Honors Court: McDermott May Become First MVP in Two Different Leagues
August 3rd, 2013 - 7:28
There is every indication that Creighton forward Doug McDermott could become the first individual to be undisputed Most Valuable Player in two different NCAA Division I conferences. McDermott was a two-time league MVP for the Bluejays, who left the Missouri Valley to join the Big East.
Virginia center Ralph Sampson had the lowest scoring average (17.6 points per game from 1980-81 through 1982-83) among the 29 players during spans in the last 50-plus years when they captured three or four MVP awards in a Division I conference. Sampson's average was 26.6 ppg lower than LSU guard Pete Maravich's NCAA-record mark (44.2 from 1967-68 through 1969-70).
No player from a power conference has achieved the three-time feat since Kansas' Danny Manning in the Big Eight from 1985-86 through 1987-88. Ohio State's Jerry Lucas, auctioning off much of his basketball memorabilia, probably doesn't care that he might have been the first three-time DI conference MVP (Big Ten in early 1960s). Prior to a foot injury early last season, Lehigh's C.J. McCollum could have joined the following chronological list of standouts who became player of the year in a DI alliance three or four seasons since the early 1960s:
| Player | Pos. | School | Conference (Seasons) | MVP Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Lucas | C | Ohio State | Big Ten (1960-62) | Averaged 24.3 ppg and 17.2 rpg while shooting 62.4% from the floor over three-year span. |
| Fred Hetzel | F-C | Davidson | Southern (1963-65) | Averaged 25.7 ppg and 13.8 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor over three-year span. |
| Clem Haskins | G-F | Western Kentucky | Ohio Valley (1965-67) | Averaged 22.1 ppg and 10.6 rpg over three-year span. |
| Pete Maravich | G | Louisiana State | Southeastern (1968-70) | Averaged 44.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 5.1 apg over three-year span. |
| Gene Phillips | F | Southern Methodist | Southwest (1969-71) | Averaged 26.1 ppg and 7.5 rpg while shooting 81.7% from the free-throw line over three-year span. |
| David Thompson | F | North Carolina State | Atlantic Coast (1973-75) | Averaged 26.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg while shooting 55.3% from the floor over three-year span. |
| Bernard King | F | Tennessee | Southeastern (1975-77) | Averaged 25.8 ppg and 13.2 rpg while shooting 59% from the floor over three-year span. |
| Bill Cartwright | C | San Francisco | West Coast (1977-79) | Averaged 21.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg while shooting 60.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| Michael Brooks | F | La Salle | East Coast (1978-80) | Averaged 24.1 ppg and 12.5 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| Harry Kelly | F | Texas Southern | Southwestern Athletic (1980-83) | Averaged 27.9 ppg and 9.9 rpg over four-year span. |
| Ralph Sampson | C | Virginia | Atlantic Coast (1981-83) | Averaged 17.6 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 3.1 bpg while shooting 57.5% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| Joe Binion | F | North Carolina A&T | Mid-Eastern Athletic (1982-84) | Averaged 19.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg while shooting 50.9% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| Willie Jackson | F | Centenary | Trans America Athletic (1982-84) | Averaged 23.9 ppg and 9.2 rpg over three-year MVP span. |
| Alfredrick Hughes | F | Loyola (Ill.) | Midwestern Collegiate (1983-85) | Averaged 26.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg over three-year MVP span. |
| Chris Mullin | G-F | St. John's | Big East (1983-85) | Averaged 20.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg while shooting 55.4% from the floor and 86.5% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span. |
| Wayman Tisdale | C | Oklahoma | Big Eight (1983-85) | Averaged 25.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg while shooting 57.8% from the floor over three-year span. |
| Larry Krystkowiak | F | Montana | Big Sky (1984-86) | Averaged 20.4 ppg and 10.7 rpg while shooting 57.1% from the floor and 80.1% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span. |
| Reggie Lewis | F | Northeastern | ECAC North (1985-87) | Averaged 23.7 ppg and 8.5 rpg over three-year MVP span. |
| David Robinson | C | Navy | Colonial Athletic (1985-87) | Averaged 24.8 ppg, 12.2 rpg and 4.8 bpg while shooting 61.2% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| Danny Manning | F | Kansas | Big Eight (1986-88) | Averaged 21.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg while shooting 59.9% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| Lionel Simmons | F | La Salle | Metro Atlantic Athletic (1988-90) | Averaged 26 ppg and 11.3 rpg over three-year MVP span. |
| Clarence Weatherspoon | F | Southern Mississippi | Metro (1990-92) | Averaged 19.3 ppg and 10.3 rpg while shooting 58.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| Tony Dunkin | F | Coastal Carolina | Big South (1990-93) | Averaged 20.7 ppg and 7 rpg while shooting 52.2% from the floor and 41.2% from beyond the three-point arc over four-year span. |
| Gary Trent | F | Ohio University | Mid-American (1993-95) | Averaged 22.7 ppg and 11.3 rpg while shooting 57.3% from the floor over three-year span. |
| Keith Van Horn | F | Utah | Western Athletic (1995-97) | Averaged 21.5 ppg and 8.9 rpg while shooting 52.4% from the floor and 87% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span. |
| George Evans | F | George Mason | Colonial Athletic (1999-2001) | Averaged 17.9 ppg and 8.3 rpg while shooting 58.4% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| David West | F-C | Xavier | Atlantic 10 (2001-03) | Averaged 18.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg while shooting 53.1% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |
| Taylor Coppenrath | F | Vermont | America East (2003-05) | Averaged 23.1 ppg and 7.5 rpg over three-year MVP span. |
| Nick Fazekas | F | Nevada | Western Athletic (2005-07) | Averaged 21 ppg and 10.3 rpg while shooting 53.2% from the floor and 82.3% from the free-throw line over three-year MVP span. |
| Caleb Green | F | Oral Roberts | Mid-Continent (2005-07) | Averaged 20.2 ppg and 9.1 rpg while shooting 52.6% from the floor over three-year MVP span. |