End of the Season Awards

Well folks, I've finally got some time to give you my first and second All-America teams and all the conference picks you could ask for. I will include Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and the teams I think that will play in the NCAA tournament. If you have any questions, comments or even hate mail, send it my way.

FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA

G Brandon Roy
G JJ Redick
F Adam Morrison
F Nick Fazekas
C Shelden Williams

SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICA

G Randy Foye
G Maurice Ager
F PJ Tucker
F Rudy Gay
C Terence Dials

COACH OF THE YEAR-- Roy Williams just barely over Bruce Pearl

PLAYER OF THE YEAR-- Adam Morrison


AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Larry Harrison of Hartford took his team from worst to third in just one season.
Player of the Year-- Kenny Adeleke, also from Hartford, led the conference in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage while finishing second in shots blocked. Jamar Wilson was the best player on the best team, Albany, but Adeleke dominated the conference all season.
Bids-- Albany

ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Karl Hobbs of George Washington who won 26 games, lost just one (on the road at NC State) and is now a hot coaching prospect around the country.
Player of the Year-- Mardy Collins of Temple played at both ends of the floor all season. He scored 17.1 points per game while still collecting five rebounds, adding four assists and taking two steals a game.
Bids-- George Washington

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Roy Williams of North Carolina. He took a team considered no better than fifth-best in the ACC and won 21 games, beat Duke and put the Tar Heels in the running for a potential 2-seed. Al Skinner was close in this for me after guiding Boston College to an 11-5 finish in a tough conference, representing the old Big East well.
Player of the Year-- JJ Redick of Duke. It's kind of obvious, do I really need to explain why?
Bids-- Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, NC State and Florida State

ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Rick Byrd of Belmont. He got his team to the NCAA tournament, what else do you want from him?
Player of the Year-- Justin Hare of Belmont played like a pro in the conference tournament. But this award is for the regular season, so let's look at his other stats: 16 points, four boards and three assists a game from the point guard position.
Bids-- Belmont

BIG 12 CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Bill Self of Kansas pulled off a similar feat to Roy Williams at UNC, taking a highly inexperienced club and turning them into an exciting, explosive team capable of turning heads in the tournament.
Player of the Year-- PJ Tucker of Texas led his team in rebounding at just 6-5. He also led the club in scoring and provided a versatile wing player for the 25-win Longhorns.
Bids-- Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

BIG EAST CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Tom Crean of Marquette won 20 games and 10 in the conference in Marquette's transition year to the toughest conference in America. His team is primed for a seed somewhere between 4 and 7, a job well done.
Player of the Year-- Randy Foye of Villanova led his team to a 14-win season in conference while being Mr. Versatility, scoring 20 points, grabbing five rebounds and adding three assists a game.
Bids-- UConn, Villanova, West Virginia, Pitt, Georgetown, Marquette, Seton Hall, Cincinnati

BIG SKY CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Mike Adras of Northern Arizona is a finalist for the Mid-Major Coach of the Year. He took his team to 20 wins and a first place finish in conference.
Player of the Year-- Andrew Strait of Montana dominated the Big Sky this season averaging 17 points and just about seven rebounds a game.
Bids-- Northern Arizona

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Buzz Peterson of Coastal Carolina took his program to a third place finish and out of relative obscurity.
Player of the Year-- Torrell Martin of Winthrop because he was the best player on the best team. 'Nuff said.
Bids-- Winthrop

BIG TEN CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Thad Matta of Ohio State surprised everyone by getting his Buckeyes a Big Ten regular season title.
Player of the Year-- Terence Dials of Ohio State scored over 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds a game to lead the Buckeyes.
Bids-- Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan State and Michigan

BIG WEST CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Larry Reynolds of Long Beach State coached his team to a solid third place finish after losing 20 games last season.
Player of the Year-- Christian Maraker of Pacific dominated the Big West for another season. He was the best player on the best team and makes for a pretty nice NBA prospect.
Bids-- Pacific

COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Coach of the Year-- Jim Larranga of George Mason had his team nationally ranked and, despite losing in the semifinals of their conference tournament, has the Patriots in a good position to receive an at-large bid.
Player of the Year-- Loren Stokes of Hofstra combined dynamic scoring with a solid all-around game to help Hofstra to 24 wins.
Bids-- UNC-Wilmington, George Mason

CONFERENCE USA

Coach of the Year-- John Calipari of Memphis won 27 games and had his team as high as third in the national rankings.
Player of the Year-- Rodney Carney of Memphis dominated both ends of the floor with his ridiculous athleticism. He led the best team in the conference in scoring and provides a highly explosive wing scorer for the Tigers.
Bids-- Memphis, UAB

HORIZON LEAGUE

Coach of the Year-- Rob Jeter of Wisconsin-Milwaukee took over for Bruce Pearl and delivered the goods, winning the Horizon League regular season title.
Player of the Year-- Joah Tucker of Wisconsin-Milwaukee led the team in scoring and isn't afraid to hustle.
Bids-- UW-Milwaukee

IVY LEAGUE

Coach of the Year-- Fran Dunphy of Penn guided the Quakers to their second straight NCAA bid and a 20-win season.
Player of the Year-- Ibrahim Jaaber of Penn torched opponents all season, pouring in 18 points per game.
Bids-- Penn

METRO ATLANTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Bobby Gonzalez of Manhattan won yet another MAAC regular season title with the Jaspers. The question is now whether or not he'll be back.
Player of the Year-- Keydren Clark of St. Peter's scores like Captain Planet after he saves the world from yet another environmental disaster. I saw him play way back in the early part of the nonconference season and he was just plain nasty.
Bids-- Iona

Mid Continent Conference-- please refrain from "incontinent" jokes

Coach of the Year-- Ron Hunter of IUPUI brought his team to a first place finish in the MCC and is now receiving attention as a potential replacement for Mike Davis at Indiana.
Player of the Year-- George Hill of IUPUI was a triple-double threat all season for the Jaguars.
Bids-- Oral Roberts

Mid-American Conference

Coach of the Year-- Jim Christian of Kent State guided his team to a BracketBuster victory, a regular season conference title and 22 wins.
Player of the Year-- Jay Youngblood of Kent State provided consistent play from a leadership position, helping his team win 15 conference games.
Bids-- Kent State

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Coach of the Year-- Greg Jackson of Delaware State continues to succeed as one of the nation's more dominant in-conference coaches.
Player of the Year-- Jasha Bluntt of Delaware State led his team in scoring, rebounding and terrible last names.
Bids-- Delaware State

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Mark Turgeon of Wichita State helped separate his team from the rest of the pack, winning 14 conference games and wrapping up an at-large bid.
Player of the Year-- Ben Jacobsen of Northern Iowa carried his Panthers club to 23 wins and a national ranking. In a conference where team comes first, Jacobsen provided the best all-around, individual performances of the season.
Bids-- Southern Illinois, Wichita State, Bradley, Northern Iowa and Missouri State

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Steve Fisher of San Diego State helped his Aztecs emerge as the top contenders for the automatic bid in the MWC despite the pressure from Air Force and BYU
Player of the Year-- Brandon Heath of San Diego State provided a dynamic guard for the Aztecs on both offense and defense. His 18-plus points per game made him a constant threat.
Bids-- San Diego State, Air Force

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Tom Green of Fairleigh Dickinson had his Knights back in contention yet again for the NEC automatic bid.
Player of the Year-- Chad Timberlake of Fairleigh Dickinson led the NEC's best team in scoring and assists while collecting 5.5 rebounds a game from the guard position.
Bids-- Fairleigh Dickinson

OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Mick Cronin of Murray State coached his team to 17 conference wins and an NCAA tournament bid.
Player of the Year-- Shawn Witherspoon did everything for the Racers this season, providing a spark on defense and offense.
Bids-- Murray State

PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Ben Howland of UCLA led his team to a Pac-10 title and has the program on the rebound after several years of struggling.
Player of the Year-- Brandon Roy of Washington dominated the Pac-10 in every aspect, leading his team in assists and scoring while providing some valuable leadership.
Bids-- Washington, UCLA, Cal, Arizona

PATRIOT LEAGUE

Coach of the Year-- Pat Flannery of Bucknell taught the Bison how the win and win regularly. The Bison went undefeated in conference play and were nationally ranked before losing a tough road game at Northern Iowa.
Player of the Year-- Charles Lee of Bucknell did a little bit of everything for the Bison this season. He scored, rebounded, distributed and played smart, solid defense.
Bids-- Bucknell

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Bruce Pearl, duh, of Tennessee put the Volunteers on the map with a 17-point taming of the Texas Longhorns back in December. The Vols never looked back, sweeping Florida and winning the SEC East.
Player of the Year-- Darrel Mitchell of LSU stands just 5 foot 11 inches tall but plays like a true competitor. He scored 17.6 points, dropped 4.6 assists and grabbed 2.8 rebounds a game to help the LSU Tigers to the SEC West Division title.
Bids-- LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky and Alabama

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Bob McKillop of Davidson used a strong group of student athletes to earn an NCAA bid.
Player of the Year-- Elton Nesbitt of Georgia Southern did his thing all season, dropping 22 points per game.
Bids-- Davidson

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Mike McConathy of Northwestern State really took his team to new levels this season as the Demons won 22 games.
Player of the Year-- Clifton Lee was the best player on clearly the best team in the conference.
Bids-- Northwestern State

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Michael Grant of Southern led his team to a conference title while taking the Jaguars a step above their conference foes.
Player of the Year-- Christopher Alexander of Southern dominated the scoring category for his team all season, he will be a tough player to guard in the NCAA tournament for the power teams.
Bids-- Southern

SUN BELT CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- John Pelphrey of South Alabama has brought his team into national consideration as a potential Cinderella.
Player of the Year-- Courtney Lee of Western Kentucky led his team in assist and rebounds while helping the Hilltoppers to 23 wins.
Bids-- South Alabama

WEST COAST CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Mark Few of Gonzaga figured out the best way to use his multi-talented squad to support Adam Morrison. Look out for these guys.
Player of the Year-- Adam Morrison of Gonzaga just dominates every facet of the game. When he is playing, everyone knows.
Bids-- Gonzaga

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Coach of the Year-- Mark Fox of Nevada has his team in the running for a high seed in the tournament.
Player of the Year-- Nick Fazekas of Nevada beat out Paul Millsap in the Battle for the WAC's Big Mack. He is just dominant.
Bids-- Nevada