MAC Champion Central Michigan Sweeps League's Specialty Awards
March 12, 2003
For the second time in the last three years Central Michigan not only won the Mid-American Conference championship, but also the top two individual awards in Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. Earlier this week the Chippewas grabbed headlines with the MAC Defensive Player of the Year (Chris Kaman) and first-ever Sixth Man Award (Whitney Robinson).
CMU mentor Jay Smith was honored for leading his squad to an overall 21-6 record and 14-4 league slate a year after the Chippewas went 9-19. The Chippewas go into the MAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed and having won nine of their last 10 games. Among CMU's victims this year was Big Ten foe Michigan, the eventual third place finisher in the league, by an 85-78 count in Ann Arbor.
The 20-win season is the second for Smith on top of CMU's 20-8 campaign in 2001. Smith is the eighth coach in league history to win the award more than once, joining Gary Waters (Kent State 1999, 2000), Ben Braun (Eastern Michigan 1988, 1991, 1996), Danny Nee (Ohio, 1983, 1985), Steve Yoder (Ball State 1981, 1982), Bob Nichols (Toledo 1974, 1979, 1980), Darrell Hedric (Miami 1971, 1984) and Jim Snyder (Ohio 1970, 1972).
Kaman, a junior from Wyoming, Mich. (Tri-unity Christian), led the Chippewas to a 21-win season and a 14-4 MAC record while capturing the school's second league title in the last three seasons. Kaman led the league in field goal percentage at 63.4% and in blocked shots with 84, and was second in scoring (22.5 ppg), rebounds (12.2 rpg) and double-doubles (21). He also ranks third nationally in rebounds, fifth in field goal percentage and eighth in blocked shots.
Kaman becomes the second MAC player to win both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year since the latter award began in 1997, joining Bonzi Wells of Ball State (1998) in that company.
Smith edged Northern Illinois' head coach Rob Judson by a 26-23 count to win the award. Miami's Charlie Coles garnered 10 votes. Kaman was named on 37 ballots, Kent State's Antonio Gates 15 and Ohio's Brandon Hunter seven. Voting was conducted among members of the MAC News Media Association.
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