the Year: Damian Johnson
Quite a shocker, right? I’ve preached his defense enough, so I see no reason to keep going. You’ve seen DJ play defense. He’s very good at it.
Top Five Games of the Year
November 26 vs. No. 10 Butler
This will be the Gophers first true test of the year, following three breezy home non-conference games. The game in Anaheim, in the opening round of the 76 Classic, will show if the Gophers are set to compete against the best teams in the nation. And a win against Butler—and perhaps some other solid teams in the tournament, including UCLA and West Virginia—will give the Gophers a much-needed strong non-conference win that will help earn a higher seed come Selection Sunday.
January 5 at No. 7 Purdue
The Gopher’s first Big Ten test after opening conference play against Penn State and Iowa. Mackey Arena is a tough place to play, and Purdue is arguably the best team in the Big Ten. Not a game that we can necessarily expect to win, but it will be a good acid test for the Gophers.
January 23 vs. No. 2 Michigan State
It’s on national TV (CBS), and you always have to be excited whenever the Spartans come to town. We will need to beat Michigan State or Purdue at least once this year to show we belong at the top of the Big Ten, and this seems like the game to do it. It will be an electric atmosphere in Williams for this one.
January 31 at No. 17 Ohio State/February 27 at Illinois/March 3 at No. 15 Michigan
The Gophers need a couple of road wins against top Big Ten teams this season after struggling on the road last year. Assuming that those wins won’t come at Michigan State or Purdue, hopefully we can win two of these three.
February 18 vs. Wisconsin
Better dead than red.
On a quick final thought, I read a nice article about Dan Monson a few days ago. He’s at Long Beach State now, and it looks like they have a shot at the Big West title. Monson inherited a dismantled program after Clem Haskins’s academic fraud scandal, and did a pretty good job reconstructing the pieces of the program. Good to see that Dan is happy, and I hope to see him succeed at Long Beach State. He put Gonzaga on the map, so history may be on his side.