My Sportsman Choice: Emeka Okafor

By Seth Davis

UConn's Emeka Okafor was at his best when the Huskies need him the most. David E. Klutho/SI  Chris Stone: Red Sox Nation, you've earned this one  Paul Zimmerman: Boy Wonder brought Boston a title  B.J. Schecter: Red Sox captured Boston's heart  Richard Deitsch: The Babe had a big presence in '04  Rick Reilly: Big Papi did it all for the world champs  Jeffri Chadiha: A reward for reversing The Curse  Lisa Altobelli: Ramirez never took anything seriously  • Sportsman of the Year archive

It's rare that college basketball's player of the year is also a national champion, but Emeka Okafor pulled off that twofer this season. UConn's junior center was the nation's greatest player from beginning to end, and at the Final Four, he was at his best when his best was required, totaling 42 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks to claim the Most Outstanding Player award, while leading the Huskies to wins over Duke and Georgia Tech.

Those credentials would be enough to warrant Okafor, who also led the nation in blocks last season, strong consideration for Sportsman of the Year, but of course there's more to his resume than what he accomplished between the lines. Okafor is also the best student-athlete to come through college basketball since Bill Bradley. He carried a 3.97 grade-point average and earned his undergraduate degree in three years -- amazing for any student, much less one who must meet the time demands of an All-America basketball player. (He was named the 2003-04 Academic All-America of the Year for all sports by the College Sports Information Directors of America.) Okafor is one of the few players in the last decade to turn down a chance to be a top-five pick in the NBA Draft so he could complete his degree. That he completed it in UConn's rigorous finance program renders it all the more impressive.

And yet, there's an even better reason why Okafor should be SI's Sportsman of the Year: He's humble, he's honest, and he knows he's darned lucky to be who he is and do what he does. For Emeka Okafor, being the Real Deal is no big deal. If that doesn't make him the ultimate sportsman, then nothing does.

Sports Illustrated will announce the 2004 Sportsman of the Year winner on FOX on November 28. Check back every weekday until then to read more Sportsman picks from SI writers.