The Husky Haul
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Pac-10 Mid-Season Awards

By Griffin Bennett

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by: Griffin Bennett

With the Huskies not playing until Sunday, I figured this week would be best to do a mid-season report, even though they have only played 8 games total. I always enjoy the “award” debate that encompasses everyone as the year reaches it’s end. Now would be the best time to delve into the argument and try to discern who is in the league at about the halfway point. Vote in our polls to give us your opinion. Do you have a player on your list that we didn’t? Argue your case in the comments section. Also keep in mind that the statistics used are ONLY from the conference games.

All Defensive Team:

Matthew Bryan-Amaning – UW – F: 1.5 blocks per game, 9.4 rebounds per game.

DeAngelo Casto – WSU – F: 6.9 rebounds per game, 1.75 blocks per game, leads Pac-10 in blocks.

Jared Cunningham – OSU – G: 3.1 steals per game, leads Pac-10 in steals.

Maurice Jones – USC – G: 2.7 steals per game, second in steals in Pac-10.

Nikola Vucevic – USC – F: 10.7 rebounds per game, 7.6 defensive rebounds per game, 1.1 blocks per game, leads Pac-10 in rebounds.

Defensive Player of the Year:

DeAngelo Casto – WSU: I was seriously tempted to choose MBA for this award based on his high rebounding and block numbers, but I am scared that I’d be called a homer. Casto, however, is a blocking beast and everyone who enters the paint has to be aware of him. It’s a weak year for defensive players, and I hesitate to choose Cunningham as his 1-3-1 zone gives him half of his steals. Seth Tarver won the same award last year playing the point in the 1-3-1 as well. If MBA can keep up his rebounding and block totals, he could sneak into the conversation late.

Freshman All Pac-10 Team:

Allen Crabbe – Cal – G: 16.5 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game as a starter for Cal.

Maurice Jones – USC – G: 8 points per game, 2.7 steals per game, and 2.7 assists per game as a starter for USC.

Dwight Powell – Stanford – F: 9.2 points per game, and 6 rebounds per game as a starter for Stanford.

Terrence Ross – UW – G: 10.5 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game while only playing 15 minutes per game.

Joshua Smith – UCLA – F: 9 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game coming off of the bench playing 19 minutes per game.

Freshman of the Year:

Allen Crabbe – Cal: He is running away with the award due to the playing time and his scoring numbers. It would be an upset for anyone else to win this award at this point.

Most Improved Player of the Year:

Jared Cunningham – OSU: He has increased his minutes from 19 to 29 per game as well as his scoring from 6.3 to 15.7. His steals have increased from 1.6 to 3.1 per game as well.

  • Honorable Mention: Justin Holiday – UW: Increased points (5.8 to 12.5), Harper Kamp – Cal: Increased points (4.2 to 16.6) rebounds (3.4 to 5.3) from 08/09 to this year as he sat out all of last year.

Coach of the Year:

Ben Howland – UCLA: The Bruins are tied for second with a 5-2 record while playing with a team that, statistically, has the least experience. This is the toughest call with only 7 games played by the Bruins, but Howland has proven that they are a top 3 Pac-10 team despite the lack of upperclassmen with previous playing time.

Honorable Mention: Lorenzo Romar – UW, Ken Bone – WSU.

All-Pac-10 Team:

First Team:

  • Matthew Bryan-Amaning – UW – F
  • Joevon Catron – Oregon – F
  • Jared Cunningham – OSU – G
  • Jeremy Green – Stanford – G
  • Tyler Honeycutt – UCLA – F
  • Reeves Nelson – UCLA – F
  • Isaiah Thomas – UW – G
  • Klay Thompson – WSU – G
  • Nikola Vucevic – USC – F
  • Derrick Williams – Arizona – F

Second Team:

  • Ty Abbott – ASU – G
  • Faisal Aden – WSU – G
  • Allen Crabbe – Cal – G
  • Justin Holiday – UW – F
  • Harper Kamp – Cal – F

Player of the Year:

Here are your candidates…

Like the defensive player award, the winner isn’t completely based on stats. As it has been proven in past years (Randle), the player of the year usually comes from the best player on the best team. Even though MBA has the scoring title on the Huskies, if you watch them play you soon realize that Isaiah Thomas is the best player on the floor. At least 50% of MBA’s points come from Thomas’ assists. If this was the NBA MVP race, my vote would be for Derrick Williams. He is the best player in the league with the best numbers. Fortunately, this is the Pac-10 Player of the Year award which means something different. The player in the league that has been the biggest story has been Thomas. Ask Sean Miller who he would vote for.

Winner: Isaiah Thomas – UW –

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