A cut above

Kentucky coach Smith, XU's West run away with AP honors

Tubby Smith led Kentucky to 26 consecutive wins, including a 16-0 SEC record. AP

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Xavier's David West were honored Friday as The Associated Press coach and player of the year.

Smith was a runaway winner, receiving 58 votes from the 72-member national panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25. Skip Prosser of Wake Forest was second with seven.

Smith led the Wildcats to a 32-4 record and the No. 1 ranking in the final AP poll of the season. Kentucky lost to Marquette 83-69 in the Midwest Regional final, ending the Wildcats' 26-game winning streak.

"This team played as a great group," Smith said. "They functioned as one. That's the ultimate in coaching, getting everybody on the same page. They did that as well as any team I've ever been around.

"Our leadership within the team was a great group of guys who trusted one another, trusted the coaching staff and believed in what we were doing."

West received 30 votes as player of the year, ahead of Texas sophomore guard T.J. Ford (19) and senior forward Josh Howard of Wake Forest (10).

West, also the leading vote-getter on the AP All-America team, is the first Xavier player to receive the Adolph Rupp Trophy.

The 6-foot-9 senior was a three-time Atlantic 10 player of the year. He led the Musketeers to a Top 10 ranking and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Maryland in the second round.

"Right now, I'd much rather be playing," said West, who passed up the NBA draft to return for his senior season. "The No. 1 reason I came back was to get my degree. I'm grateful that coach pushed me.

"There is nothing like the college game, the friendships and relationships you build. That's why I came back. I'll take that away, more than anything else."

West averaged 20.3 points and 12.0 rebounds for Xavier this season, shooting 51.9 percent from the field. His most remarkable performance came against Dayton on Feb. 8, when he had 47 points and 18 rebounds, just missing a double-double in each half.

 

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