Louisville basketball roundtable: Midseason review part I
By Jacob Lane
If you had to pick an MVP (Most valuable player – not the best player) on the roster who would you pick?
Charlie Thomas (@_CharlieThomas): While CC has been the biggest surprise to me this team is held together by Dwayne Sutton. The 502’s very own does anything and everything thats asked of him and does it well. Need a bucket? Sutton’s for you. Need a rebound? Sutton’s got you. Need a block, steal, assist, defensive stop? Sutton’s got you.
Thomas Grasch (@ThomasGrasch): I have to go with Christen Cunningham again. A month ago I might have said Nwora because he has been fantastic but the last few games have shown that this team can still win if Jordan has an off night. That has been because of CC’s play. I’m not sure we can win when Cunningham has an off night and to me that means he’s the most valuable.
Jacob Lane (@JacobLane_BRL): In my opinion the MVP has been Christen Cunningham, and if you need evidence take a look at the team and what happens when he goes to the bench. Cunningham has been the leader this team desperately needed in year one of Chris Mack, and each game he makes us wish more and more that he had another season. CC has emerged into the second best scorer on the team, while always making sure the Cards play at the right pace. He’s truly developed into an extension of Chris Mack on the floor with his toughness and high IQ.
Ethan Sprowles (@EthanSprowles): Jordan Nwora. I’m sure this will be a pretty divisive question and a tough one to pick. Believe me, I’m as big of a CC fan as anybody, but Nwora is this team’s leading rebounder and leading scorer. If Louisville is gonna knock off Duke or Virginia, it’s gonna be because of him. He’s the type of guy that can go off for 30 any given night and that’s something that Louisville Basketball has been lacking recently.
Ross Prophater (@RossPro): This is somewhat a loaded question because if you take away Nwora’s scoring, this team likely has twice as many losses; if you take away CC’s presence at PG, we probably have twice as many losses. We’ve all seen the struggles this team has at times trying to facilitate offense. If you take away Dwayne Sutton, the ultimate glue guy with his toughness and “do everything” attitude, this team loses much of it’s identity and probably has twice as many losses. If you’re asking me to choose, I really don’t know if I can. This truly is a “team.”
Madison Wood (@Tostadamadz): Since everybody and they mama is gonna say CC (which is totally fair) I’m gonna say Dwayne Sutton. He’s the lynch pin of this team, you notice when he’s not on the floor, on both ends. This dude is finally getting the quality minutes he deserves, and he’s taking advantage. He’s not just a “utility guy” – he is a highly skilled player who is capable of putting the team on his back, which he has done more than once this season. The team follows his example of never quitting and staying tough on both ends of the floor, and that leadership and winning attitude have helped them to reach new heights.
Tanner Hickman (@KodakNap): I’m going to continue to show my love for the big men and go with Enoch. The physicality he brings not only on a game-to-game basis but a practice-to-practice basis is huge. For Malik Williams to go up against Enoch everyday in practice I think has played a part into Williams’ development on the defensive end. For a game-to-game basis, his physicality will wear teams down. It never receives any highlights but the punishment that is placed on opposing front court players just from Enoch throwing his 245 pound body around I believe has an effect on the outcomes of these games.