College basketball mailbag

My all-conference selections always spark lots of positive and negative emotions, many of which are reflected in this week’s mailbag. It baffles me how people get so caught up with stats. Numbers are important, but at some point you’ve got to sit down, watch the game and decide who is better.

Questioning Greenberg

I like all of your picks for the All-ACC team except for Virginia Tech’s Seth Greenberg as Coach of the Year. He lost twice to Virginia – a bad ACC bottom dweller. Sure, the Hokies beat Duke, but that seemed to be because Duke couldn’t finish. Seth is a motivator, but recruiting is a big part of building a team. When you’re playing a maximum of six players – a formula that doesn’t work well in postseason tournaments – then how are you developing the team? I think people are making too much out of the fact that two of his potential starters were hurt. The coach of the year should’ve been either Roy Williams or Mike Krzyzewski. Duke lost Kyrie Irving and steadied the ship to stay in contention for a No. 1 seed. North Carolina overcame the transfer of three players to stay in the Top 20.

Kevin Moore
Richmond, Va.

Those are all good points, Kevin. And of course, as luck would have it, Virginia Tech got slaughtered by Boston College less than 24 hours after I released my All-ACC team. I guess that’s the price I’ll have to pay for doing it a week early, because I probably would’ve made a different choice in the wake of that embarrassing defeat, which occurred in Malcolm Delaney’s final home game in Blacksburg. Still, even if Virginia Tech fails to make the NCAA tournament, I think Greenberg has done an admirable job. I disagree that “too much” is being made of the injuries to J.T. Thompson and Dorenzo Hudson. They combined to average 22.5 points last year. That’s a big loss. Throw in the heart condition that has kept Florida transfer Allan Chaney off the court and the season-ending injury to reserve Cadarian Raines, and it’s obvious that the Hokies weren’t playing with a full deck. So, sure, they struggled early against NCAA tournament teams such as Kansas State, Purdue and UNLV. What’s admirable, though, is that just when the season appeared as if it were going to turn into a complete disaster, Virginia Tech bounced back and found a way to win 19 games with a depleted roster. As far as Greenberg’s formula for “only playing six players” … who else was he going to play? I guess I just respect Greenberg and his players for fighting back in the face of adversity, even if there were a few speed bumps (i.e. the two Virginia losses) along the way. That being said, losing to Boston College in the last regula- season home game was inexcusable. Once again, the Hokies are on the bubble.

Singleton snubbed

Chris Singleton third team All-ACC? Heck, I had him on the first team ahead of Tyler Zeller – and certainly not behind Joe Trapani. Singleton has comparable numbers when it comes to scoring and rebounding. But he’s got more blocks and is a better defender than both of them. Check the numbers. Thanks.

David Washburn
UNC alum and fan

The only reason Singleton was on the third team was because of his injury and the time it’s caused him to miss. Under normal circumstances he’d have been a no-brainer for the first-team. I probably should’ve made a note of that in the article, or just left Singleton off the list altogether and explained my reason for doing so. My apologies.

Johnson overlooked

I'm an Ohio State graduate and a huge Ohio State fan, but for you to pick Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger as Big Ten Player of the Year – and not Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson – is a travesty. Despite the loss of Robbie Hummel and the inconsistent play of E’Twaun Moore, the Boilermakers are still a national top 10 team. That’s mostly because of Johnson. Sullinger has had a phenomenal year, but not quite up to the level of Johnson. Bad choice on your part.

Steve Irwin
No location given

A bad choice? Maybe in your opinion. But a travesty? C’mon. Sullinger is a future NBA lottery pick and the top player on a team that may end up being the No.1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Johnson has had an incredible year and is worthy of first team All-American honors. But to say he’s been head-and-shoulders above Sullinger this season is borderline amusing. You could’ve flipped a coin for this pick.

Besabe deserved better

You leave off Melsahn Besabe of Iowa off the third team All-Big Ten team for the sake of Christian Watford? He scored 20 points both times against Indiana – and Iowa won both games! Then you chose Aaron Craft (7.5 points a game) as Big Ten Freshman of the Year? Basabe averages 11 points on a developing team! Talk about bias and oversight!

Sean Bode
Mazomanie, Wis.

I picked Watford over Basabe for third team All-Big 10 – and it wasn’t even close. Watford averages 16.3 points and six rebounds, and in his one head-to-head meeting with Basabe and the Hawkeyes, Watford scored a season-high 30 points. Basabe is a good player and may even blossom into a star for rapidly improving Iowa, but in the freshman of the year race, he was a distant third to Craft and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Bo Ryan the best

Your knowledge of the Big Ten is limited. The coach of the year is the same guy every year, the guy whose team is picked to finish sixth in the league at best yet every year finishes in the top 15 in the country. The guy who gets zero blue-chippers and only two and three-star players. Purdue was picked by many to win the Big Ten. They did not. You think you can figure it out?

Jeffry Mandell
Chicago

You are referring to Bo Ryan, the Wisconsin coach who has once again guided his team to a high position in the polls – the Badgers are currently ranked No. 10 – when no one thought he could. Ryan would’ve been an excellent selection for Big Ten Coach of the Year. But this season the obvious choice was Painter, who lost his captain and one of his best all-around players (Robbie Hummel) to a knee injury on the first day of practice. Anyone who picked Purdue to win the Big Ten did so before Hummel’s injury. No one thought Purdue would be terrible without Hummel, but there certainly weren’t many people who thought the Boilermakers would be a national title contender, either. But that’s exactly what they’ve become thanks, in large part, to Painter, who may be one of the Top 10 coaches in college basketball.

Learning the Hardaway

To put Aaron Craft over Tim Hardaway Jr. as freshman of the year is ludicrous. Have you not seen what he has done the last dozen games? Maybe you should re-check the stats and consider the value each player has to their team. I like Craft, but Hardaway has been the most impressive freshman other than Jared Sullinger. And it isn't close.

John Carlino
Grosse Point Woods, Mich.

It’s amazing how many e-mails I received criticizing my choice of Craft as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. And for the record, I didn’t pick Sullinger because I’d already named him player of the year, and there’s nothing wrong with spreading the love. Anyway, back to Craft … how can anyone not be impressed when a freshman is chosen to run the point for what could be the top team in America? Think about it: Ohio State lost last season’s national player of the year in Evan Turner, and the Buckeyes actually got better. A lot of that is because of Sullinger, but I guarantee you this wouldn’t have happened without Craft. And don’t start throwing all these misleading statistics at me. Put down the stat sheet and watch the game. Craft setting the tempo, firing up his teammates and making sure the ball doesn’t stick in anyone’s hands too long. I don’t care if he’s only averaging 7.5 points. It’s not his job to score and he knows it. Craft has been a huge difference-maker for a team that may win the national title.

Love for Lavin

I am a Syracuse fan but watch a lot of Big East basketball. I am amazed at the job Steve Lavin did at St. John’s. One of the toughest things to do in coaching is to come in and win with another guy's players. Also when we look at disastrous losses at the beginning of the season and incredible wins at the end, it shows us how much the squad improved, in my opinion. It’s also interesting that you have five guards on the first team and no centers at all. Your rules, so I can't complain. Rick Jackson of Syracuse deserved the first team but it’s hard to compare guards to forwards.

Dan Steinbach
Commack, N.Y.

I selected Rick Pitino as Big East Coach of the Year, but there was really no wrong choice among a group that also included Lavin and Notre Dame’s Mike Brey. Heck, I even considered Rutgers’ Mike Rice simply because he was able to make what had been a brutal Scarlet Knights team competitive in his first year. But back to the question … the thing to remember about Lavin is that he inherited a team with 10 seniors. St. John’s hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2002, but it’s not as if this bunch was God-awful last season, when it went 17-16. There were some good players on that roster that simply needed a jolt of confidence. Lavin gave it to them and excited long-suffering St. John’s fans in the process. For that, he deserves oodles of credit. St. John’s couldn’t have made a better hire. Also, when it comes to picking all-conference teams, I always go with the five best players. Rick Jackson drew the short straw when I was choosing first-teamers. I almost put him ahead of Kemba Walker but decided to go with Walker instead.

Brey got robbed

You picked Rick Pitino as Big East Coach of the Year based on his success that nobody expected. Well, when I told people in October that Notre Dame would finish fourth in the Big East, they laughed at me. They were picked to finish eighth by the experts, yet now they’ve had this great season with no high-profile recruit. That’s why Mike Brey should be Big East Coach of the Year. He beat Louisville, as well. He is one win away – and a loss by Pitt on Saturday – from winning the Big East title. C’mon!

Randy Faurote
Fort Wayne, Ind.

Much like Lavin, Brey would’ve been a good choice, as well. But Notre Dame’s roster included veterans such as Big East Player of the Year Ben Hansbrough, Carleton Scott and Tyrone Nash. Pitino, meanwhile, lost the top three scorers from last year’s team and didn’t have the services of projected starter Jared Swopshire, who has missed the entire season with an injury. Rakeem Buckles has also missed a significant amount of time for a Cardinals squad that doesn’t appear to tout a single NBA prospect. I’m not sure there’s a coach in America who got as much out of a depleted roster with mediocre talent as Pitino. As I’ve said many times in the last few weeks, this may be one of his best coaching jobs yet.

Why Thompson?

I was a little surprised you named Texas’ Tristan Thompson first-team All-Big 12 ahead of Longhorns leading scoring Jordan Hamilton. Any reason?

John Saldivar
Dallas

I made this decision after talking to a handful of Big 12 coaches, most of whom were in agreement that Thompson – and not Hamilton – has been in the X-factor in Texas’ success. Whether he’s scoring in the paint, swishing a midrange jumper or blocking a shot on the defensive end, Thompson impacts the game in so many ways. He seems to alter twice as many shots as he blocks and, even though he’s a freshman, Thompson hasn’t backed down against big-name opponents from schools such as Kansas, Connecticut, Michigan State and Pittsburgh. His attitude and work ethic have brought a new life and spirit to Texas’ program. Hamilton is an excellent scorer and does a good job of crashing the boards, but he’s been brutal down the stretch, having gone just 26-of-85 from the field (30.5 percent) in his last five games. Three of those contests resulted in losses to Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas State that could ultimately cost Texas the Big 12 title. Hamilton is also a huge liability on defense and often has to be removed from close games because the coaches fear he’ll get beaten on a key play down the stretch. Hamilton’s attitude is also a problem at times. On numerous occasions he’s been spotted shouting at coach Rick Barnes entering a timeout, and he often flails his arms and grimaces when his teammates don’t pass him the ball or when he’s removed from a game. That type of body language isn’t impressive or healthy for team chemistry. Hamilton will probably make most publications’ first-team All-Big 12 squad, which will be completely understandable, because he’s been very, very good for most of the season. But when it comes to the complete package, I prefer Thompson.

McGruder a masterpiece

I was impressed by your selection of Rodney McGruder for the Big 12 third team. He doesn't get much attention, but without him Kansas State would not be NCAA-bound. Jacob Pullen is the big name right now, but in two years, McGruder will be first team All-Big 12.

Will Pope
No location given

McGruder, who averages 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, has been one of Kansas State’s unsung heroes the past few weeks. He’s scored in double figures in eight of his last nine games and had 22 points in Monday’s win at Texas. He’s one of the league’s most improved players who will shine even more once he escapes Pullen’s shadow.

Pullen ahead

Nice to see you're still a homer for Kansas, Jason. Marcus Morris is a terrible interior defender, a head-case and an average scorer. He had some great games, but didn't exactly carry his team night in and night out. Anyone but Jacob Pullen for Big 12 Player of the Year is a laugh. He's actually the Big 12’s leading scorer on conference games. He’s also the best defender in the conference and he isn’t surrounded by first-round talent. No-brainer.

Brian Moore
Shawnee, Kan.

I received a bunch of e-mails on this one, so I’ll give a lengthy answer just to make sure everyone understands where I was coming from. The award isn’t called Big 12 Player of the Last Three Weeks. It’s called Big 12 Player of the Year. As well as Pullen has been playing lately, it’d be irresponsible to forget about the first half of the season, when Kansas State was generally regarded as one of the biggest disappointments in all of college basketball. Analysts ranked the Wildcats No. 3 in the preseason poll mainly because of Pullen and the guidance he would supposedly bring to a squad that lost its emotional leader in Denis Clemente. Initially, Pullen failed. He missed 11 of his 12 shots in a 14-point loss to Duke and was on the court for his team’s embarrassing 44-point performance in a setback against Florida. Three days later, Pullen and Curtis Kelly were suspended for accepting impermissible benefits from a Manhattan clothing store. The suspensions led to a loss against UNLV that will eventually hurt the Wildcats’ NCAA tournament seeding. Pullen returned and not much changed, as Kansas State lost four of its first five Big 12 games. Instead of rallying his teammates, he pouted and said he’d refuse to play in the NIT if Kansas State failed to get to the NCAA tournament. It was a terrible look for Pullen and the Wildcats, who later had two players quit the team. I’m not blaming all of Kansas State’s early season troubles on Pullen, but as a senior captain, he should shoulder some of the responsibility. And just because he’s playing well now doesn’t mean we should ignore or forget about what happened in November, December and January – especially when you’re comparing him to the best player on a 28-2 team that just wrapped up its seventh straight conference title. Morris is a future first-round draft pick who Kansas’ Bill Self has labeled as the most versatile player he’s ever coached. Has he played better than Pullen during the last month? Absolutely not. But he’s had a better season that’s been free of selfish quotes and suspensions. And he hasn’t cost his team any games. From start to finish, Morris has been the best all-around player in the league. I’d love to see what kind of stats he could put up on a less-balanced team where he had the freedom to take 20 shots a game. Something, though, tells me Morris would prefer 28 wins and a conference championship to that kind of situation any day.