Candid Coaches: Who will be the best player in men's college basketball in 2022-23?
A lot of big names and big men are back including last season's national player of the year, Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe
www.cbssports.com
A lot of big names and big men are back including last season's national player of the year, Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe
By Matt Norlander
Graphic by Keytron Jordan
CBS Sports' Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander surveyed roughly 100 coaches for our annual Candid Coaches series. They polled everyone from head coaches at elite programs to assistants at small Division I schools. In exchange for complete anonymity, these coaches provided unfiltered honesty about a number of topics. Over the course of three weeks we are posting the results of our summer survey on the state of college basketball.
The 2022-23 season is poised to prominently feature as many big-time big men than any year college basketball has seen in a generation. Of course, this is a byproduct of the NBA no longer valuing traditional centers or lumbering power forwards the way it did for 60 years. But thanks to NIL, and because the college game still features myriad styles and more eclectic lineups than the pros, a litany of high-profile 4s and 5s will be back on the college hardwood.
In a rarity, two CBS Sports First Team All-Americans are returning, something that hasn't happened in a very long time. It also means the national race for player of the year should not only be compelling but should help college hoops' popularity and Q rating among casuals. Some identifiable faces and recognizable names are not just in for another season, they're in uniform for power-brand programs and highly ranked teams.
Here's who coaches believe will be the best. We asked our annual question, and it's a three-man race (for now):
Who will be the best player in college basketball this season?
|
Others receiving multiple votes: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana; Jaime Jaquez, UCLA; Marcus Sasser, Houston
Others receiving a single vote: Max Abmas, Oral Roberts; Hunter Dickinson, Michigan; Keyonte George, Baylor; Derek Lively, Duke; Caleb Love, North Carolina; Nick Smith, Arkansas