North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes' World ACC Basketball Awards
3/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Now that we know who won Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the ACC, it's time for me to give out my own postseason awards. As I made my way through the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Virginia and Maryland this season, I witnessed some amazing moments. Using my ever-deteriorating memory as a guide, I've come up with my own awards categories. We bring you the 2001 Haynes' World ACC Basketball Awards.
Black Sunday Award: North Carolina wins hands down. Rainy days and Sundays always get to the Tar Heels, who lost games on five consecutive Sundays. The streak started with an upset defeat at Clemson and ended with a second round loss to Penn State in the NCAA Tournament.
William Shatner Award: This one goes to the player who has a tendency to over dramatize the importance of a given moment on the court. The Captain Kirk Trophy goes to Maryland's Byron Mouton, who likes to pump his fist after making a free throw. It's one thing to show enthusiasm, but to outwardly celebrate a successful free throw with 18:26 remaining in the first half is somewhat unusual.
Marked Man Award: There were times during the season when I thought NC State forward Damon Thornton was on the verge of being called for a foul in pre-game warm ups. He was clearly whistled for more "breathing" fouls than any other player in the history of the game. Damon should have adjusted to the officiating by holding his breath. Honorable mention goes to Darius Songaila of Wake Forest.
Best Referee: Maybe next year.
Most underrated player(s): The co-winners are Roger Mason of Virginia and Georgia Tech point guard Tony Akins. An excellent shooter from both the floor and the free throw line, Mason became Uva's 'go to guy' late in the season. After surviving a challenging apprenticeship in his first two seasons at Tech, Akins became one of the league's best point guards as a junior. Without him, the Jackets wouldn't have become an NCAA Tournament team in Paul Hewitt's first year.
Regretful Decision Award: Terence Morris, University of Maryland. Prior to his junior season, the 6-9 Morris was picked as the pre-season ACC Player of the Year and was being tabbed as a sure lottery pick. Since then, his value has fallen faster than most tech stocks.
Trickle Down Economics Award: When Joseph Forte was shooting and scoring, everyone at North Carolina was benefiting. But the trickle down effect subsided when a tentative Forte pulled back after a teammate expressed the opinion that he was shooting too much.
Double Screen Award: Only one man in the ACC is capable of setting a double pick all by himself. The co-winners are Florida State's 6-10, 380 pound center Nigel "Big Jelly" Dixon and Florida State's 6-10, 380 pound center Nigel "Big Jelly" Dixon. Suffice to say, we'll need to give out two trophies.
Get That *$#@! Out of Here Award: North Carolina's Brendan Haywood and Alvin Jones of Georgia Tech averaged more than three blocked shots per game.
Broadcasting Cliché' Award: Goes to any of my colleagues who say that a certain team has overachieved. It is impossible to overachieve. If someone achieves something great, it means they did something they were capable of doing all along. It would be more appropriate to say a team "exceeded expectations" or "maximized its potential."
