Joe Soriano
O.J. Lewis2010 NCAAB PSW Defensive Player of the Year
April 5th 2011 15:07
Kentucky Shooting Guard DeAndre Liggins
The official award went to Kenneth Faried, but my pick goes to DeAndre Liggins of Kentucky. He is a lock down defender that can also get boards, and that's a nice bonus from a guard. He is an unselfish player that leads by example and can also play at shooting guard.
Liggins is a poor shooter, but his toughness makes him an average offensive player overall. He earns his keep through defense, and he has an important story to tell. He is driven by the death of his brother and has risen to become one of the best defenders in the country. In 2010, Liggins truly was the best.
Liggins is a poor decision maker as well, and that's easily seen with all the shots he takes when he is well guarded. However, Liggins is extremely athletic and can take a star offensive player out of the game when he is locked in. That's his game, and D is all he needs.
"You have a 6-6 player with long arms who can guard a point guard, a 2-man, a 3-man, and if I wanted him to, he could probably guard the 4," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Whoever is hurting you, he can go guard."
Great defensive players like Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace were versatile enough defenders that they could go up against a 4 or 2 respectively when they were in their primes. While Liggins will probably not be that good, he is a great defensive player in his own right and was one of the biggest reasons why Kentucky made it to the Final Four.
Kemba Walker was the only offensive player this year to have success when matched up against Liggins- Maui Invitational Final- yet the best player in college basketball doled out some heavy praise to the best defensive player in the game. Walker said he was the best defensive player he has faced, and he added that he has faced off against other great defenders as well.
The official award went to Kenneth Faried, but my pick goes to DeAndre Liggins of Kentucky. He is a lock down defender that can also get boards, and that's a nice bonus from a guard. He is an unselfish player that leads by example and can also play at shooting guard.
Liggins is a poor shooter, but his toughness makes him an average offensive player overall. He earns his keep through defense, and he has an important story to tell. He is driven by the death of his brother and has risen to become one of the best defenders in the country. In 2010, Liggins truly was the best.
Liggins is a poor decision maker as well, and that's easily seen with all the shots he takes when he is well guarded. However, Liggins is extremely athletic and can take a star offensive player out of the game when he is locked in. That's his game, and D is all he needs.
"You have a 6-6 player with long arms who can guard a point guard, a 2-man, a 3-man, and if I wanted him to, he could probably guard the 4," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Whoever is hurting you, he can go guard."
Great defensive players like Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace were versatile enough defenders that they could go up against a 4 or 2 respectively when they were in their primes. While Liggins will probably not be that good, he is a great defensive player in his own right and was one of the biggest reasons why Kentucky made it to the Final Four.
Kemba Walker was the only offensive player this year to have success when matched up against Liggins- Maui Invitational Final- yet the best player in college basketball doled out some heavy praise to the best defensive player in the game. Walker said he was the best defensive player he has faced, and he added that he has faced off against other great defenders as well.
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