USA TODAY- NPOY- RJ!!!
- Thread starter timo0402
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And that my friends is why we're gonna win number 6 this year and why at full strength this group is so special, we have not one, but TWO NPOY. Congrats RJ, you earned it.
This was a feel good article until I read their coach of the year choice.
I'm glad he is getting his recognition and due. Congrats young fella, now go get some more hardware!
They really are like a Battier/Williams co-NPOY. Both are very deserving. Duke has the two most talented players in college basketball.
What did Roy do? Are you kidding? He managed to successfully teach the most complicated basketball system ever to two freshmen and the rest of his scholar athletes. They learned that the fast break and the secondary break is the easiest way to score against a defense that is not set.
So what that, if a team does get back, his half court offense is garbage and includes extended periods in the paint exceeding three seconds because that rule is rately enforced? They’ll just push and shove for rebounds when they do miss, another tough call for refs. What did he do? Really....
So HAPPY for RJ. He showed such maturity playing in the shadow of Zion. But for every game and every minute he played, he brought his A game to the table. We may not have liked every shot he took or every pass attempted but we could never not like the effort.
Congarts RJ !!!
Help bring home #6 !!!
Congarts RJ !!!
Help bring home #6 !!!
I actually don't have an issue with Roy winning this award. At minimum, I thought he should have been the ACC COY. No one, and I mean no one, had UNC pegged at 16-2 in conference play....weaker schedule or not.
Part of the problem is that great coaches, like K and Roy, never have a shot to win these awards because of how great they've become. I always thought K should have won the NCOY in 2010 after what he did with that group....but it wasn't going to happen.
K and Roy are the two best coaches in the ACC....one hasn't won the ACC COY in 19 years, and the other has won it twice in 16 years. That's ridiculous. Heck, two years ago the ACC COY didn't even had a winning record in conference play....they went 8-10, for crying out loud!
I like that USA Today went a 'little' off the beaten path to reward both R.J. and Roy on great seasons.
RJ is the only player that could take a POY Award from Zion and it make sense. We have been truly lucky to have had 2 players like RJ and Zion af Duke this season.
That weak and favorable schedule is enough for me to not give it to Roy. But all your points are valid.
What is odd to me is that Coach Williams gets COY, but none of his players are recognized. The way that I interpret that is: Coach did not have the players, but was able to coach them up. And I just don't think that is the case. My respect for Maye has gone way up and White and Johnson are the real deals. Still waiting for the phone call with the committee to discuss, but that is how I see it.
I’m incredibly happy for RJ. He deserved recognition, he has had great games with and without Zion. I’m glad he finally got the awesome headline he deserves. I’m shocked by it, but just because I’m so used to it being the Zion show.
I don’t have a problem with Roy getting coach of the year, because (myself included) nobody expected them to be this good or go 16-2 in the toughest conference. Theo and Joel were major losses. Cameron Johnson went from probable undrafted G-league prospect to mid-late 1st round and climbing. 46% from 3PT is insane. Not sure that we “credit” Roy for that but it’s still a player heavily developing under his wing. This is also the first year UNC has adapted into positionless basketball. Let’s be real, they’d be miserably terribly had Roy chosen to stick to traditional 1-5. Coby White is fantastic but he’s far from a playmaker. Along with no big man presence. I hate to say that Roy made an incredible adjustment but I have to give him credit.
I don’t have a problem with Roy getting coach of the year, because (myself included) nobody expected them to be this good or go 16-2 in the toughest conference. Theo and Joel were major losses. Cameron Johnson went from probable undrafted G-league prospect to mid-late 1st round and climbing. 46% from 3PT is insane. Not sure that we “credit” Roy for that but it’s still a player heavily developing under his wing. This is also the first year UNC has adapted into positionless basketball. Let’s be real, they’d be miserably terribly had Roy chosen to stick to traditional 1-5. Coby White is fantastic but he’s far from a playmaker. Along with no big man presence. I hate to say that Roy made an incredible adjustment but I have to give him credit.
We start 4 guys who were rated outside of the top 100 of their high school classes. We looked like an NIT team in November and our starting point guard is a freshman and really not even a point guard. We are IMO the clear 2nd best team in the country behind Duke. This is probably Roy’s best coaching job hes done at UNC
Back to the topic though, not to take away from RJ but im not sure how you win NPOY when you arent even the best player on your own team. Zion is the clear best player in the country and its by a margin that only KD, Melo and Anthony Davis came close to
I guess it is like when Coach Calipari taught John Wall how to dribble-drive. Not sure where Wall would be without that key coaching insight....
RJ has heart. We'd be well served if everyone had his passion to win at all times. Much deserved.
I know and respect that im a UNC fan and im gonna get the sarcastic replies when I post here but i really hope you dont think John Wall and Coby White are even close to comparable
No worries. I think there are a couple of comparables.
1. Both are very fast.
2. Both have the ability to score off transition.
3. Their speed is a big part of their advantage.
4. Neither were taught that by their coach.
That is, in fact, all that I was implying.
I tell who surprised me this season. Louisville....they are something like 10 points in 3 games from finishing right behind us, UVA and unc
Lost to
Pitt by 2
Fla St by 5
Us by 2
UVA by 5
Those are some really close losses.
If they win those 4, they finish 14-4.
With all that program had going on and new coach. I think that's pretty strong
Lost to
Pitt by 2
Fla St by 5
Us by 2
UVA by 5
Those are some really close losses.
If they win those 4, they finish 14-4.
With all that program had going on and new coach. I think that's pretty strong
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So you agree with the UNC award but not the Duke award? Shocker.
FWIW, I think Roy deserves it. Buuut, having 3 All-ACC senior starters SHOULD result in a very very good record. The fact that K could do it with 4 freshman starters, and do it from the very start of the season (which Roy couldn’t) probably shows K was more deserving. It’s way easier to integrate 1 freshman starter with 3 seniors than 4 freshman starters with 0 seniors and 0 returning starters.
Saying a different Duke player deserves it more than the person who got it isnt really the same as disagreeing with a Duke award. Also, K did a great job with this team. It takes a lot more than just throwing the ball out and letting talent win, if it didnt Calipari would have more than 1 title. Getting 3 guys who before the year were all legitimate candidates to go 1st in the draft to play together and also play within their roles isnt as easy as people think. That bejng said, whether its fair or not K is never winning any sort of coaching awards when he has quite literally the best recruiting class of all time. Its the same kind of unwritten rule thats gonna keep KD or Steph from winning an MVP as long as they play together