Re-ranking: America East Mid-Season Awards

The conference slate is just around the corner so we're going to readjust our preseason evaluations and hand out awards to those most deserving!

Player of the Year

Gerardo Suero, UAlbany. Short of Brian Voelkel or Tommy Brenton going Nancy Kerrigan on Suero, the man cannot be stopped.

JJ Barea Award for America AEast Buzz

Justin Edwards. Read this line from One-Bid Wonders and tell me you're not tearing up with AE pride: "Edwards provided the highlight of the night in the second half, when he backed his man down on the right block, faked right, spun left, exploded off of two-feet and posterized a helpless-defender with a vicious tomahawk dunk."

100% UnrankedAE Guarantee that this will be the First Team All-Conference come March:

Gerardo Suero, UAlbany

Justin Edwards, Maine

Gerald McLemore, Maine

Ali Fraser, Maine

Brian Voelkel, UVM

Moneyball Award for Effeciency:

Vermont. Once again they end OOC as the most efficient team in league play despite lacking star power. To paraphrase Michael Lewis, if the America East was like a real market, Vermont would own the entire league by now. Management is just on another level for last decade.

Diaper Dandies:

Justin Edwards, Maine

Four McGlynn, Vermont

Ben Dickinson, Binghamton

Wes Cole, Hartford

Nate Sikma, Hartford

Second and Third Team, awards and more after the jump!

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas Award:

Matt Griffin. Up one over Cleveland State, who was just outside the Top 25 at the time, would've been the signature win of the season for the league. BU played a great game, had it sealed up with the ball and only a few ticks left in the game... then the inbound was stolen from Matt Griffin AND HE GAVE UP THE FOUL! AGHH. Cleveland State hit two free than our league RPI took another body blow.

Thank God for Mississippi Or Else We'd Be The Worse State in the Country:

Grambling. This team is so awful that it's almost impossible for Binghamton to claim the mantle: "Worst Team in the Nation." But that doesn't mean they won't try. Right now Kenpom has them ranked 343.... out of 345.

Feeling a little less confident about this 2nd Team:

Darryl Partin, BU

DJ Irving, BU*

Mike Black, Albany

Four McGlynn, Vermont

Bryan Dougher, SBU

*Biggest Storyline for the Rest of the Year:

DJ Irving's concussion. If he doesn't return, BU, previously a conference favorite, won't even compete for a title.

Joe Z Award for Player Most Likely to Shoot His Team Out of a Win:

Darryl Partin. And you can re-up on this with Irving out. Partin is far too comfortable outside jacking up threes and doesn't seem phased by repeated 0-6 games. If he doesn't reinvent himself as a slasher and soon, Joe Jones could have a disappointing first season.

All International Team

The International talent is playing a major factor in the season so far

Luke Devlin, UAlbany (Australia)

Gerardo Suero, UAlbany (Dominican Republic)

Justin Edwards, Maine (Canada)

Alasdair Fraser, Maine (Scotland)

Kilian Cato, Maine (Finland)

Short list for Defensive Player of the Year:

Patrick Hazel, BU

Brendan Bald, UVM

Justin Edwards, Maine

Tommy Brenton, SBU

Gerardo Suero, Albany (kidding!)

Tim Tebow Award for Religious Ritual at a Sporting Event:

Gerardo Suero. We know Suero is going to take some hard fouls as he chugges along into the regular season. I wonder if we'll also see opponents go for the mind-game jugular by imitating Suero's Sammy Sosa-esq kiss-and-point-to-the-heavens gesture after every score (a la "Tebowing").

Soul crushing, blog-motivation destroying Game of the Year:

Siena and Albany. It still hurts. Very, very much. A twenty point collapse where Albany brutally out-coached in the second half... the future of UA basketball basically comes down to whether Suero gets extremely hot for a few days in March. And I'm starting to doubt that an NCAA trip this year is the best for the program in the long run...

Third Team Crapshoot:

1.Logan Aronhalt, Albany

2. Chase Plummer, UMBC

3. um, Jordan Bronner? He had a good game the other day...

4. League isn't very deep this year.

5. ...

Oscar the Geezer Pessimism Award:

Oscar the Geezer. Vermont hung with Iona, has the best win of the season against ODU, and is the favorite win the league (at least via KenPom) and the old man is still railing hard on his local troops.

Songbird of our Generation:

Ben Crena. The words flow from the pen of our 6'10, 260 bard.

KAHHHHNNN General Managing Move of the Year:

Ted Woodward extension. WHAT? I'm speechless. I hope he wrote a kind letter to Mr. and Mrs. Edwards... and enclosed a direct deposit slip so he can filter then 10% of his contract.

Perspective Award:

Matt Lessen. Most heart breaking story of the AE this season is Matt Lessen -- a week after the high school junior from (where else) Iowa made clear his intentions to attend Albany, he had a horrific fall and was in the ICU for an extended period. Last word is that he's back home now -- thoughts and prayers to Matt and his family.

Toughest name to say, but you better remember it Award :

Alex Ogundadegbe, Binghamton. Had his best performances of the season against Hofstra. He isn't putting up anything exciting stat wise, however he is showing to be a solid bench player. His 6'8'', 235 lbs frame in the paint could be a force for the conference maybe not this year, but in the two remaining years he has with the Bearcats.