Hoopraker’s editorial board engaged in its annual rite of passage on Sunday night at the Spotted Pig, devoting the better part of two transcendent hours at a tiny table crowded with empty pints of Old Speckled Hen to debate, gerrymander and tabulate the 2007-08 Hoopraker All-Big Ten list.
As in year’s past, the results below are certified by waitress Kay and the accounting firm of Monte And Stepson, “Oh, we’ll get your money, don’t you worry ’bout that,†providing timely, aggressive results since Monte’s parole in 2002.
Hoopraker would like to honor the following individuals as graduating the season with honors. Thanks for the inspired basketball gentleman.
2007-08 Hoopraker All-Big Ten Teams
First Team
Jamar Butler, Sr., Ohio State
Eric Gordon, Fr., Indiana
Robbie Hummel, Fr., Purdue
D.J. White, Sr., Indiana
Brian Butch, Sr., Wisconsin
Butler salvaged Ohio State’s season nightly as he proved to be the only player Matta could depend upon. Gordon affirmed the belief of many observers that his talents transcend the collegiate game. After an emotional lull from the post-Sampson trauma, Gordon is well-positioned to exploit his nearly unstoppable game throughout March. Apart from corralling a 4.0 gpa in his first semester at Purdue, Hummel unveiled a complete basketball repertoire well-versed in fundamentals as mundane as following your own shot, which inevitably win games. DJ White was a beast throughout is remarkable senior season. On a team in the mold of Madison’s progressive tradition and founded on democratic principles of sharing, Butch was the glue.
Second Team
Drew Neitzel, Sr., Michigan State
E’Twaun Moore, Fr., Purdue
Michael Flowers, Sr. Wisconsin
Kevin Coble, So., Northwestern
Raymar Morgan, So., Michigan State
Also meriting consideration here were Marcus Landry, Craig Moore, Tony Freeman, Shaun Pruitt, Jamelle Cornley, Geary Claxton. Claxton, the Tweener who Roared would surely have been a repeat Hoopraker first teamer this season if not for the knee injury that sidelined him in the Wisconsin game in January. After an offseason in which he nobly attended to the care for his cancer-stricken mother, Coble returned to Evanston in January and turned in another stellar season for Carmody, a coach who still needs more Cobles to wear purple. Flowers, who memorably nailed a three pointer and sealed a win in Austin with his defense, is the motor to the Badgers as Butch is their heart. The Spartans placed Neitzel and Morgan on the second team. While bother players had solid statistical seasons, they seemed destined to first team status at the season’s start but they plateaued as the season progressed. Whether Sparty can get its groove back will be decided on how these two play in Indianapolis this weekend.
All-Freshman Team
Manny Harris
Michael Thompson
Kosta Koufos
Kalin Lucas
Demetri McCamey
Evan Turner
Due to a counting error by Monte, we’ll take six here. By not repeating Gordon, Hummel, and Moore on this list we allowed for the inclusion of solid first years from Thompson, McCamey and Turner. This was the strongest Big Ten freshmen class in recent memory. McCamey, like most frosh, was inconsistent but he demonstrated the skills that will place him in the elite category of point guards next season. In East Lansing, Kalin Lucas supplanted a team captain as a starter and has emerged, like Mike Conley did last year, as a game changer when the shot clock hits single digits. A slashing and confident scorer, Turner’s emergence in the February has been the most compelling reason Ohio State finds itself one victory against Michigan State on Friday from cementing its invitation to the Big Dance. Harris is a complete guard for Michigan upon whom Beilein relied heavily. Koufos, a player of considerable talent, put together solid numbers in his first (and perhaps only) season despite participating passively in Ohio State’s offense for much of the year. Thompson, like Gordon, Moore, and Harris, found himself leading his team as a frosh and he did so admirably and with Coble, Northwestern has a foundation.
Player of the Year
D.J. White
A unanimous selection. A senior year to remember.
Coach of the Year
Bo Ryan, Matt Painter
Both coaches, at the peak of the powers, turned in remarkable performances. For Ryan, his Big Ten legacy is further cemented by assembling a collection of “slightly better than average players†and turning them into Champions. At Purdue, Matt Painter has given credibility to Hoopraker’s longstanding confidence that he would reestablish Purdue as an eminent Big Ten program and one built for the long haul. For basketball purists, both Wisconsin and Purdue are heartening watch play. Ryan and Painter are not only the best coaches in the Big Ten, they are among the best coaches in the Country. A nod also goes out to Penn State’s Ed DeChellis who managed to scrabble together a 7-9 conference mark, with wins against Michigan State and Indiana, despite the debilitating injuries to Claxton and Cornley.
Kalin Lucas isn’t among the top 8 freshmen in the league! I demand that Monte recount the results!
On a talented Spartan team that stagnated way too much on offense, Lucas was the guy who pushed the tempo and created scoring opportunities late in the shot clock.
Left by KJ on March 12th, 2008