With that said, in my fifth year of being a voter, I once again share with you my selections leading up to the big night next month. Let the discussions begin.
You can also see how I voted for the All-Met women's basketball awards by clicking here.
With all due respect to Justin Robinson, a worthy recipient in any other year, the vote for the Player of the Year honor in the metropolitan area should be unanimous for Delgado, the nation's leading rebounder at 13.1 boards per game. The 6-foot-10 Dominican also recorded 27 double-doubles over the course of a 21-win season for the Pirates, leading them to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament in the process. Delgado became the first player to amass 20 points and 20 rebounds in a Big East Conference game when he scored 21 and grabbed 20 boards against St. John's in January, then backed it up with 22 rebounds in Seton Hall's ensuing contest at home against Butler three days later. Whether or not he turns pro, as he has been rumored to be considering, remains to be seen; but in the interim, the best big man in the Big East should be a no-brainer when it comes to adding another individual accolade to his resume, following in the footsteps of former teammate Isaiah Whitehead as the best in the region.
Also considered: Justin Robinson, Monmouth; Khadeen Carrington, Seton Hall
Rest of All-Met First Team, in alphabetical order:
Khadeen Carrington, Seton Hall
Jerome Frink, LIU Brooklyn
Tyler Nelson, Fairfield
Justin Robinson, Monmouth
Jordan Washington, Iona
All-Met Second Team, in alphabetical order:
Shamorie Ponds, St. John's
Desi Rodriguez, Seton Hall
Quadir Welton, Saint Peter's
Lucas Woodhouse, Stony Brook
Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra
All-Met Third Team, in alphabetical order:
Michael Carey, Wagner
Marcus LoVett, St. John's
Micah Seaborn, Monmouth
Kahlil Thomas, Rider
Trevis Wyche, Saint Peter's
Wrongfully snubbed in favor of Creighton's Justin Patton for Freshman of the Year honors in the Big East, the Brooklyn native will not be short-changed here, as he was head and shoulders above his rookie classmates in the metro area this season. In fact, had it not been for the glut of upperclassmen in front of him with stellar campaigns in their own right, Ponds easily would have garnered a first-team nod on this ballot. As such, it is not inconceivable to think he will end up on the actual first team when all the votes are tabulated. The most prolific scoring freshman in Red Storm history, Ponds will likely be a Haggerty Award favorite next season as he and St. John's look to improve even further following a six-win pickup from head coach Chris Mullin's 8-24 debut one year ago.
Also considered: Marcus LoVett, St. John's; Stevie Jordan, Rider
King Rice may have won 18 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games with Monmouth and taken them to a second straight regular season crown, but at the end of the day, even he admitted Dunne had done a better job with his Saint Peter's team. Building on last season's fourth-place finish, Dunne guided the Peacocks to their first postseason win since 1980 and their first 20-win campaign since winning a MAAC championship in 2011. The season that the 11th-year head coach admitted he wanted to see go on forever continues this weekend, when Saint Peter's travels to Texas State for a CollegeInsider.com Tournament quarterfinal matchup; but regardless of how much more basketball remains to be played, the ability to once again get the most out of what is constantly perceived to be very little in Jersey City simply cannot be ignored.
Also considered: King Rice, Monmouth; Jeff Boals, Stony Brook
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