Aaron Brooks...no, NOT that one

Since I'm not an insider at ESPN I couldn't read the whole thing, but it was nice to see a great player from my team get some love from Jay Bilas. This is most of what you can see if you follow this link:

So, for POY, the strongest candidates have been Wisconsin's Alando Tucker (big shots, big plays in big games), Texas' Durant (the most talented player in America), Nevada's Nick Fazekas (he has been as good as any big man), Florida's Joakim Noah (no player is more productive in just 24 minutes), UCLA's Arron Afflalo (plays on both ends and is the Bruins' heart), LSU's Glen Davis (big-time college player),Oklahoma State's Mario Boggan (one of the most productive interior players in the country) and Tennessee's Chris Lofton (this year's Redick). Let's add another name ... Oregon's Aaron Brooks. Brooks is averaging more than 18 points, almost 5 assists and 2 steals, and he has taken it on himself to hit every big shot Oregon has needed to win key games. It was Brooks who shot down UCLA, and he was magnificent on the road at Arizona. There might be a long way to go in this whole player of the year debate, but Brooks deserves to be in it as much as anyone we have named so far.

I put my favorite part in bold, just to emphasize it. Brooks really has been great for Oregon this season. I watched all of the Arizona game on Sunday and most of tonight's Cal game, and in each one he made big shot after big shot and took over whenever we needed somebody to do so. He's in the line of people like Luke Ridnour, Kenya Wilkins, and Terrell Brandon. In fact, here's what Ernie Kent said about that to Luke Andrews of the Oregon Daily Emerald, our on-campus newspaper:

When asked to compare Brooks to some of the great Oregon point guards of the past, from Luke Ridnour to Kenya Wilkins to Terrell Brandon and on down, Kent was quick to name Brooks near the top.

"He's definitely one of the best we've had here," Kent said. "I mean that, too. Athletically, he is the best. I don't think I've ever had a point guard that has his kind of stamina that can go like he can go for 40 minutes of a game, never miss a beat and come into practice and look the same way."