2012-13 Boston College Basketball Wrap, Part III: Player Awards
By Joe Micik
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Boston College basketball took a few steps forward during this 2012-13 season. You can thank the personnel on the roster for that, even though there is much more to accomplish in the years to come.
Instead of evaluating each individual player and graphing their progress from one season to the next like they’re science experiments, we’ll take this time now to celebrate those on the team who had the best years.
Best Freshman
Olivier Hanlan
No-brainer. The ACC’s Rookie of the Year should logically win this award on his own team, and even if the conference hadn’t bestowed this honor upon him, he’d have gotten it from us, anyway.
Most Improved Player
Eddie Odio
Odio has been a pleasant surprise this year. When he arrived at Boston College as a freshman, we heard all about his athleticism but rarely did we ever get to see it. In 2012-13, Odio got more playing time and looked stronger and more confident in his game. He even got to be a starter as the season neared a close, some of which can probably be attributed to the enigma that is Dennis Clifford’s health situation. Odio became an exciting player to watch and is miles better than when he was an afterthought as a freshman. Of all the players from last season who played in this one, Odio has definitely made the biggest leap.
Best Rebounder
Ryan Anderson
Anderson would likely take this title whether or not Dennis Clifford had been healthy enough to play straight through the season, but since he didn’t, he had almost twice as many boards per game as the next guy down the list (Hanlan). He had eight double-doubles on the year, which has to count for something.
Best Defender
Eddie Odio
There were times when the defense was spotty team-wide, but again, this is another area where Odio seems to have improved. Other guys on the team contributed here, including Clifford, but Odio had more plays that stood out, particularly later in the year. As a matter of fact, Clifford would have had a good chance to win this award if he had played more, which is unfortunate.
Best Shooter
Olivier Hanlan
Hanlan did not take the most shots on the team, nor did he have the highest shooting percentage (a few guys were a couple points higher), but as far as being a pure shooter from anywhere on the court, Hanlan takes it. He led the Eagles in threes made and was pretty good inside the arc as well, whether putting up jumpers or taking it to the bucket himself.
Most Valuable Players
Olivier Hanlan and Ryan Anderson
This was a tough call between Anderson and Hanlan, so ultimately, there was no reason to choose between the two. Both helped in their own way. If they had the same sort of capabilities it might be a little bit easier to distinguish them, but Anderson has a different game than Hanlan and vice versa. Olivier Hanlan, more in the mold of a Tyrese Rice or a Reggie Jackson, seems to be able to score from anywhere on the floor and can occasionally grab some rebounds. Ryan Anderson is a taller low-post kind of guy who can get his double-doubles by working the glass and making close-range shots; away from the basket is a different story.
Hanlan is a “spark” type guard who powers the team’s offense with real energy, and it is very fair to say that he was integral to BC on that end this year, but Anderson and his eight double-doubles and 15 points per game can’t be denied, either. They’re equally worthy of being called the team’s best player this season.