As America East conference play winds down, we are starting to get a better picture of who might be honored at the end of the season.
These are my personal picks:
First Team
Evan Fjeld, UVM
John Holland, BU
Chris De La Rosa, UMBC (pictured)
Troy Barnies, Maine
Tim Ambrose, UAlbany
I'm tempted to take Barnies off the First Team list based on his recent performance against Hartford, but that's probably not fair. He's still 7th in scoring (14.2), 4th in rebounding (7.7), and 2nd in FG% (.531). De La Rosa jumps out at me as the player of the year so far, leading the conference in assists (6.7, a full TWO assists more a game than the second-place Brian Voelkel), he's also second in points (16.8), and he even found his way onto the rebounding top 20 (at 19th, with 4.4 boards a game) despite being 5'10". Holland (19.0 ppg, 5.6 RPG) and Ambrose (16.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 3.4 APG) should also get a number of first place votes for player of the year.
Second Team
Brian Voelkel, UVM
Logan Aronhalt, UAlbany
Mahamoud Jabbi, Binghamton
Tyrone Conley, UNH
Morgan Sabia, Hartford
Maybe part of the reason I left Barnies on the First Team is because I have no idea who would move up. It would probably be Voelkel, but I'm self-conscious about doing that on a UVM blog. Voelkel is leading the league in Rebounding (9.8), he's second in both steals (1.7) and assists (4.7), and every Vermont fan (and most America East fans by now) knows his overall impact to the team is immeasurable. Aronhalt has been great as Ambrose's sidekick (14.7 PPG), and Sabia is a do-everything guy for Hartford who has very similar numbers to Barnies (14.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG). Maybe Sabia will work his way onto the First Team. I'm guessing Voelkel probably won't.
Did I snub anyone? Arguments could be made for Joe Zeglinski (Hartford), Milton Burton (Hartford), Bryan Dougher (Stony Brook), Gerald McLemore (Maine), and Dane DiLiegro (UNH), among others. But I feel pretty comfortable with these ten guys. So I guess we'll consider those last five "honorable mention," or the Third Team All-Conference.
We will see how my picks match up with those that matter at the end of the season.
Not bad. Barnies as fizzled, along with Maine, down the stretch. I think McLemore makes that team successful. CDLR, Holland and Fjeld are locks. Ambrose is a good pick, statistically.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I know this sounds like a homer pick, Voelkel is not only on my first team; he's my POY if UVM takes the regular season crown (even though I know he doesn't have a chance.)
NO ONE in the league made a bigger difference to a team this season.
UVM may well have finished 5th as predicted without Brian Voelkel. His toughness, hustle and smarts produced up to ten more possessions per game for a team with no point guard and spotty outside shooting (until recently).
Here is the team I'd like to pick to take on any other combination in the AE:
Voelkel
CDLR
Fjeld
McLemore
Aronhalt
Offensively, anyway.....
Oscar,
ReplyDeleteI think you're definitely right about Voelkel -- I elected to be safe rather than go with my gut. I think it's interesting you have McLemore there instead of Barnies and Aronhalt over Ambrose. I unfortunately get to watch very little America East down here in Texas, so the impressions I get from players are often based on their performances vs. Vermont. Otherwise, I rely on stats, which can only tell you so much.
The team you propose is a bunch of players I would love to have on my team. Fortunately, two of them are!