This time a month from now, we’ll be in the midst of conference tournaments, the latter stages of high-major regular season action and trying (and probably failing) to find any compelling argument to not make Zach Edey National Player of the Year again. Hooray/good luck to us.
It’s time for some Month Three awards: there are the big awards, the ones that noted scribes of ink and screen will vote on. There are also lesser honors of my own invention and stupid honors that only me and four other people think matter or are even interesting to ponder. This is based partly on what they’ve done so far, speculation on what they can do in the future and as always, vibes.
And, because I show my work: Month One | Month Two
Wooden Award - Zach Edey, Purdue
When the narrative changes in any sort of substantial way, I’ll update this section. Until then, I’ll save the keystrokes.
In consideration: Hunter Dickinson, Kansas; Dalton Knecht, Tennessee; Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas; RJ Davis, North Carolina
Freshman of the Year - Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
Apply pretty much all of the above regarding Edey’s candidacy to Sheppard. One thing I was going to point out last month is that Sheppard being National Freshman of the Year would be a bit of a switch on that particular honor, given that we haven't had a Freshman of the Year (at least, the USWBA’s version of it) stay for a second season since Marcus Smart in 2014.
And then Kevin O’Connor’s first Ringer mock draft had Sheppard going fourth overall to the Hornets in this June’s draft. Sheppard may be a Kentucky boy who bleeds blue, he may request burial as a CAYUT… but if he gets a top-five grade, he’s gone.