Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Tyler Ulis, and Denzel Valentine are your four finalists for the Naismith Award. It, along with the Wooden Award, are essentially your college basketball Heisman trophy. Brogdon, Virginia‘s 6-5 senior two guard, and ACC Player of the Year (the first since Ralph Sampson in 1984), is both a shooter and a scorer, and you’ll see his name in the early second round of many a NBA mock draft. He can bring it on the other end of the court too; having won ACC Defender of the Year this season.
Brogdon has got a lot of size for a two guard at the college level, but he’s not really big for a NBA two, it will be interesting to see how he can find a way to compensate for his lack of size in order to try and fit in at the next level. He also finished his college basketball career in the worst way possible.
UVA had an epic collapse; choking away a 16 point second half lead in the Elite 8 against Syracuse. Malcolm Brogdon himself had an especially awful night, shooting 2-14 from the floor, 1-6 from three.
Iowa State Coach Steve Prohm, who lost to Virginia in the Sweet 16, on game-planning against Brogdon:
“What they do for Brogdon, it’s all to the screen action, the constant moving, his ability to make threes, post you, and get the ball to the middle of the paint. He is a unique match-up in that regard.”
The game plan worked to some extent as Brogdon shot just 4-13 from the field in the Cavaliers win.
Malcolm Brogdon said at Elite 8 Media Day that he wants to play in the NBA some day, and he shows up in the second round of most NBA mock drafts; where in the second round is quite varied. Brogdon is a first team All-American; the first for UVA since Ralph Sampson.
Brogdon became the first player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to earn league player of the year and defensive player of the year in the same season. He averaged a career-high 18.2 points and finished his UVA career ranked ninth all-time in scoring with 1,809 points. Brogdon also ranks first on UVA’s career free throw shooting chart at 87.6 percent.
After a gut-wrenching loss, a game that he’ll remember for the rest of his life, Brogdon was asked to reflect on his career that was in Charlottesville, Virginia.
A reporter prompted him to reflect on all that he accomplished.
“It is difficult, but at the same time, you start to reminisce. You start to remember all the good times you’ve had, and you start to realize how special these guys sitting next to you and on the court with you, how much they mean to you, how much your coaches mean to you, how much you’ve learned from them, and just how much you’ve enjoyed your experience and your college career,” he said.
“Sometimes we get caught up so much and playing the game, trying to win every game, being so focused, I’m a very locked-in guy, rather than just smelling the roses, and now we can smell the roses. We can enjoy what we’ve established.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram