Top 5 players who got snubbed from Naismith Player of the Year finalists
Honors like the Naismith Award are part of the appeal of the sport-watching experience. Sportswriters and coaches get to commend the best of the best to ensure excellence gets recognized.
The only bump in the road is that the selection process doesn't always go smoothly. Even the most informed and careful selection process leaves out deserving candidates.
The Naismith Player of the Year finalists for the year have just been announced. While Zach Edey, RJ Davis, Dalton Knecht, and Jamal Shead deserve it, there are others who will feel hard done by it. For every honored star, there's another deserving athlete who missed out.
That's certainly the case with the Naismith Award, which honors the nation's top collegiate baller every season. Here are the five players who were snubbed from the Naismith list this year.
Top Naismith snub list
5. Mark Sears, Alabama
Tennessee's Dalton Knecht was one of the SEC guards who had a nationally notable season, but he wasn't the only one.
Senior guard Sears was the scoring gun who led the nation's top-scoring offense (90.7 ppg). Sears averaged 21.5 points per game, enough for top spot in the SEC and 11th nationally.
Sears came in sixth in the SEC in 3-pointers made (83) and led the league in free throws (both his 193 makes and 225 attempts top the league).
Sears has scored 20 or more points in each of his last eight games and has been dominant for an Alabama team that is in with a chance to spring a season-defining upset against North Carolina.
4. Kyle Filipowski, Duke
A season ago, many assumed that the 7-foot Filipowski would head to the NBA after a solid year at Duke.
Instead, he returned to have an even better sophomore season. Filipowski is currently averaging 16.6 ppg and 8.2 rebounds per game. He's diversified his game, finishing fourth in the ACC in blocked shots and shooting 35% from 3-point territory.
He is only behind Edey as an outstanding big man. While Duke has spent much of the season in North Carolina's shadow, the Blue Devils have a Sweet 16 chance to deliver a statement victory over Houston. Filipowski will be key to putting on that kind of performance.
3. DaRon Holmes II, Dayton
The popular notion is that if DaRon Holmes played basketball at North Carolina, Kentucky, or even Kansas, he'd be a Naismith finalist. But at Dayton, the excellence of the 6-foot-10 forward often slides under the radar.
This season, Holmes averaged 20.4 ppg and 8.5 rpg for the Flyers. Even in the season-ending loss to Arizona, Holmes was superb, with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
He was a multi-level threat this year, shooting 39% from 3-point range and also leading the A-10 in blocked shots (66).
His 289 free throw attempts were the fourth-most in the NCAA. While Dayton's lack of NCAA Tournament success would have probably torpedoed Holmes' Naismith chances, one would argue that he should have made the list of the finalists.
2. Tyler Kolek, Marquette
Kolek was the best point guard for Marquette by a mile. While he did miss a few games due to injuries, he remained a top option for a dangerous Marquette team that might have some March magic left.
Kolek is averaging 15.3 ppg and 7.9 assists per game. He led the Big East in assists for the third consecutive year.
He is a 40% 3-point shooter and also led the Big East in steals. In his two games back since injury, he has 39 points and 22 assists and managed a double-double in each Marquette NCAA Tournament victory.
If the Eagles keep mowing down opponents, it'll look a bit silly to have left Kolek out of the final list.
1. Tristen Newton, UConn
Newton is probably the best player on the best team in the country. A consensus first-team All-American, he's the only player on that list not to be a Naismith finalist.
Newton averages 15.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 6.2 apg. If there's even a half-hearted reason for leaving him off the list, it's the wealth of talented UConn players, each of whom adds a dimension to the Huskies.
Newton has amassed three double-doubles and a triple-double in his last nine games. He's talented, versatile, and absolutely essential to UConn's success. Particularly if the favored Huskies go on to nab their second straight NCAA title, Newton will join some illustrious names from history who are part of the "best to never win the Naismith trophy" club.