January 31, 2007
I have looked into the VBDI (Vitale Bald Dome Index) and figured out the Player of the Year honors. Hey baby, it comes out of the VBDI every week!
Is there any doubt that Alando Tucker should be at the head of the class? He just went on the road and was the reason Wisconsin won its 17th in a row. Bo Ryan's Badgers have been super. If you want to read more about their super coach, just go to Sports Illustrated and check out Rick Reilly's piece. I have said time and time again he is the most underrated coach in America.
The definition of goodcoaching is to get the maximum performance from your people. It is understanding their strengths and weaknesses and taking those positives and hide the liabilities.
Back to Player of the Year. Tucker is numero uno, but Oregon's Aaron Brooks deserves some love too. How valuable was he? The Ducks lost to Washington when Brooks was sidelined with a one-game suspension due to an elbow thrown at Ryan Appleby last season. When the star guard played against Washington State, it was a different story as he scored 31 in that overtime win.
Ernie Kent and company needed every one of those points to get to the winner's circle against Tony Bennett's ranked Cougars. Brooks has made big play after big play. When filling out your guard slot on an All-America team, his name should be there. I did not give him enough love early but he deserves it.
Diaper dandy Kevin Durant deserves some consideration for Player of the Year as well. He has come up big so many times this season, including his recent showing (34 points, nine rebounds) as the Longhorns held off Baylor.
Taylor, Brooks and Durant stand as my top three, followed by Nevada's Nick Fazekas, who had his fifth double-double of the season in a win over Utah State.
The national Player of the Year race is still up for grabs, but Tucker is my frontrunner.
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in December 1979. Send him a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
