Today, THE NATION’S premier basketball writer Justin Marville takes a closer look at the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association’s Premier League tournament, handing out his personal awards at the tournament’s halfway stage.
Regard this as my official petition for a spot on basketball’s awards committee after years of watching the selection panel get it so dreadfully wrong while picking the best of the Premier League.
In the event my pleas fall on deaf ears and blind eyes though, I’ve decided to give the panel somewhat of a head start following the end of the league’s first round.
Coach of the Year – Frederick Bynoe (Warriors)
Make room for me in Dayrells Road because I’m officially jumping on the Frederick Bynoe bandwagon. What’s that you said? Don’t fight because there’s plenty of space.
Well there shouldn’t be considering the body of work put in this season by Warriors’ long-time head honcho.
All that Bynoe has done in 2011 is hijack the former slugfest, grind-it-out, half-court teams of the past and replace them with an up-and-down unit that utilizes the open court skills of Tremaine Shaw, Kareem Farrell, Jamar Headley and Ricardo Toussaint.
Consider that he’s already squeezed seven wins out of a “big man” rotation featuring just Nicholai Williams, Kevin John and Trevor Simmons, while Corey McDonald acts as the game’s best decoy.
Most Improved – George Farrell (Senators)
Early in the season there was a glut of choices for this award as a ton of young players featured more prominently in their respective teams due to suspension (Jamai Puckerin), injuries (Ian Alexander), or increased minutes (Sean Parris, Rahiim Gibbons).
But Farrell hasn’t been the beneficiary of any of these, yet his step up has been far more staggering than any of the aforementioned. If you have any doubts then just look at Farrell’s point totals from his last four games (35, 30, 25, 20), where Senators went 3-1 to keep themselves in playoff contention.
It seems the light bulb has finally gone off for the athletic swingman in his fifth season. Now if only Senators can get him to play some defence.
Defensive Player of the Year – Arthur Holder (Cavs)
I just couldn’t resist. But who else other than Station Hill’s ace attorney would even risk defending Ricardo Yearwood. The man even went as far as to suggest he would lock down the entire league before settling for just putting the clamps on Yearwood’s life ban.
On a serious note though, Pearson Griffith is as close as a lock there is for an award after bringing some sort of credibility to the sieve that fronts as Jackson’s defence.
I currently don’t have access to all of his stats but my guess is that the six-foot-ten behemoth is averaging something around four or five blocks per game, having recorded his second ten-block game in as many seasons.
Most Offensive Player of the Year – Alwyn Lovell (Senators)
While teammate George Farrell has gotten all the hype, it’s Senators’ other swingman that’s been doing the heavy lifting. Unfortunately for Lovell, that heavy lifting is coming at both ends, as he is routinely asked to check the other team’s best perimeter player.
His huge defensive role will probably cost him the race for the league’s best scoring average, which Lovell (21.2 points) currently leads Jeremy Gill (20.1). But he could also maintain his grip on that lead as Senators are going to need as much of his scoring as possible if they are to remain in the playoff hunt.
Most Valuable Player – Jeremy Gill (Bulls)
I never really understood the criteria for this award. Is it the league’s best player altogether? Is it the best player on the best team? Or is it the player most responsible for his team’s wins?
Thankfully I don’t have to worry about that dilemma this season as Jeremy Gill is the obvious answer to each question. Unless of course you doubt Gill’s value to the league-leading Bulls as their first option on offence, primary playmaker and lone real scoring threat in half court.