Look, I understand the Big East has 16 teams, and it can be hard to pick the best players for an All-Big East team, but to have a 1st team with 11 players is a joke. It may create some hard feelings (maybe) or may take a little more effort but if conferences with 12 members can have a 5-member or even 6-member All-conference squad, surely the Big East could at least limit it to a max of 8.
Instead there's this:
2006-07 All-BIG EAST First Team
*Jeff Green, Georgetown, Jr.
*Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, Jr.
Dominic James, Marquette, So.
Russell Carter, Notre Dame, Sr.
Colin Falls, Notre Dame, Sr.
*Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh, Sr.
*Herbert Hill, Providence, Sr.
Lamont Hamilton, St. John's, Sr.
*Demetris Nichols, Syracuse, Sr.
Curtis Sumpter, Villanova, Sr.
Frank Young, West Virginia, Sr.
The asterisk indicates a unanimous choice.
At least five of the choices were unanimous -- even if it was all forwards and centers. Not a particularly strong year in the Big East for guards.
That's ridiculous. There's a 10-member second team and 7 players listed for the "honorable mention."
Sports
The Big East designated 28 players as all-conference. That's 35% of the starters in the Big East being put among the "best" of the group. Clearly the Big East doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I'd say if you start in the Big East, you have to be pissed that you somehow didn't make the cut. They must really think you suck.
But wait, there's more. There's still the 11-member All-Rookie Team.
Witness:
BIG EAST All-Rookie Team
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, Fr.
*Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, Fr.
Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut, Fr.
DaJuan Summers, Georgetown, Fr.
Edgar Sosa, Louisville, Fr.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, Fr.
Tory Jackson, Notre Dame, Fr.
*Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall, Fr.
Paul Harris, Syracuse, Fr.
*Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, Fr.
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia, Fr.
If anything shows how devalued this "everybody gets in" approach is, it's seeing Hasheem Thabeet make this list. Yes, he's a major NBA prospect in time. Sure he's 7'3" and gets 6.4 rebounds a game. He also only scores 6.3 points/game and turns the ball over 1.6 times. That's actually being kind. In 16 Big East games his numbers are only 5.9 rebounds and 5.4 points. That's an all-rookie player?
He has tons of "upside," just by virtue of his size and build. He's nowhere close to being one of the best freshmen this year based on performance. It takes away from what players like Reynolds, Harvey, Dyson, Harangody, Sosa and Vaughn have done this season.
Look, the Big East is actually working at this point with 16 teams. Much to my surprise. Stop the amateur hour, though, and actually pick a real all-conference group. Bloggers were able to do it.
