A Big Co-Congrats To DeJuan Blair

In a fitting compromise type of award, DeJuan Blair was announced as the co-winner of the 2009 Big East Conference Player of the Year. Blair shared the award with the only other supposedly legit contender for the award, UConn giant Hasheem Thabeet.

You've really got to be happy for Blair. He is a tremendous talent and one of the most unique players I can ever remember seeing, and his passion for the game of basketball is so strong it is downright contagious. So congrats to DeJuan for the award, I know I am very proud to have you playing for my school and pleased the Big East coaches did right by you.

If I would have had to bet on who I thought would win this award, my money definitely would have gone on Thabeet. He is the more heralded and more celebrated player and his game-changing defensive impact is undeniable. However, Thabeet's impact defensively is just about equalled in my mind by Blair's impact on the offensive glass. I think that Blair's dominance in their first matchup is what got him enough votes to pull into a tie with Thabeet. I was also expecting Sam Young to steal a couple votes for Blair, as he has been a force of nature the past few games and is playing better than anyone in the conference in my mind.

So once again, a big congrats to DeJuan, and here's hoping you get to add some postseason hardware to your regular season trophies in this spectacular 2008/09 campaign.