New Mexico Daily Lobo
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Current Date: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:02:53 -0700
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Daily Lobo
Darington Hobson
Possibly Related:
Jury breaks down players' qualifications for Player of the Year
Let he who has not voted cast the first stone.
Since I don’t have a vote in the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, I decided to be an aggregate of opinions and consulted three respected media members — Jay Drew of the Salt Lake City Tribune, Mark Smith of the Albuquerque Journal and Scott Galetti, the Lobos’ play-by-play broadcaster — for their insight.
Consensus was it’s a two-pony race between BYU’s Jimmer Fredette and New Mexico’s Darington Hobson.
Today, the MWC will announce the winner of the prestigious MWC Player of the Year, handed to the best all-around player in the league.
The decision is based on 27 votes, nine go to the coaches and the other 18 go to local beat writers and play-by-play broadcasters of each team, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Smith, who voted for Hobson, said Fredette only playing in half of the biggest game in MWC history could have dissuaded some voters, though Smith said Fredette was legitimately sick.
“Hobson outplayed (BYU), and Fredette hardly played,” he said. “I think Hobson’s the hands-down winner.”
To the contrary, Drew, who voted for Fredette, said the ill-struck BYU guard’s decision to sit out the second half didn’t factor into his choice.
“I sat six feet behind him on the bench,” Drew said. “I saw the whole thing, and I could see him literally vomiting in a garbage can. I could see him asking the coaches if he could go back in. If anybody thinks he ducked out of that game, they’re definitely wrong. He was just flat-out sick.”
If anything, the fact that Fredette averaged 19.7 points per game in MWC contests, in spite of being the focal point on foes’ scouting reports, is nothing short of amazing, Drew said.
“There was a reason he was the Mountain West Conference Preseason Player of the Year. Take nothing away from Hobson, but he basically did all this without everybody knowing how to guard him,” Drew said. “He had the element of surprise on his side. Fredette didn’t have that. People have geared up from the very beginning this year, because of what he’s done the last two years.”
There was no shortage of arguments.
Galetti said Hobson is multi-talented and poses a greater threat to opposing teams than does Fredette.
“To me, Jimmer’s a good outside shooter and he can drive it easily, but I don’t know if he has all these tangibles that Darington does,” Galetti said. “What he brings to the table, both offensively and defensively, just all the variables of scoring and passing, assists — he does it all. And I haven’t seen another player in the league that does that. If he’s having a bad game shooting, he’s going to get you eight or nine assists … Fredette’s a great player. Don’t get me wrong. Put it this way: I think Darington would be a bigger loss for the Lobos.”
It should be noted that Galetti cashes his checks from Lobo Sports Property, the property of Learfield Sports, or the sports marketing arm of UNM athletics.
Nonetheless, Galetti said, his affiliation with the University didn’t impact on how he filed his vote.
“I am voting objectively,” he said. “If I thought Fredette was, overall, a better player, I would vote for him. It has nothing to do with me being a Lobo broadcaster.”
And for anyone that covered MWC basketball, regardless of possible allegiances, it would be nonsensical to think that anyone other than Hobson or Fredette deserved the award. The two were, undoubtedly, the best two players in the conference.
Hobson’s numbers check in at 15.8 points per game, 9.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists, marking him as the first time a Lobo led the team in points, rebounds and assists. Fredette, on the other hand, averages 20.3 points per game and 4.7 assists.
Still, there remains the possibility that Hobson and Fredette will share the honor. Should that happen, Smith said it would confirm his illusion of MWC democracy, since only twice has the award winner not been a member of the team that won the regular-season title.
“If they split it, it’s a lie,” Smith said. “I’ll tell you that right now. If they’re honestly using voters to determine this, there’s 27 voters. If it becomes co-Player of the Year, they should release to us what the vote is. If it’s a legit vote, it shouldn’t be shared.”
Furthermore, in the 10-year history on the MWC, only twice have players shared the honor, one coming in 2003-04 with Air Force’s Nick Welch and BYU’s Rafael Araujo, the other in 2007-08, between BYU’s Lee Cummard and former Lobo J.R. Giddens.
Smith, already suspicious of the MWC’s system, cited the 2007-08 MWC Player of the Year race, where, he said, Giddens might have been snubbed out of winning the award outright.
“When Giddens shared it with Cummard, they wouldn’t tell us what the vote was,” he said. “I did a straw pull of all the media guys in the Mountain West, and, of everyone I talked to, it was a 3-to-1 ratio in Giddens’ favor.”
But it wasn’t necessarily in the MWC’s favor.
Smith said the conference chooses to play mediator in the hopes of not upsetting one team or the other, instead of proclaiming a sole winner.
“I think it’s what I call Little League Syndrome — try to give everyone a trophy,” he said. “I think if it’s (shared), something fishy is going on.”
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22 comments
Gene
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How many times did Jimmer get MWC player of the week and how many times did Hobson? Jimmer > Hobson
Who is known on a national scene? Jimmer
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Who has better stats? Jimmer > Hobson
Who has been enemy number 1 all year for opposing defenses? Jimmer > Hobson
My favorite line of this article: “I am voting objectively,” he said. “If I thought Fredette was, overall, a better player, I would vote for him. It has nothing to do with me being a Lobo broadcaster.”
LOLOLOLOLOL
Ed Davis
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Nice work Daily Lobo. Way to go out and get some opinions of unbiased media. This article tells us nothing. You at least should have polled some of the beat writers from other schools in the conference not named BYU or UNM.
Jerry
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I’m still not convinced that Hobson is the best player on his team.
Bradley
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Well, it was a nice article, but really tells us nothing that we didn’t already know. Would have been nice to see what the other sports writers and play by play broadcasters of the other teams thought.
Sounds to me like Smith thinks Hobson should and will get all the votes except for the BYU ones.
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Hey Smith, if they split it and give us the votes and it is in favor of Jimmer by one, will you be against a co-POY then?
Aaron
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The award is for “Player of the Year”. In other words, the best, most valuable player in the league. This doesn’t mean the relative value of a player to his team.
Hobson definitely made a splash this year in the MWC. And his block on Hartsock at the end of UNM’s victory over the Cougs in Provo was nothing short of MONSTER.
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But compare the stats. Freddette’s are better overall, even considering Jimmer’s illnesses. Scott Galetti brings up the fact that if Hobson is having a bad game, he’ll dish out the assists, but Jimmer still has a higher number of assists per game. Besides that, barring illness, Jimmer simply does not have a bad game.
Jimmer is the best basketball player in the MWC. That is unquestionable.
What is questionable? Daily Lobo reporting.
laughing
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why is this argument even being made? this isn’t the Navier Stokes equation…. player with more ppg player with most assists per game= Fredette MWC POY. Wow! how difficult was that?
SlateCoug
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I like Hobson, he is a very nice player. But if it weren’t for Dairese Gary, UNM would have lost both of its games to BYU.
Fredette should be the conf POY. He is by far the best player in the conf. The stats bare that out.
Christian
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First of all, overall stats aren’t relevant for this award, only conference stats are relevant.
So that being said, let’s break it down.
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Fredette MWC statistical ranks:
Scoring: 2nd – 19.7 ppg
Rebounding: Not in top 20
Assists: 6th – 3.9 apg
3pt. FG %: 1st – .494
Team Standing: 2nd
Hobson MWC statistical ranks:
Scoring: 3rd – 14.9 ppg
Rebounding: 1st – 10.1 rpg
Assists: 3rd – 4.8 asp
Def. Reb: 1st – 7.7 rpg
Team Standing: 1st
Hobson actually dished out more assists per game than Fredette in MWC play, as well as dominating on the defensive glass. Factor in New Mexico’s first-place finish in the regular season and I believe the award has to go to Hobson. Great season from both players.
Hamilton
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Hobson leads the league in rebounding and offensive rebounding. Fredette has more ppg and slightly more assists, but to get that kind of production out of a guy that also pulls in almost 10 boards per game is enormous.
Also, as far as the national awareness goes, Hobson is on the front page of espn.com and the espn.com college b-ball page. Just a little note for Gene.
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I think it is justifiable for either player to get the award. My vote goes to Hobson, leading the 8th ranked team in the nation and outright conference champion in every major stat.
Hamilton
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Slatecoug, the correct usage would be “bear that out.” I know you guys like to rip on the education at UNM v. BYU—it would be embarrassing if you made such a mistake on cougarboard.
Check the CMS.
Jose
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Hobson should by POY. In CONFERENCE play his overall stats outweigh Fredette’s, especially given the rebounding side, HUGE.
And how about that emphatic swat of Hartsock to secure the victory in the BIGGEST game in MWC history? Who was sitting on the bench and up and walking around BYU’s huddles during the timeouts of that game? Jimmer “Fader” Fredette…that’s who. Any player worth being considered as POY would have been in that game if they can stand up and walk…he wasn’t…speaks VOLUMES.
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Hobson asteps up and makes the biggest play of the year in the biggest game of MWC history…he has EARNED player of the year. And everyone know’s it except the myopic minds in the state of Utah.
Bottom line is if Fredette gets it, it will only light more fire under this Lobo team. I really hope we meet the Y’ners in the finals and pull the trifecta on them…we are simply the better team and will prove it again.
Kev
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what time today will this discussion be over? I remember everyone saying the winner of the last unm/byu game will win the mwc poy, but i think that was assuming byu would win. ha fooled all ya cuz we are still talking about it
Jose
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Hobson = POY!!!!
Well deserved!
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Enjoy riding the bench while your team is in the midst of the battle “Fader”!
Josh
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Hobson is no doubt player of the year. Yes, Jimmer may have better scoring aveage, but Jimmer cannot play defense, he does not rebound, and most important of all he show’s no heart, with the talent that he has if he had the heart that Hobson has shown, the competive spirit, he would have blown everybody away. Instead Hobson has shown (as it should be) that not only talent but competitive spirit and heart make the better player.
Jeremy
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Hahahaha wow! “I am voting objectively,” he said. “If I thought Fredette was, overall, a better player, I would vote for him. It has nothing to do with me being a Lobo broadcaster.” Serious??!!? Hahahaha.
To Jose:
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Are you serious man? Why do you have to post such a dumb comment? It’s people like you who make us look stupid. Freddette is incredible player. If he plays in that game in Provo, I think we would have lost.
Ronnie
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March 8 at 8:47 AM
by Gene
How many times did Jimmer get MWC player of the week and how many times did Hobson? Jimmer > Hobson
Who is known on a national scene? Jimmer
Read more …
Who has better stats? Jimmer > Hobson
Who has been enemy number 1 all year for opposing defenses? Jimmer > Hobson
My favorite line of this article: “I am voting objectively,” he said. “If I thought Fredette was, overall, a better player, I would vote for him. It has nothing to do with me being a Lobo broadcaster.”
LOLOLOLOLOL
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Youre argument shows truly your clear lack of college basketball knowledge. You should be banned from all forums and comment sections for your idiocy
James
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Sounds like some sore BYU fans out there. I understand your frustration. You were swept by the Lobos. It hurts, I know. You can’t win them all BYU and you can’t think that all the awards should go to your players. Hobson’s Conference stats far outweigh Jimmers so just give Hobson some credit instead of sounding like sore losers.
Seth
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Hey James,
Fredette just got named DISTRICT POY. How do you get District POY, but not conference POY? Easy: biased MWC voters.
I understand your frustration. BYU dominates everyone overall in nearly every sport. (see http://www.themwc.com/champ/mwc-tourney-season-champ.html and http://www.themwc.com/champ/mwc-reg-season-champ.html – the competition isn’t even close!). But does that mean that all the awards should go to other teams just to make them feel good? No.
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In 2010 BYU was:
2nd in Football
1st in Women’s Soccer (despite UNM’s dirty play)
1st in Women’s swimming & diving
1st in Men’s and Women’s Track & Field
2nd in Men’s BB (regular season)
2nd in Women’s BB (regular season)
Every year BYU is consistently a championship sports team in nearly every sport, but every year BYU is consistently robbed of awards from the MWC. Who’s the sore losers?
Rod
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Most ridiculous statement in this article – “I am voting objectively”. If you want an objective statement then go to media not directly connected to the either program. The writer did neither. Actually do some real research.
It should be noted that Galetti cashes his checks from Lobo
Read more …
Sports Property, the property of Learfield Sports, or the sports marketing arm of UNM athletics.
Nonetheless, Galetti said, his affiliation with the University didn’t impact on how he filed his vote.
“I am voting objectively,” he said. “If I thought Fredette was, overall, a better player, I would vote for him. It has nothing to do with me being a Lobo broadcaster.”
ginaro
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Seth – maybe you hit the nail on the head – maybe the other voters are biased – maybe nobody else in the MWC likes the whiny BYU players and fans.
Mike
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First let me say that I am a BYU fan, and congratulations to Hobson. I am not here to discuss the outcome. For some reason Mark Smith’s statement that co-player of the year would have been a lie is sticking in my craw and I’ve got to say something about that. 13 13 1=27. If one other player had gotten a vote then it would have been possible to have a tie. Whew, now i feel better.
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