UPDATE II: Vlad Becomes PL's First Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, Named ECAC Player of the Week For Second Straight Week
National Player of the Week
ECAC Player of the Week
Vlad caps off his unbelievable week of recognition with an additional two awards. First, the US Basketball Writers' Association (USBWA) named Vlad their Oscar Robertson National Player of the week today. Although it is only the second year this award has been given out by the USBWA and Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, Vlad becomes the first Patriot League player to be recognized as such. Vlad became eligible for the award when he was named PL POW, and was chosen from a list of Divison 1 conference players of the week. Previous winners this season have come from Kentucky, Illinois, BYU, and Texas A&M (all ranked in the Top 25).
Below, it was mentioned that Vlad was named the ECAC Player of the Week on January 3rd. Today it was announced that he has been awarded this honor for the second straight week.
UPDATE: Vote for Vlad for Best DC Sports Performance of the Week!
Vote on WaPo's DC Sports Bog
Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog on the Washington Post's website is having readers vote for the best and worst DC sports performances of this week. As of this writing, Vlad has impaled his way into third place in the "best" category, right behind the Caps' Alex Ovechkin. Vote for Vlad!
Back-to-Back Patriot League Player of the Week, 1/3 & 1/10
January 10th, AUeagles.com
January 3rd, AUeagles.com
Vlad earned his second consecutive Patriot League Player of the Week award this week for coming out on top with a monster stat line in the 1-on-1 grudge match between him and CJ McCollum in Saturday's Patriot League opener. This is his fourth award this season, topping the three he earned during his half-season of eligibility last year. The seven awards put him one POW away from matching the record of eight last set by Garrison Carr '09, as well as Lafayette's Brian Ehlers and Colgate's Adonal Foyle, who just retired from the NBA
ECAC Player of the Week, 1/3
PL Press Release
The ECAC is the only multi-divisional conference in the country, and 300 some odd institutions (in all 3 divisions) in the eastern half of the country belong to ECAC to help facilitate competition in sports that their primary conferences do not offer (i.e. AU and wrestling). ECAC's Division 1 membership ranges from the Patriot League to top members of the Big East and ACC, so when they announce their respective players of the week (one for each division), it's serious business. This week, Vlad was given the honor for averaging 24 ppg and 5.5 rpg as AU dominated the Cable Car Classic. To make the ensuing matchup with Lehigh even more interesting, the Mountain Hawk's CJ McCollum was named ECAC POW two weeks prior.
Back-to-Back mentions in ESPN College Hoops Weekly Watch, 1/3 & 1/9
Week 7
Week 6
Every week, ESPN's Brett Edgerton throws a handful of notable performances in with Andy Katz's player of the week. While Vlad didn't get the highest nod, he has appeared in consecutive weeks as a "performance that wowed us" both for his Cable Car Classic domination as well as his utter impalement of Lehigh.
Rush the Court names Vlad unofficial PL POW and credits AUHoops.com for "Vlad the Impaler" moniker, 1/8
Rush the Court PL Check-in
I'll be forthcoming and say this one is as much a pat on the back for us as it is for Vlad. Rush the Court, which consistently lives up to its moniker as "The Ubiquitous College Basketblog", names Vlad its unofficial Player of the Week in its weekly Patriot League check-in. RTC Patriot League correspondent Kevin Doyle writes the following:
"Vlad the Impaler - a nickname that Moldoveanu has been anointed with by AUHoops.com - lived up to the name as he averaged 24 points, combined to go 17-18 from the charity stripe in three games, and led American to a perfect record over the past two weeks. Standing at 6'9", Moldoveanu poses countless matchup problems for opponents as he has the ability to lurk around the arc and hit a three-pointer (36-94)."
While I'm not sure we can take full credit for the name (I have word it was even thrown around once or twice during Vlad's tenure at George Mason), it is one of our favorite things to write, so thanks for the recognition!
Cable Car Classic MVP, 12/30
Cable Car Classic Recap, AUeagles.com
In case anyone missed it, Vlad brought his impaling ways to the West Coast as he helped to lead the Eagles to a Cable Car Classic Championship - and made it look easy (see above for the stat line). Without a doubt, he deserved the tournament's Most Valuable Player designation. While the Cable Car Classic has lost some prominence in recent years, it's worth noting that this same award was given to UNC's Harold Keeling in 1981 - of the same UNC roster that won a national championship with Michael Jordan to conclude that season.
Eye on the Eagles profiles Vlad
AU ECAC POW Press Release (video at bottom), AUeagles.com
Although not really an award, Vlad was profiled in the latest edition of Eye on the Eagles, AU Athletics' monthly show that airs on Comcast Sportsnet. It's one of the best looks into the mind of The Impaler out there.
Vlad must be a front-runner at this point for Patriot League Player of the Year. However, he faces some of his greatest competition for the title in Bucknell's Mike Muscala, Bryan Cohen, and Darryl Shazier in our next League contest. I'll see you in Bender on Wednesday as Vlad continues to send a message to the toughest the Patriot League has to offer: we WILL be dancing in March! GO EAGLES!
Pro Deo Et Patria,
Josh
Very nice compilation, Josh. It has taken me a while to realize just how good a player Vlad is, but I like the rebounding and defense--not on the ball as much as showing on screen rolls, boxing out and coming helpside--as much as the scoring. He's picked up his game from last year, and his presence on the court will only make things easier for the other guys as the season goes on.
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