¡Now here’s an election BallinEurope can get into! (Hey, i’m living in Hungary; what can i say?)
Over at the league official website, voting is now open for the ACB’s El Jugador Revelación. It’s kinda like the NBA Rookie of the Year award, but it should be noted, that few of the six candidates up for the honor are truly “rookies” in any real sense and most are merely enjoying their first campaign in Spain’s top league.
The envelope, please. The nominees for El Jugador Revelación for the 2009-10 ACB season are…
• When Jaycee Carroll first signed on to play European ball after leaving Utah State and the NBDL behind, his agent reportedly promised his client would “develop his combo-guard skills this year and sign a contract with an NBA team in the near future.” After this season, the big league may have cause to try him out again.
And Carroll just might decide he doesn’t want to go: After receiving the Jugador Revelación nomination, Carroll gushed about the support he’d received on the court and his family off; Carroll today says that he loves this [Spanish] game and that he could stay in Spain for years: “Me encanta esta liga, la manera de jugar y de ver el baloncesto, que es la que yo tengo también. Me encantaría estar muchos años en esta liga, porque eso me haría muy feliz.”
What else is tempting? Well, how about leading the league in scoring at 19.4 ppg while helping carry your team to the edge of the playoffs? It is good to be an alpha dog…
• After starting in the KK Zagreb system at the age of 16 in 2003, Ante Tomic had played in competition at near all basketball’s various levels, seeing action in the Croatian League, Adriatic League, FIBA Eurochallenge and Eurocup tournaments before getting with Real Madrid during this season.
While he’s only gone for 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 11 ACB games (the line becomes 9.5/4.0 in 20 combined ACB and Euroleague games with Madrid), Tomic really fits the meaning of the word “revelation,” for only those in the know knew he’d be quite this good. Plus, he’s the only one who seems to know how to play FC Barcelona for the Whites these days…
• The only candidate gutsy enough to campaign for the award in a second language is Richard Hendrix. Between the trick shot, the soundtrack of “Sweet Home Alabama” and the Spanish (this is how Charles Barkley might speak the language if he ever made good on his New Year’s Resolution to do so), Hendrix’ vote total show swell before we even get to the stats.
(The stats say, incidentally: Second in the ACB in blocks with 1.31 per game to go with his 13.9 ppg and 7.1 rbg, the latter good for fourth-best in the league…)
• Almost as big a presence underneath as Hendrix in the ACB this season has been Paulo Prestes. The Team Brazil player is perhaps the sole bright spot in a seriously woeful season for relegation-doomed CB Murcia, with his league second-high 7.29 rebounds per game.
• José Simeón has finally arrived in the ACB proper after playing up through all levels of the Pamesa Valencia system, from Minibasket to Infantil to Cadete to Junior. Simeón’s statline is pretty minimal in getting just 12 minutes of playing time per game, but this nomination is surely all about celebrating another successful product of Spanish basketball – this kid’s barely 19, for Gasol’s sake.
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• Last but by no means least is Federico Martín “Fede” Van Lacke Falco of Valladolid. While Frederico’s team-high 11.2 points per game was nice, you’ve really got love the pimping he’s doing for his candidacy on FedeVanLacke.com.ar; dude is pumped about getting nominated, for sure. If you’d like to consider Van Lacke’s candidacy, see the video below. If you need further encouragement to vote in this election at all, well, in Fede’s homepage’s own (translated) words:
NOW YOU CAN VOTE BY FEDE VAN TO BE ELECTED EL JUGADOR REVELACIÓN OF THE 2009-2010 SEASON OF THE ACB!
SUPPORT FEDE!
YOU CAN VOTE ONCE A DAY AND NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
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