Post Season Awards

Here are the much anticipated postseason awards. The 4 All-Night League Teams will be playing an All-Star Tournament next Sunday, March 14th. If you can't make it, let me know, and I'll get a reserve into the game. Feel Free to Click on the Ads.

1st Team

Charlie Gilvarg
John Haller
James Knight
Ryan Murnighan
Matt Traub

2nd Team

Brandon Batt
Jeff Dsida
Conor Healy
Walt Lyon
Chris Sweitzer

3rd Team

Matt Haller
Mike Hermanson
TJ Keene
Willy Moore
Stuart Voit

4th Team

Gordie Campbell
Kerby Hilarides
Spencer Levin
Danny Malkin
Ben Morton


Now on to the awards:

Most Valuable Player: Charlie Gilvarg. It seemed like there were 10 players who could make a case for MVP this year, but by the end of the season, it was a pretty consistent opinion throughout the league that Charlie Gilvarg, Ryan Murnighan, and Matt Traub were the leading candidates. What separates Gilvarg from the other two is his ability to take over a game, and his consistency all year long. While Matt Traub had 25-30 point games 3 or 4 times during the year, he was hot and cold a lot. Gilvarg also has the ability, due to his immense size, to dominate a game at any time. He is one of the tallest players in the league, and one of the strongest, and it is almost impossible to defend him. Although defending champion Ryan Murnighan and Bomb Squad star Matt Traub can both make a case for MVP, Gilvarg's case is the best.

Best Point Guard: Ryan Murnighan. Murnighan was deadly all year off the dribble, shooting, and passing. The defending MVP is as good as point guards get at New Trier.

Best Rebounder: Charlie Gilvarg, he's a monster.

Best Shooter: John Haller. Andrew Ferguson was a candidate until Haller beat him in back to back three point shooting contests.

Rookie of the Year: James Knight. The preseason MVP faded towards the end of the season, but he was undoubtedly the best new player this year bringing the dunks that Night League needed.

6th Man of the Year: Mike Maley. Other candidates were Chris Paik, Bobby Mayfield, and Ben Levine, but Maley provided that spark off the bench that nobody in the league can duplicate.

Most Improved Player: Walt Lyon. Lyon was traded midseason last year to team Theo where he played second fiddle to Harry Furse all year long. He came back this year, and immediately starting drawing attention with trying out for varsity, and then big time games in Night League.

Defensive Player of the Year: Charlie Polan. Plus if you score on him, he'll kill you.

Phil Zmijewski Craziest Kid Award: Matt Traub. They don't come any more intense than Traub who hit an all time high as an MVP candidate this year, and an all time low accusing Lou Hankin of bribing the refs last year. He will do anything it takes to win, and sometimes that means running his defender over.

Luckiest Player of the Year: Gordie Campbell. Follow him around for a day and you are guaranteed to see 2 things that wouldn't happen to anyone else.

Best Dressed: Andrew Heisler. Cory Berceau was a leading candidate for this award, but Heisler, in addition to his throwbacks (including a Barack Obama jersey), wore a tuxedo to NWA's playoff game, and played in it for the first 5 minutes.

Best Shot Blocker: Gilvarg, he is a monster.

Best Hustle Player: Peter Lind. He gives it his all more than anybody else in the league.

Laziest Player: Robert Gorodetsky. He gives it his all less than anybody else in the league.

Most Liked Player: Jeremy Rosenfeld. Does anybody not like him?

Runner-Up: Mike Maley

Least Liked Player: Eric West

Runner-Up: Andrew Ferguson

Don't Want to Get in a Fight With Winner: Charlie Polan

Best Nickname: Reid "Berrychill" Berry

Runners-up:
Conor "The Irish Swingman" Healy
Stuart "Emeka Okafor" Voit
Dillon "Bigman" Oberlin
Cory "Bearcat" Berceau

Best Trash Talker: Mike Maley

Most Overrated Player: Brian Frett

Most Underrated Player: Brandon Batt. Last year he was a surprise to many in a semifinal win against Men, and this year he was surprising again leading AD to their second straight championship loss.

Worst Ref: George Lopez

Runner-Up: The IHSA approved ref that was calling the Ortega-Mallard Magic game.

Most Annoying Coach: Andrew Ferguson

Best Team Chant While Their Opponent is Shooting Free Throws: Coot's Coot

Sweetest Stroke: James Knight

Ugliest Stroke: Dylan Sklare

Runner-up: Tim Denenberg

Best Free Throw Shooter: Mike Hermanson, shot 100% during the season.

Worst Free Throw Shooter: Zack Pinaire

Clutchest Player: Ryan Murnighan. When his team needed him, he lead a comeback against AD, including a near flawless second half.

Least Clutch Player: Matt Haller; Haller missed a big 1 and 1 leaving the Express to wonder, "What if?"

Most Overlooked Player: Matt Coan. He bruised the Express for almost 20 points.

Most Confident Team: Phase 4. They always thought they were getting better, and believed in themselves.

Best Game: Ortega vs. Mallard Magic. An overtime thriller that had all the elements: crucial free throws, compelling characters including the most hated team in Night League and the craziest ref in Night League, and a crowd of about 50 people. It will go down in Night League history.

Biggest Surprise: AD

Biggest Disappointment: Tallula. The team that climbed as high as #2 in the ONL were obliterated in the first round of the playoffs by #11 Mallard Magic.

Best Team Name: Off in The Woods

Worst Team: Hank Mardukas

Runner-up: Off In The Woods

Least Liked Team: Ortega

Most Improved Team: The Bomb Squad (formerly OKC Thunder) started Mengistab Wolf last year, and this year almost dethroned Barifinkle.

Best Acquisition: Matt Traub by the Bomb Squad. Traub nearly won the MVP and made The Bomb Squad a lot better.

Most Overrated Team: The Bullets. Robert Gorodetsky was 2nd team Preseason All Night League, and the Bullets were #6 in the polls, but then they went so far downhill they ended up losing to Phase 4 the last week of the year.

Most Underrated Team: AD