Paul’s Perspective: UNI men’s basketball midseason awards

Based on my history of reading sports publications, they seem to be incomplete without a midseason awards column. So, in order to fulfill my dream of being a serious and legitimate sports writer, I will provide my midseason awards for the University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team at the midpoint in the Missouri Valley Conference season.

Best Move: Austin Pehl's hook shot. Anthony James' pull-up jumper and Deon Mitchell's "Euro Step" were close runner ups, but Pehl's hook shot is both beautiful and devastating to opponents. There is something to be said for a move you know is coming, but can't be stopped.

Best Shooter: Tie between Marc Sonnen and Anthony James. Since cracking the starting lineup on New Year's Day, Sonnen has shown improved confidence and has been a lights-out shooter from the 3-point range. I want the ball in his hands from behind the arc over anyone else on the team at this point. Anthony James' smooth jumper splashing through the net is a thing of beauty as well.  

Best Haircut: No one. When Max Martino slashed his long hair earlier this season, he joined the rest of the squad with very boring hairstyles. It is as if they are trying to join the University of Wisconsin as a school known for its short haircuts. An afro from someone would be cool, and a mullet and mutton chops have worked for this team in the past. Now that I think about it, this could be the entire reason the Panthers don't reside at the top of the conference right now.

Warmest Seat: The one occupied by Marvin Singleton. The Panthers have a deep bench this year, often employing hockey-style line changes. However, Singleton can't seem to get off the bench as much as he did earlier in the year. Personally, I would like to see Singleton get some more minutes and at the very least use them to bang around and enforce the paint against the better interior players in the Valley like Garrett Stutz and Doug McDermott.

Looks Least like a Basketball Player: Matt Morrison. Do we not have a smaller uniform for him? He seems to just be swimming in his, or maybe he likes it that way. Also, he has no tattoos, arm sleeves, or high socks? I'm not sure he should even be allowed on the court. Joking aside, the presentation of this honor also provides an excuse for me to talk about how I am pleasantly surprised with the way Morrison has contributed lately. He has handled the ball well, knocked down the open three ball, and shown that he can effectively attack the basket for a guy his size.

Brightest future: Seth Tuttle. Tuttle, dare I say it, reminds me of a young Adam Koch. He has a fairly soft touch on his shot for a big man and he has offensive skills superior to any big man we have seen since Adam. When he puts on some muscle, the sky is the limit for this guy.

As you can see, I provided my own twist on the awards process. These awards may be less than official, but they were useful in allowing me to provide my commentary on important pieces of the team this year. With the second half of the Missouri Valley Conference schedule upon us, hopefully these players can continue to improve and enter the conference tournament on a hot streak. There are still a lot of games to play and many real honors and accolades to achieve.