Jeff Goodman's All-American Teams - ESPN Insider

[iowajerms]

Jeff Goodman offers up his college hoops awards, All-American picks - ESPN

Usually I try to pick an All-American team with two guards, two forwards and a center. But the days of pigeonholing guys into distinct positions are over, so I’ve opted to pick the five best players for my All-American Team this season.

It wasn’t that difficult. What was tough was trying to pick the national coach of the year. It’s not easy to pass on a coach who is chasing history, but I wound up going with Virginia’s Tony Bennett -- who won the ACC (over national powers Duke, North Carolina, Louisville and Syracuse) for the second consecutive season.

Here are my picks for the other major college hoops awards along with All-American first- and second-team selections.

Awards picks

Player of the Year: Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin Badgers

Freshman of the Year: Jahlil Okafor, Duke Blue Devils

Defensive Player of the Year: Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky Wildcats

Coach of the Year: Tony Bennett, Virginia Cavaliers

All-Americans

First Team

Frank Kaminsky | forward | 7-foot-0, 230 pounds | Sr. | Wisconsin Badgers
Stats: 18.4 PPG | 8.1 RPG

The guy who averaged just 1.8 points as a freshman and 4.2 points as a sophomore continues to improve. He can do just about everything: He scores in the post, steps out and makes 3s, passes well, rebounds and blocks shots.

Jahlil Okafor | center | 6-11, 270 | Fr. | Duke Blue Devils
Stats: 17.6 PPG | 9.2 RPG
The highly touted big man has lived up to the hype -- and that was no easy task. Okafor is a rarity as a center; he has a wide array of post moves and understands his role.

Willie Cauley-Stein | center | 7-0, 240 | Jr. | Kentucky Wildcats
Stats: 8.9 PPG | 6.4 RPG

He was the most dominant and versatile defender in the nation -- and the primary reason Kentucky’s defense has been so dominant virtually all season long. Cauley-Stein has really improved over his career, and his effort in 2014-15 has been consistent.

D’Angelo Russell | guard | 6-5, 180 | Fr. | Ohio State Buckeyes
Stats: 19.2 PPG | 5.6 RPG | 5.2 APG

He can do whatever you need him to do -- and that’s exactly what he had to do this season for the Buckeyes. Russell can distribute, shoot from deep, and get in the lane and score around the rim.

Jerian Grant | guard | 6-5, 200 | Sr. | Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Stats: 16.8 PPG | 6.7 APG

He was suspended for the second semester last season, and some thought he’d leave for the NBA. Instead, he came back, and he's been sensational -- showing everyone he’s a true combo guard who can score and also set up his teammates.

Second Team

Bobby Portis | forward | 6-11, 240 | So. | Arkansas Razorbacks
Stats: 17.8 PPG | 8.7 RPG

He’s a hard-playing, long and skilled forward who has led the Razorbacks to a fairly elusive NCAA tourney bid. Portis runs the floor well, can score in the paint, and is able to step out and make shots from the perimeter.

Seth Tuttle | forward |6-8, 240 | Sr. | Northern Iowa Panthers
Stats: 15.3 PPG | 6.8 RPG | 3.3 APG

He’s a versatile big man who, much like Kaminsky, can do just about everything. Coach Ben Jacobson runs his offense through Tuttle, and it’s resulted in a season in which UNI won the Missouri Valley tourney and will likely receive a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament.

Delon Wright | guard | 6-5, 190 | Sr. | Utah Utes
Stats: 14.7 PPG | 5.3 APG | 4.7 RPG

The former junior college standout does it on both ends for the Utes. He’s a terrific defender who scores and also distributes the ball. Wright is the primary reason Utah is back on the national map.

Kris Dunn | guard | 6-3, 205 | So. | Providence Friars
Stats: 15.5 PPG | 7.4 APG | 5.6 RPG

He’s had to deal with two major shoulder injuries but has been the best overall player in the Big East this season and has taken the Friars to the NCAA tourney. Dunn is long, athletic and extremely fast. He gets his teammates easy looks and can really guard.

Malcolm Brogdon | guard |6-5, 215 | Jr. | Virginia Cavaliers
Stats: 13.7 PPG | 3.9 RPG | 2.6 APG

If Justin Anderson had stayed healthy, he might have been the rep from Bennett’s Cavaliers. Instead, it’s the steady redshirt junior -- who doesn’t blow people away but does it on both ends and is a tremendous all-around player.

 

[The Derski]

Glad to see no Wichita St. players for once

 

[Runeman]

I would probably throw Carl Towns into that group because for most of the year I think he played better defense than Culley-Stein. That said, I would defer to my Kentucky friends on this one...just my opinion after watching 20-25 Kentucky games and not all 34.

 

[gordontrue]

WCS is only on this list because you can't not have a player from Kentucky when they're having a year like this.

The best teams tend to have so much balance that they don't have the stats to make this type of list. Kaminsky and Okafor are the exceptions as the 2 guys that play for a top contender that also have gaudy stats.

Not sure how Brogdon makes this list, honestly

 

[wingsauce7]

Any Kentucky starter that stays in college past his soph season needs some recognition.

 

[podsox]

bobby portis has some impressive numbers but he is dumb basketball player

 

[Gohogs14]

bobby portis has some impressive numbers but he is dumb basketball player

How so?

 

[podsox]

How so?

horrible shot selection, doesn't get back on defense, and when the opposing team starts to start a run he disappears

 

[Gohogs14]

horrible shot selection, doesn't get back on defense, and when the opposing team starts to start a run he disappears

Yeah I feel like we never get him the ball enough in situations like this. There are times we should look for him every time down the court but he'll go like 6 mins without touching the ball.

Like most teams in the SEC we rely on pure athleticism rather than basketball IQ a lot of the time. Works sometimes but you can't always get away with that.