Otto and the Miracles/BE POY and National POY

[blueandgray]

Everyday we hear commentators saying that Otto is now a candidate for BE POY. I don't know about the rest of you...but that comment alone makes me feel like he is completely under appreciated.

Frankly, I can't think of a single player in the country who I would rather have lead our team over Otto. In fact, IMO, no matter who we play this year, I feel like we'd always have the best single player on the court. Have I completely lost all objectivity in this matter? (fixed)

[Boz]

I'm pretty sure you haven't lost subjectivity.

[rockhoya]

No, Otto is just really good. Not even Jimmy B would take MCW over him. And Brey would package two players for him.

[lichoya68]

Yup agree id take otto over just about anyone yup complete game smart tough works hard i assume good in school from what i here. loves gu STAY MAN JUST ANOTHER YEAR LONGER. go hoyas but remember also team and that he makes his teamates work harder and much better. go hoyas big game ;D ;D

[hoyainla]

The only player that I would consider to take over Otto is Oladipo. Oladipo has a better team around him but without him on that team they are barely top 25. Of course without Otto we aren't close to top 25.

[lichoya68]

ps his stat lines always look like a coaches and anyones dream line yup ALL OF EM. ;D

[SirSaxa]

Otto may not have the highest ceiling of anyone in college ball, but he gets as much out of the skills and talent he has. Great player at this level. And I believe he will be successful at the next level too. He's only 19 and he works hard.. and works on his game. Just look at how much his 3 pt shooting improved this year. Clearly one of the very best of the JT3 era.

[johnnysnowplow]

Feb 14, 2013 20:36:32 GMT -5 blueandgray said:

Everyday we hear commentators saying that Otto is now a candidate for BE POY. I don't know about the rest of you...but that comment alone makes me feel like he is completely under appreciated.

Frankly, I can't think of a single player in the country who I would rather have lead our team over Otto. In fact, IMO, no matter who we play this year, I feel like we'd always have the best single player on the court. Have I completely lost all objectivity in this matter? (fixed)

I have actually sent e-mails to a few different college hoops columnists about the lack of respect Otto gets, especially since Greg went out. How is there a race for BE POY here? Maybe I've lost my ability to be objective as well, but I don't see how anyone can make an argument for another single player in the conference. It seems absurd to me to suggest anyone has been better than him. At the moment, this race should be about as close as the 1973 Belmont.

[tashoya]

Feb 14, 2013 23:06:41 GMT -5 johnnysnowplow said:

Feb 14, 2013 20:36:32 GMT -5 blueandgray said:

Everyday we hear commentators saying that Otto is now a candidate for BE POY. I don't know about the rest of you...but that comment alone makes me feel like he is completely under appreciated.

Frankly, I can't think of a single player in the country who I would rather have lead our team over Otto. In fact, IMO, no matter who we play this year, I feel like we'd always have the best single player on the court. Have I completely lost all objectivity in this matter? (fixed)

I have actually sent e-mails to a few different college hoops columnists about the lack of respect Otto gets, especially since Greg went out. How is there a race for BE POY here? Maybe I've lost my ability to be objective as well, but I don't see how anyone can make an argument for another single player in the conference. It seems absurd to me to suggest anyone has been better than him. At the moment, this race should be about as close as the 1973 Belmont.

Pretty much all you need to "know" to sum up the situation... at the beginning of the Johnnies/Louisville game, they threw up a "Wooden Watch" graphic about Russ Smith. How the eff is he remotely a Wooden Watch candidate as a volume shooter that makes as many awful decisions with and without the ball as good ones? Answer? He scores a lot some games. It's that simple. If Otto scored 25 a game and did none of the other things that he does to help his team win, he'd get much more attention. Of course it's ridiculous and one could try to make the argument that there are so many players on so many teams (heck, look at the Coaches' Poll every week that shows how many coaches/assistants don't watch other games/players) that it's difficult for all around players to stand out. That said, if these reporters did even basic research, they'd be led in good directions on players that don't blow up any one stat but truly do make their teams better. You get a handful of novelty players every year in a category that isn't sexy (Aaron Craft) but they won't ever win any of the big awards. Just as Jeff only got the attention he deserved when we were winning in March. Jeff had the last laugh when he got drafted where he did. If a guy like Greg Monroe who, at one time, was the number one recruit at his position in the country had trouble getting publicity in our offense, it doesn't bode well for anyone else. Honestly, the best thing Otto has going for him from a media perspective is his unconventional development/recruitment. The small town, no AAU, under-recruitment angle makes for a good story. That's at least as important to the WWL (if not more important) than Otto's impressive impact in every category and his value to his team.

[HoyasAreHungry]

Don the coaches vote on this not the media?

[tashoya]

Feb 14, 2013 23:35:20 GMT -5 HoyasAreHungry said:

Don the coaches vote on this not the media?

I'm not sure. That said, the Coaches' Poll every week has plenty of insanity on display. I know that many coaches tend to pawn that responsibility off on assistants because, I guess, it's a hassle to a degree. That said, if it is a hassle, it likely means that they don't pay much attention to conferences other than their own until March comes around and they focus on individual teams. If that's the case, does it make any sense at all for coaches to vote for a candidate for an award that they know less about than an avid fan of college basketball would?

[rockhoya]

Well it would probably be the BE coaches voting, not the rest of America.

[tashoya]

Feb 14, 2013 23:43:48 GMT -5 rockhoya said:

Well it would probably be the BE coaches voting, not the rest of America.

My post was murky in that sense because I didn't address the original post explicitly but sort of implied it with the Russ Smith crap. Right now, hands down, I feel like Otto is BE POY but I'm also biased. That said, Otto doesn't get the mentions like Russ Smith does for the Wooden and that's ridiculous. That part is on the media. That's a more succinct version of what I meant to say.

[Deleted]

Feb 14, 2013 21:25:03 GMT -5 hoyainla said:

The only player that I would consider to take over Otto is Oladipo. Oladipo has a better team around him but without him on that team they are barely top 25. Of course without Otto we aren't close to top 25.

No u wouldn’t….

[rockhoya]

Feb 14, 2013 23:53:01 GMT -5 tashoya said:

Feb 14, 2013 23:43:48 GMT -5 rockhoya said:

Well it would probably be the BE coaches voting, not the rest of America.

My post was murky in that sense because I didn't address the original post explicitly but sort of implied it with the Russ Smith crap. Right now, hands down, I feel like Otto is BE POY but I'm also biased. That said, Otto doesn't get the mentions like Russ Smith does for the Wooden and that's ridiculous. That part is on the media. That's a more succinct version of what I meant to say.

All true.

[CTHoya08]

Jeff Green won BE POY in 2007. It's not impossible for a guy like Otto to do it, but we'll probably have to finish at or near the top of the conference for it to happen.

[tashoya]

Feb 15, 2013 8:20:17 GMT -5 CTHoya08 said:

Jeff Green won BE POY in 2007. It's not impossible for a guy like Otto to do it, but we'll probably have to finish at or near the top of the conference for it to happen.

I agree. Also, I don't think he's necessarily underappreciated in the BE. More along the lines of the start of the thread, I'm with blueandgray that it's unlikely (to be kind) that Otto will get the national attention that he deserves (already) without a monster number in a sexy stat category like scoring. For all of the "coverage" CBB gets, it seems like the media doesn't actually pay much attention to guys that are impacting their teams like an Otto Porter whereas they do notice a guy like Russ Smith because he scores. Of course he also does a lot to hurt his team. It's not like the Russdiculous name was created just because he always makes the right play.

[johnnysnowplow]

Feb 15, 2013 8:20:17 GMT -5 CTHoya08 said:

Jeff Green won BE POY in 2007. It's not impossible for a guy like Otto to do it, but we'll probably have to finish at or near the top of the conference for it to happen.

Valid points. My argument wasn't necessarily that he will or even should win it because there are a lot of games left. I was just saying that to this point, he should be the leader in a landslide. The team is wildly exceeding everyone's expectations and is currently tied for first. If that's not enough to get people to notice what he's done since Greg sat down, then they probably never will. One of the points I make ad nauseum is the unbelievable level of consistency he's shown in the last 9 games, since it essentially became his team after the Pitt game. Show me one bad game, one dud, one game where he just didn't show up. It's not there. The consistency has been remarkable, especially considering we have somewhat limited offensive options and he is most likely every opponent's first second and third priority in the gameplan. It's to the point where every single game, I feel like we have the best player and the biggest matchup nightmare on the floor. He's never going to garner any attention nationally (which is absurd, but the media are generally, well, morons), but I don't see how any BE coach that has gameplanned against him in the last 9 games only to watch him dismantle their team all over the floor could possibly say there's a better player in the conference.

[blueandgray]

I hear ya tashoya, only still not sure he gets the recognition in the big east. We all know that he was overlooked for all freshman honors last year...and if there is even a debate as to BE POY
this year...that would be just as preposterous. I just think he's that much better than everyone else.

In fairness, Jeff flew under the radar much of 2007 until we hit the tail end of the win streak, so I remain hopeful.

[HoyaPride]

OTTO stinks and needs to stay in McDonough and practice all Summer so that he can be somewhat productive for his junior and senior seasons!!! He is so overrated!!!