Duke fans have debated all season whether J.J. Redick is the best player in the nation. For this season's Naismith Player of the Year Award, they and the rest of the college basketball fans across the country will have the opportunity to partially influence that decision.
In years past, the Naismith Committee, comprised of coaches and media, determined the recipient. But under the new format instituted for the first time last year, the fan vote via text messaging will account for 25 percent of the voting, and the committee will retain say over the other three-quarters. Matt Garvey, director of communications for the award, said the Naismith Committee is excited about being able to integrate the fans into the voting process.
"The fans are a big reason why college basketball is what it is and it is a benefit to have them voting," Garvey said. "We are ecstatic about getting them involved."
This season's finalists for the Naismith Award, which has been given out since 1969, are Redick, Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison, Connecticut forward Rudy Gay, and Villanova guard Allan Ray.
Even though Blue Devil fans have the means to sway the vote, the nationwide opinion of Duke basketball, however, may hurt Redick's chances of garnering the award.
Nationally, the Duke bandwagon is loaded with Redick supporters that love to cheer for the Blue Devils because they consistently win and compete for the National Championship. But the nation is also equally full of "Duke haters" that, for the same reason, are sick of seeing Duke's success.
Redick's seemingly strongest competition for the award, Morrison, does not have a similar contingent against him. Not only does Gonzaga come under less national scrutiny than Duke, they are mostly adored by fans because of their status as a mid-major. Smaller conference teams are gaining more attention this season with numerous first-round upsets and George Mason's trip to the Final Four.
Also, if there is an east-west bias, Redick's support will be diminished by fans loyal to Villanova and Connecticut.
So if the national vote comes down to team favoritism, Morrison may pull ahead of Redick.
Though Morrison may have an advantage in the popularity vote, the Naismith Committee still has a stronger pull in the vote and will likely judge the finalists based on overall season performance.
"There is the tradition of the Naismith Trophy which is upheld by our voting academia," Garvey said. "This is what they do for a living and are closer to the sport. They follow teams and players on a daily basis and represent a more educated group of people voting for the Naismith Award."
Looking at their statistics and postseason performance, committee voters will have trouble favoring one over the other. Their statistics are similar-Redick averaged 26.8 points and 3.9 three-pointers per game and shot 86.3% from the free-throw line, while Morrison averaged 28.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and shot 77.2% from the charity stripe. They both won their conference tournaments, and led their respective teams to the Sweet 16. But Redick struggled from the field in Duke's loss to LSU, making just 3-of-18 shots. Morrison, on the other hand, scored 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
Redick, however, posted his lofty statistics against a tougher regular season schedule, and if committee voters recognize this, then Redick will likely carry the heavier-weighted committee vote.
Given all the factors, determining the winner is difficult to forecast, but at least fans will not be able to complain that they were absent from the voting process.
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