Is there an award for the best teammate? If so, that's the one Michael Beasley covets.
As for the rest ...
"I don't care about the national Player of the Year," he said Tuesday. "Quote me ? Tyler Hansbrough can have it. Kevin Love can have it ... I wouldn't give it to me."
It appears as if the immensely talented Kansas State freshman ? undoubtedly the top NBA prospect in the country and very likely the best pure collegiate player in the nation, too ? is going to have to settle for runner-up in the popularity contest that the voting for P.O.Y. has become.
You've heard the case for Hansbrough by now; he kept North Carolina afloat while point guard Ty Lawson was sidelined with an injury. But such logic, while sound on the surface, is flawed.
Lawson's presence in Carolina blue in the first place shreds the argument. Beasley, who played one season of high school basketball with Lawson at Oak Hill Academy, doesn't have the support of a similar backcourt talent, although freshman point guard Jacob Pullen has the potential to be quite special. Regardless, he's leading the NCAA in rebounding (12.5) while also averaging 26.5 points for the Wildcats (20-10), the No. 3 seed in this week's Big 12 Tournament.
But Beasley couldn't be bothered to defend himself.
"I can do without it," he said. "I won't lose any sleep."
And that, according to K-State freshman forward Ron Anderson, is typical. Anderson played in the same AAU organization (D.C. Assault) as Beasley and he, like Beasley, is from the Maryland area, which explains why he says he knows Beasley better than anyone else on the roster.
"I know he's sincere because he tells me all of the time," Anderson said. "Some people think it's just for media purposes, but it's not. He could care less about winning Player of the Year."
Because that would be a singular recognition, and Beasley would rather share the focus.
That's why he's the class clown, a 6-foot-10 prankster who keeps the mood light. He's not the malcontent he was labeled entering K-State; his coach, Frank Martin, broke into laughter Tuesday when asked about the perception of his star.
"He's always trying to please people," Anderson said. "He's humble. He always tries to keep a smile on people's faces, just to make sure they're comfortable being around him. A lot of people might think Mike to be conceited or have a big head, being as he is one of the best players in the country, but he's not like that. "Those that really know him know what type of person he is."
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