Now that we have entered the realm of finals basketball, and the regular season is done and dusted, it’s time to have a look at the predictions for this year’s awards for the Men’s State Basketball League in this rather edgy edition of the Scoop.

Niels Bohr once said, that predictions are difficult, especially if it’s about the future; however, I can bet you a diddle eyed Joe to a damned if I know that we can point the finger on a few award winners this season before they are announced to the general public. And those that know me know that I love to have a sneaky bet; as my father always told me - it’s not gambling when you know you’re going to win.

Enough antics and down to the nitty gritty. Below are this year’s predictions for the awards for the Men’s competition in 2011. Some of these awards are already finalised such as the regular season scoring title for example, these will be stated for those worthy statistical leaders and the predictions for the remaining awards will then be announced.

So here are this seasons Scoopy’s, they are like the ESPY’s but much better of course…

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Statistical Leaders 2011

Scoring Title
Adrian ‘AM’ Majstrovich – 30 points per game

Adrian hasn’t passed the ball since the under 16 national championships, where he had no other choice as he was falling out of bounds. All jokes aside this guy is a scoring beast and has one of the nicest strokes in the SBL. The Maestro can beat you offensively in a number of ways, and defenders all season have felt the barrage of scoring power this man has to offer. A worthy recipient of the Kevin Durant award for 2011.

Rebounding title
Jarrad ‘Chairman’ Prue – 21.6 rebounds per game

If you go and visit the Prue residence, everything is boxed. I’ve showered enough praise over the man in the Scoop over recent weeks, and he is clearly the best rebounder we have in the SBL. A mammoth 21.6 rebounds per game average over the regular season makes Jarrad Prue a very worthy winner of the Kevin Love award for 2011.

Assists title
Joel ‘Dime’ Wagner – 10.3 assists per game

If you handed Wagner a gold bar, he would pass it to an open team mate I’m sure of it. This guy loves to make plays and what a pleasure it must be for Neill, Maestro, Vigs and co to have Wagner finding them the ball week in and week out. I hope to see him getting another gig in the NBL next season as this pure point guard has the ability to make an impact at the next level. Yet another Steve Nash award for Joel ‘Dime’ Wagner in season 2011.

Steals title
Chris ‘Can I borrow that’ Dodd – 3.2 steals per game

This man could steal the laces off your boots whilst you’re running a suicide. The man we know as Doddy has an uncanny knack of reading the play and possesses a very good set of hands. Chris Dodd is an aggressive defender that will pick your pocket if you do not look after the basketball, and his 3.2 steals a game is very valuable to the Senators side. Congratulations Doddy on receiving this season’s Winona Ryder award.

Blocks title
Tom ‘Behemoth’ Jervis – 2.7 blocks per game

The 7 foot Jervobeast once lived in captivity, where he knocked coconuts off the top of palm trees. He now resides in the SBL swatting away basketballs in the keyway like they are flies trying to nestle into his bushy back hair. Tommy J has had a remarkable season for the East Perth Eagles, and has really put his hand up for NBL selection this season. He has taken care of the keyway for the Eagles and his 2.7 blocks per game has him sitting on top of the pile for the Dikembe Mutombo award for 2011.

Apple Turnovers Leader
Andrew ‘Apples’ Bowman – 5.1 Turnover per game

Someone needs to tell Andrew that giving the ball away is bad. Bowman got himself a triple double earlier in the season; the unfortunate thing about it was that it included 12 apples. Maybe Chalkie can spend a bit of that 3 year extension he just received teaching his PG’s how to look after the basketball. It’s never a great accolade to lead the league in turnovers, and I’m sure Bowman will be hoping to slip down the rankings in this particular statistic next year. It is with no pleasure to present Andrew Bowman with the Bakers Delight trophy for 2011.

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Most Valuable Player
Anthony ‘hit me I’m free’ Lee

99% of the games Perry Lakes won this season, Lee will get top votes. With the Hawks winning 17 games in the regular season, I think it’s going to be a tough call predicting anyone else to collect this award. With season averages of 28 pts (50.6% FG), 14.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals a game, Anthony Lee has had an epic season carrying the Hawks to a top 4 position on the ladder. He will have Luke Payne nipping at his heels in the second half of the season; however, Anthony Lee dominated for the entire regular season without missing a game, making him the obvious choice to take down the Derrick Rose trophy of 2011.

Defensive Player of the Year
Chris ’48 Mins’ Dodd

Doddy has had a fantastic year for the Senators, averaging almost a triple double with 10.5 pts, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 3.2 steals. His all round game has helped Stirling make a vast improvement on their 2010 season. With 6 defensive rebounds and 3.2 steals a game, Dodd is the Ron Artest of the SBL without the Rap album and the change of name. If Doddy did change his name, he would have to go for ’The 48 minute man’ as coach Jamieson hates to substitute this defensive specialist. There were quite a few contenders for this award, such as Jarrad Prue, Tom Jervis and Greg hire, who have had great seasons looking after the defensive glass and dominating the keyway for their respective teams. I think I need to give a special mention to Ben Purser who has been relentless since his return this season, especially on the defensive end for the Hawks. Ryan Sofoulis is another contender with his 2.6 steals a game and his phenomenal lateral movement and ability to stay in front of a defender definitely deserves a mention. However, I have Chris Dodd pipping them all to take out the Ron ‘Lockdown’ Artest award in 2011.

6th Man of the Year
Kyle ‘shimmy’ Armour

It’s hard to look past Armour for the 6th man award this season, he makes an instant impact defensively and pushing the basketball for the Lakeside Lightning. He would start in any other team in the SBL besides the Lightning, which speaks volumes of their depth in the guard position. He is a nightmare for backup point guards, as Amour is in your grill every second he is on the court. Armour’s ability to make a sweet dish or cross the ball over running at full pace causes serious problems for opposition teams in the SBL. There is no doubt it is a luxury to have this spark plug coming off the bench, which has Kyle Armour receiving the Lamar Odom award for 2011.

Most Improved
Michael ‘Vigs’ Vigor

The big Vigormortis has really stepped up and taken his chances for the Perth Redbacks in 2011. Starting the season as a backup big man behind Majstrovich, Maddox and Wagstaff, Vigor has elevated his game and worked his way into a regular starting position. His 14pts and 7.3 rebounds at 52% from the floor on a stacked Redbacks squad, really shows the potential of this young player. If he continues to improve facets of his game he could really be a household name in the State Basketball League. Well done Vigsy on receiving this seasons Danny Granger award.

Coach of the Year
Andy ‘I just win’ Stewart – Lakeside Lightning 24 wins and 2 losses over the regular season

Yet another phenomenal record for the Lakeside Lightning in the Men’s State Basketball League. The mastermind behind the Lakeside Lightning unit has had a stellar season, accumulating 24 wins and securing them top spot on the SBL ladder. One thing is certain, Andy must be stoked the coaching combination of Doherty and Shipley are not floating around this season, as it saved Lakeside from 2 certain losses like it did in 2010 . Poised to take the Lightning to another Grand Final appearance, it will take a mammoth effort to knock off Andy and his purple army this season in the men’s competition. Any way you look at it, Andy is more than a deserved winner of the Arnold ‘Red’ Auerbach trophy in 2011.

MSBL All-Star team

* denotes league leader in this category

PG – Joel Wagner
16.1 pts, 5 rebounds and 10.3* assists per game

SG – Luke Payne
27.8 pts, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game

SF – Anthony Lee
28 pts, 14.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game

PF – Greg Hire
21.9 pts, 17 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game

C – Jarrad Prue
8 pts (65.9%) and 21.6* Rebounds per game

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So there you have it folks, the 2011 Scoopy’s. Congratulations to the worthy winners and don’t expect your trophy to arrive in the mail anytime soon. I think you would agree there is some serious talent listed in this article and some very worthy award recipients. It will be interesting to see if the above mentioned players receive these awards, or whether a smokey jumps up to collect the chocolates.

Who do you think will take out this year’s major awards in the MSBL? Comment via our official facebook and twitter pages.

Article written by Mark Shipley

Thanks to all those that have followed ‘The SBL Scoop’ in 2011, I hope you have enjoyed the column and I appreciate the support from everyone who has helped out and shown me love. A special shout out to my fellow Scoop team this season, namely Troy Willis and Rick O’Shea, I appreciate the work you have put in lads. I’d also like to thank Christian ‘Special Fried’ Rice for all his tireless work and support with the Scoop this year.

The opinions, views and comments in this article are those of the individual and are not the opinions or views of the State Basketball League or Basketball WA.