Alabama Basketball: Brandon Miller not snubbed for SEC POTY

Based on votes from SEC media members writing for USA Today outlets, Alabama basketball freshman, Brandon Miller has received an honor his play deserves. Miller was chosen by the group as the SEC Player of the Year (POTY). SEC coaches have not voted yet, so when the SEC releases those results, Miller could get another designation as the SEC’s POTY.

UPDATE: SEC coaches also named Brandon Miller SEC POTY. Mark Sears was named to the  All-SEC second team. Jahvon Quinerly was named Co-Sixth Man of the Year.

Hopefully, the SEC coaches will not do what the Wooden Award National Advisory Board recently did. Brandon Miller cannot win the prestigious award because the advisory group did not select the Crimson Tide’s exceptional freshman, as one of its finalists.

The Wooden Award snub of Miller cannot have anything to do with basketball performance. Taking nothing away from any one of the 15 chosen finalists, it can still be claimed that in the group are players who have not performed at a high level equal to Brandon Miller. The decision-makers in Los Angeles obviously did not include Brandon Miller because of an event outside of basketball.

Did they carefully review the facts of that event? Or did they succumb to what has been a national sprint to judgment driven by misinformation, greed and jealousy? Holding one’s breath for an explanation from the Wooden group is not advised.

Alabama Basketball fans take notice

For those Alabama Basketball fans who have not noticed, media condemnations of Brandon Miller have subsided. In a recent opinion column, Kevin Scarbinsky wrote,

"There are things we know. These things are called facts. Some of you are interested in them and understand their value. There are other things we believe, based on what we think we know. Those things are called opinions.There are times when the distance between fact and opinion is so vast it becomes a void. Some of you have thrown Brandon Miller into that void. Short of facts. Long on opinion. With a reckless disregard for the truth behind a senseless tragedy."

Scarbinsky has not been the sole voice of reason. Even ESPN eventually followed some of its repeated distribution of misinformation, with a reframed position, and nearly a refutation of its earlier coverage of the tragedy.

Of course, clearer minds and calmer heads cannot erase all the damage so many gleefully participated in. Brandon Miller will forever be tainted in the minds of many.

The recently named All-SEC team was Miller, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, Florida’s Colin Castleton, Missouri’s Kobe Brown and Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV. Caselton was named the Defensive Player of the Year and Brandon Miller was also chosen as the Newcomer of the Year.

The Wooden Award is arguably the highest honor a college basketball player can achieve. For some of us, this season’s winner will always carry a blemish for not having won it over perhaps the best player in college basketball.