Pac 12 Conference Wrap-Up

Player of the Year

[player: Jakob Poeltl] – Utah

The sophomore singlehandedly carried Utah to the second seed in the Pac-12 tournament and is the main reason why Utah is a force to be dealt with in the NCAA tournament. Let’s be honest, Poeltl really hasn’t had much help around him. [player: Brandon Taylor] has finished strong, but struggled for most of the year. [player: Kyle Kuzma] has also had a couple good games, but is too inconsistent. [player: Jordan Loveridge] is a great three-point shooter, but is incredibly streaky as well. Despite all of this, Poeltl averaged 17.5 points, 9 rebounds, two assists and nearly two blocks a game. The sophomore did all of this while only averaging 10 shots a game and shooting 66 percent. The guy is an animal and solidified his position in the lottery in the NBA draft. The Austrian sophomore has had a great year, but his growth this season is important as well. Poeltl has gotten even better on defense, challenging every shot in his wake. Yes, [player: Chris Boucher] is leading the Pac-12 in blocks, but Poeltl still manages to alter every shot near the rim, despite being the only interior defender on Utah. Poeltl’s rebounding has gotten better and he has shown some promise with his passing ability. Poeltl still being able to score despite the constant double teams is also incredible. The Austrian sophomore gets the award simply because he has transformed Utah into a contender.

Runner Up

[player: Dillon Brooks] – Oregon

This was actually a close call between Poeltl and Brooks, but Poeltl has just been more consistent over the season. Brooks actually loses points for his team being so good. Since Oregon doesn’t entirely rely on one singular player, Brooks stands out less over the course of the year. Regardless, Brooks had an incredible year for the Ducks, carrying them in certain games (especially the road win over Arizona) and leading them to a Pac-12 regular season championship. The sophomore finishes the year averaging 16 points, nearly six boards and three assists a game. The Ducks would not be the same if you removed Brooks and replaced him with a player with similar talent. Oregon has taken on Brook’s confidence and frankly, heart. The entire team goes all out every single game, going for every rebound and never quitting. This is all Brooks. He forces his attitude on every single player on the team and doesn’t accept when the Ducks lose. Even with Brooks being a great player (his stats show that), his leadership and attitude has transformed the Ducks. That’s enough for me.

Freshman of the Year

[player: Ivan Rabb] – California

Rabb was a highly touted player out of high school, but nobody could predict that he would make the leap that he has in California. Rabb has been great all season, and is one of the huge reasons why California has surged late in the year. While fellow freshman [player: Jaylen Brown] has also had a great year, nobody in the Pac-12 has improved his stock as much as Rabb. Coming into the season, many knew that Rabb had raw talent, but were unsure how long it would take him to develop it. Rabb came out tentatively in the beginning of the season, but certainly broke out during Pac-12 play. Rabb finished the year averaging 12.5 points and eight rebounds a game while also chipping in 1.3 blocks. The freshman is also shooting 61% on the year. The freshman protects the rim and still manages to grab boards whenever near them. Offensively, Rabb has begun to flash a jump-shot. The freshman already has great finishing ability, if he can develop a consistent jump-shot, the sky is the limit for him. Rabb has earned himself a ton of money this year, but he has also helped out the Golden Bears tremendously as well. I cannot wait to see what Rabb will do in the NBA.

Draft Sleeper

[player: Dejounte Murray] – Washington

Murray has been an incredibly fun player to watch, and has made the Huskies bearable this season. Murray finished the year averaging 15.6 points, nearly six rebounds and four assists a game. The freshman also nearly stole two balls a contest. The freshman is tall, lanky and has the body to compete in the NBA. While I think it would be smart to stay another year in Washington, Murray could definitely come out this year and be a sleeper. The freshman is a pretty good defender that gambles too much, but that’s acceptable for now. Offensively, all Murray has to work on is his efficiency and three-point shot. Murray has to learn how to take better looks and then shoot better from outside. If the freshman learns these two things, he can be really good in the NBA. Passing and rebounding wise, he is already NBA-ready. I hope Murray comes back to Washington for his sophomore year but I wouldn’t fault him for leaving. He shows a great deal of upside for hte next level.

Team of the Year

Oregon

The Ducks certainly turned heads last year but nobody expected this type of season out of them, especially with [player: Joseph Young] graduating. The Ducks were just a joy to watch the entire season. Dana Altman deserves a ton of credit for replacing Young and seemingly bringing everything he can out of the entire team. Brooks was great all year, but finishing first in the Pac-12 was certainly a team effort. [player: Chris Boucher] became the first player in the Pac-12 to finish with 100 blocks and 30 made three-pointers in one season. Boucher clearly patrolled the paint and swatted anything that came his way. [player: Tyler Dorsey] proved to be a good point guard that knew when to distribute. Both [player: Elgin Cook] and [player: Dwayne Benjamin] have also done whatever the team needs to win. Simply, Oregon has been selfless the entire year. There is no way the Ducks win the Pac-12 if even one player is selfish. They have been a joy to watch and deserve my team of the year.

Coach of the Year

Sean Miller – Arizona

Honestly, I have no idea how Miller continues to do it. The Wildcats really were not that talented this season. Besides [player: Allonzo Trier] and [player: Gabe York] Arizona is really filled with role players. Miller, year in and year out, gets his team to play team defense. The Wildcats swarm all over the court, hounding every ball-handler and challenging every single shot. Finishing fourth in the Pac-12 this year is no easy feat. The Pac-12 was the strongest it has been in years (just ask UCLA) and the Wildcat’s coach still kept his team chugging along. Miller also helped his team overcome the Trier injury, and the Wildcats continue to improve as the season goes on. Miller again, has the Wildcats playing their best basketball going into the tournament.

Biggest Surprise

USC

While the team certainly seemed talented, everyone was wondering how good the Andy Enfield Trojans would be this season. Even with a poor finish to the season, USC should still make the tournament. The Trojans burst out of the gate, winning almost every non-conference game. In the Pac-12 USC continued their push, further surprising everyone who thought their start was a fluke. Turns out, a [player:Jordan McLaughlin] and [player:Julian Jacobs] led team could be pretty good.
The Trojans flew all over the court, dropping alley oops from every conceivable angle in the gym. McLaughlin (with the help of Jacobs) seemingly reached his potential and finally found a workable three-point shot. The team consistently performed and played a fun style of basketball to boot. Yes, the end of the season has certainly been disappointing, but none of this takes away from what the Trojans and Enfield have accomplished this year. USC should return almost everyone next year but one thing is for certain, the Trojans won’t take people by surprise again.

Biggest Disappointment

[player: Tyrone Wallace] – California

It’s hard to call a player that had to sit out over a month because of an injury a disappointment, but Wallace really has not played to his potential the entire season. With two highly touted freshman coming in, Wallace was given the keys to a team with incredible potential and frankly, he crashed the car. California never truly reached their full potential this year and I’m placing the blame on Wallace. I have always been a fan of the senior and he really has improved every year. This year was just different. Maybe the introduction of Brown and Rabb made Wallace lose some of his mojo, but more good players should never be a problem, especially for a playmaking guard. In the beginning of the year with Wallace in the lineup, California was struggling to find its way. When Wallace went down with a broken hand, it seemed that all hope was lost. However, the Golden Bears actually found a groove, [player: Jordan Mathews] hit some shots and Brown learned how to (kind of) run an offense. When Wallace came back, it was his turn to acclimate into a lineup that had done well without him. This year might not be incredibly disappointing for most players, but Wallace isn’t like most players.

First Team Pac-12

 Gary Payton II
Andrew Andrews
Dillon Brooks
Josh Scott
Jakob Poeltl

Second Team

Jordan McLaughlin
Jaylen Brown
Elgin Cook
Ivan Rabb
Ryan Anderson

Third Team

Dejounte Murray
Gabe York
Julian Jacobs
Chris Boucher
Kaleb Tarczewski