With a few weeks of perspective, it is time to hand out some end-of-year awards/evaluations as I have done the past couple seasons. Sometime after this, I'll look ahead to next year, when the team will obviously have a very different look than it did this season. As I referenced in a recent blog post, this was truly the end of an "era" it feels like. Click here for a VirginiaSportsTV.com feature on the 2015-16 campaign. It'll definitely get you right in the feels.
MVP: Malcolm Brogdon. Two years ago, I picked Brogdon over Joe Harris. Last year, I went with Brogdon over Justin Anderson. This year, there is no doubt the MVP of the team was the fifth-year senior
guard. He was an All-American for the second consecutive year, was the ACC's overall and defensive player of the year, and increased his scoring average, 3-point shooting, free throw shooting, rebounding and assists from a season ago. He could lock down on the opponent's best player and change the game on that end of the court, too. In short, he was a complete player and will end up going down as one of the best ever to put on a Virginia uniform. I feel justified in having made him the MVP for his sophomore and junior seasons, too.
Most improved: London Perrantes. Wow, this is a tough award to hand out, which I think shows how good last year's team was, and how solid this team was. You could make the case for Brogdon once again, who elevated his game from the very good range to the all-time great range. Anthony Gill took on more of an offensive role. Devon Hall went from not really playing to being a solid starter who developed a decent offensive game and great perimeter defense. Isaiah Wilkins blossomed into a solid rebounder and defender who could hit a 15-foot jump shot. Marial Shayok increased his 3-point percentage and showed a willingness to attack the basket. But I'm going with Perrantes, who stepped up his scoring during his
junior season. He went from scoring 6.4 ppg to 11 ppg, and increased his 3-point percentage from 31.6 percent to 48.8 percent, which was one of the best marks in the nation. His free throw shooting also saw an increase, from 77.8 percent to 80.3 percent. On the downside, his assists were slightly down and turnovers slightly up. This can probably be explained by his increased aggressiveness on the offensive end and the fact that the team looked to him to make more shots.
Most disappointing: Jarred Reuter. Ok, this is actually probably even harder to pick. As I noted above, everyone was so solid, this is more of a "least impressive" award. Evan Nolte got the award last year, and certainly could this year, but I think by this point, we all knew what to expect from him. He also ended up having some good games, and we could see his value as a glue guy for the team. He also always had a great attitude. I thought about picking Mike Tobey, but he has been picked on enough over his career, and he actually increased his scoring average and field goal percentage this season, though his rebounding did go down. He also ended the season with a flourish, finishing with 10 or more points in four of eight games, including a monster 15-point, 20-board game on senior night vs. Louisville, and an 18-point, seven-rebound effort against Iowa State in the Sweet 16. At the same time, Reuter doesn't really deserve this, either. He didn't come in with the greatest of expectations and was maybe even going to redshirt. Still, he was supposed to be a highly skilled big man, and he ended up only playing 4.7 minutes per game, averaging 1.5 points and one rebound. Also, he scored eight points in the opener vs. Morgan State and then 11 against Cal, which ended up being a very good team. He put up goose eggs in six of 12 non-conference games. Once ACC played started, however, he put up zeroes in 14 of 18 games and never scored more than four points. Unfortunately for him, it could be tough for him to get more playing time in the future with Mamadi Diakite and Austin Nichols coming off redshirt years.
Best surprise: Devon Hall. This has been a best freshman award other times, but the only true
freshman to play was Reuter, Jack Salt was a redshirt freshman. Hall gets this award. I wasn't sure what to expect out of him after not really playing much last year. He ended up starting 20 games, put up 4.4 ppg, and improved his 3-point and free throw shooting. He also showed great flashes as a defender and rebounder.
Best win: Like recent seasons, there are no shortage of candidates here, which is a great thing. Virginia pounded a highly ranked West Virginia team in the second half of a Jimmy V Classic game at Madison Square Garden. Virginia won at home vs. North Carolina in a high-profile ESPN matchup -- it was the site of College GameDay. Virginia beat eventual nation champion Villanova by 11 at home. But I'm going with the win over Iowa State, which sent the Cavaliers to the Elite Eight, the farthest they've gone in the Big Dance since 1995. It was another breaking down of a barrier for the Tony Bennett era. It also happened to be one of if not the most complete win of the season. Virginia scored 84 points, the fourth-highest scoring offensive output of the year, and UVa was in complete control the entire time, leading by 29-12 at one point. The Cyclones never got closer than seven in the second half.
Worst loss: The Virginia Tech loss snapped a seven-game winning streak against UVa's rival. The Georgia Tech and Florida State losses came at the low point of the season when bubble talk started to enter the conversation for some fans. But I think this has to go to the season-ending loss to Syracuse in the Elite Eight. Virginia had dominated the Orange in recent matchups, and held a 16-point lead at the beginning of the second half before collapsing down the stretch. It was the worst possible moment for the worst 10-minute stretch of the season.
MVP: Malcolm Brogdon. Two years ago, I picked Brogdon over Joe Harris. Last year, I went with Brogdon over Justin Anderson. This year, there is no doubt the MVP of the team was the fifth-year senior
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| Malcolm Brogdon increased his NBA draft stock by returning for his senior season and will go down as a UVa all-time great. |
Most improved: London Perrantes. Wow, this is a tough award to hand out, which I think shows how good last year's team was, and how solid this team was. You could make the case for Brogdon once again, who elevated his game from the very good range to the all-time great range. Anthony Gill took on more of an offensive role. Devon Hall went from not really playing to being a solid starter who developed a decent offensive game and great perimeter defense. Isaiah Wilkins blossomed into a solid rebounder and defender who could hit a 15-foot jump shot. Marial Shayok increased his 3-point percentage and showed a willingness to attack the basket. But I'm going with Perrantes, who stepped up his scoring during his
 |
| London Perrantes was back in his freshman shooting form during his junior season, making almost 50 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. |
Most disappointing: Jarred Reuter. Ok, this is actually probably even harder to pick. As I noted above, everyone was so solid, this is more of a "least impressive" award. Evan Nolte got the award last year, and certainly could this year, but I think by this point, we all knew what to expect from him. He also ended up having some good games, and we could see his value as a glue guy for the team. He also always had a great attitude. I thought about picking Mike Tobey, but he has been picked on enough over his career, and he actually increased his scoring average and field goal percentage this season, though his rebounding did go down. He also ended the season with a flourish, finishing with 10 or more points in four of eight games, including a monster 15-point, 20-board game on senior night vs. Louisville, and an 18-point, seven-rebound effort against Iowa State in the Sweet 16. At the same time, Reuter doesn't really deserve this, either. He didn't come in with the greatest of expectations and was maybe even going to redshirt. Still, he was supposed to be a highly skilled big man, and he ended up only playing 4.7 minutes per game, averaging 1.5 points and one rebound. Also, he scored eight points in the opener vs. Morgan State and then 11 against Cal, which ended up being a very good team. He put up goose eggs in six of 12 non-conference games. Once ACC played started, however, he put up zeroes in 14 of 18 games and never scored more than four points. Unfortunately for him, it could be tough for him to get more playing time in the future with Mamadi Diakite and Austin Nichols coming off redshirt years.
Best surprise: Devon Hall. This has been a best freshman award other times, but the only true
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| Devon Hall turned into a solid contributor during his redshirt sophomore season. |
Best win: Like recent seasons, there are no shortage of candidates here, which is a great thing. Virginia pounded a highly ranked West Virginia team in the second half of a Jimmy V Classic game at Madison Square Garden. Virginia won at home vs. North Carolina in a high-profile ESPN matchup -- it was the site of College GameDay. Virginia beat eventual nation champion Villanova by 11 at home. But I'm going with the win over Iowa State, which sent the Cavaliers to the Elite Eight, the farthest they've gone in the Big Dance since 1995. It was another breaking down of a barrier for the Tony Bennett era. It also happened to be one of if not the most complete win of the season. Virginia scored 84 points, the fourth-highest scoring offensive output of the year, and UVa was in complete control the entire time, leading by 29-12 at one point. The Cyclones never got closer than seven in the second half.
Worst loss: The Virginia Tech loss snapped a seven-game winning streak against UVa's rival. The Georgia Tech and Florida State losses came at the low point of the season when bubble talk started to enter the conversation for some fans. But I think this has to go to the season-ending loss to Syracuse in the Elite Eight. Virginia had dominated the Orange in recent matchups, and held a 16-point lead at the beginning of the second half before collapsing down the stretch. It was the worst possible moment for the worst 10-minute stretch of the season.
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