2020-21 MBWA awards ballot

We made it through arguably the most unorthodox and unique season of college basketball that any of us will probably ever experience, and as a result, an annual rite of passage carries us through April and into the offseason, that of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers’ Association awards, honors for which I have the privilege of voting for a ninth consecutive year.

For the second year in a row, the formal get-together at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown has been scrapped due to the pandemic, but it has not prevented the recognitions from being handed out. There is a slight change to this year’s voting, as the MBWA has tweaked the traditional three-team setup to a more uniform two-team vote with seven players on each. As I have always done and will again, I will post my ballot here in this space as well as on Twitter, and will welcome any conversation regarding my own choices or those that you may have:

Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award: Julian Champagnie, St. John’s (19.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG) (Photo by Vincent Dusovic/St. John’s Athletics)

In one of the more wide-open Haggerty Award races in recent memory, it was Champagnie’s quiet consistency and willingness to strap the Red Storm on his back as St. John’s continued its upward trajectory in the Big East Conference that vaulted him to the top of the field. While Rutgers reached the NCAA Tournament and Seton Hall sputtered down the stretch, Champagnie kept the Johnnies forwardly placed and proved to be the most important player to his team during a crucial stretch run. The sophomore from Brooklyn would be the fourth St. John’s player in the past eight years to claim the Haggerty, joining D’Angelo Harrison (2014), Sir’Dominic Pointer (2015) and Shamorie Ponds (2018).

Also considered: Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall; Jacob Young, Rutgers

Rest of All-Met first team, in alphabetical order:

Posh Alexander, St. John’s

Myles Johnson, Rutgers

Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall

Jalen Ray, Hofstra

Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall

Jacob Young, Rutgers

All-Met second team, in alphabetical order:

Geo Baker, Rutgers

Deion Hammond, Monmouth

Ron Harper, Jr., Rutgers

Isaac Kante, Hofstra

Alex Morales, Wagner

KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s

Isaiah Ross, Iona

Honorable mentions, in alphabetical order:

Tareq Coburn, Hofstra

Zach Cooks, NJIT

Elijah Ford, Wagner

Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona

Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider

Eral Penn, LIU

Tyler Thomas, Sacred Heart

Rookie of the Year: Posh Alexander, St. John’s (10.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.6 SPG) (Photo by Red Storm Report)

With college rosters in greater flux than ever before thanks to the volatility of the transfer portal, it has become increasingly rare to find a player who is a perfect marriage for his coach and system as an underclassman. Alexander’s aggressive style is an almost natural soulmate to the frenetic, in-your-face defensive schemes employed by Mike Anderson, and the freshman took advantage of his opportunities to shine in the non-conference season, only ramping up his intensity from there en route to Big East Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year honors, marking the first time a first-year player captured both merits since Allen Iverson over a quarter-century ago.

Also considered: Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona; Ricardo Wright, Marist

Peter A. Carlesimo Coach of the Year Award: Steve Pikiell, Rutgers (Photo by USA Today)

For the second year in a row, Pikiell claims this plaudit by having delivered on his guarantee that the NCAA Tournament would be experienced in Piscataway, and then leading the Scarlet Knights to a victory in the nation’s most prestigious postseason tournament for the first time since 1983. Pikiell’s steady hand and knack for player development in a season where Rutgers navigated a full 20-game Big Ten Conference slate and emerged from the condensed season without a COVID-related pause takes on greater significance in light of the circumstances each team had to endure, and will only burnish his and his players’ legacies on the banks for years to come.

Also considered: Rick Pitino, Iona; Mike Anderson, St. John’s