EDS: UPDATES separates on AP coach and player of the year.
AP Photo FF101, FF102, FF104, FF1103, FF107
By JIM O’CONNELL
AP Basketball Writer
DETROIT (AP) -In a season when the Big East dominated the polls and the NCAA tournament, the Big 12 won both major individual awards.
Blake Griffin, the sophomore forward from Oklahoma who led the nation in rebounding, collisions and hustle plays, was the runaway choice as The Associated Press’ college basketball player of the year Friday. Bill Self, who led Kansas from a decimated national champion to a fifth straight Big 12 title, was selected coach of the year.
“I think our league was better than people gave us credit for, in fact, we were probably only behind the Big East,” Self said.
The top two teams in the conference were Oklahoma and Kansas, but when they met for the only time Feb. 24, Griffin wasn’t able to play in Kansas’ 87-78 victory after sustaining a concussion against Texas.
vin Durant of Texas, Michael Beasley of Kansas State and Blake Griffin, three of the most dominant players in the country. He’s been the best of the three, and he will have a fabulous pro career.”
Self wasn’t pushing Griffin, who averaged 22.7 points and national-best 14.4 rebounds while shooting 65.4 percent from the field, toward an NBA career, but that is the question the only unanimous All-America will face over and over.
“When I get back I’ll sit down with Coach Capel and go over some stuff and hopefully come to a decision sometime soon,” Griffin said. “It will be sometime soon, maybe the middle of next week. It will be next week for sure.”
Capel said he “probably” would take Griffin back if he decided to return to Oklahoma, which finished 30-6 and lost to North Carolina in the regional finals. But the decision will be made by Griffin and his parents, and Capel will support it 100 percent.
Griffin received 66 votes from the 71-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, last season’s player of the year as a junior, and Pittsburgh sophomore DeJuan Blair both got two votes in the balloting done before the NCAA tournament, while Ty Lawson of North Carolina received one vote.
Capel agreed when asked if Griffin could be considered a throwback player because of the way he plays, but he’s very much a modern player, too.
k at him as the kind of prototypical power forward in today’s game with his ability to handle the ball, pass, do those things,” Capel said. “Some of the throwbacks were just power, they were just strong. He embodies that, but he’s incredibly skilled; as he moves forward with his career you’ll see those things in his game. I’ve said this and, not to put any pressure on him, but when Blake makes the jump to the NBA he’ll be a better pro than he was a college player. He’ll continue to get better. He’s only 20, and I know how hard he works.”
Self called his team’s ability to finish 14-2 and win the Big 12 title “unbelievable.”
“I really think after winning at Baylor and then at Kansas State, I thought we could jack around and win the league,” he said. “It probably wasn’t until the first of February that I thought we had a good team. I would have sold out for getting in the tournament, then we win the league.”
The Jayhawks finished 27-8 and reached the round of 16, losing to Michigan State.
Self received 28 of the 71 votes cast, easily beating Jamie Dixon of Pittsburgh, who had 10.
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