-Matt Cox
Special thank you to Missouri Athletic Club chairman Aaron Pawlitz and the MAC staff for orchestrating another successful USBWA Awards show…
Watch the full awards presentation below:
From the aftermath of college basketball’s Armageddon in March of 2020, it’s been a long road back to ‘business as usual’.
Even last season’s return to action felt somewhat hollow. You know, more cautious reboot than full-bore resurrection.
This year, however, just hit different.
One week removed from the mother of all Final 4s, the USBWA resumed its coveted end of season awards show for the first time since 2019 at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis.
The Final 4 and the USBWA College Basketball Awards, in succession, symbolized college basketball’s victory in a full-fledged ‘return to normalcy’. The first, a grand display of pageantry (and, yes, debauchery). The second, an eloquent cherry on top of a milestone CBB season.
I, the devout college hoops lover lucky enough to attend both events, can say with certainty: my heart is finally full.
COVID, rudely, cancelled the USBWA College Basketball Awards in both 2020 AND 2021, amplifying the anticipation for this year’s ceremonious return. As we walked into the lobby of the timeless Missouri Athletic Club (‘MAC’) Monday afternoon, the Déjà vu came rushing in. Soon after, those vivid memories of Zion Williamson’s polarizing presence from 2019 were quickly replaced by the star power of the here and now.
On the mens side, award winners Tommy Lloyd, Porter Moser, Oscar Tshiebwe and Jabari Smith owned the spotlight, while John Calipari – a self-proclaimed Little Italy fanatic – lurked not so subtly in the background. The womens side brought their big guns, headlined by South Carolina standout Aliyah Boston and hall-of-fame coach Doug Bruno.
Outside of the MAC’s walls, these titans feel larger than life to us college basketball superfans. But in this intimate setting, they feel mortal. Approachable, even.
Sprinkled in-between the general audience (translation: us commoners) and the star-studded award recipients sits a myriad of essential glue guys (pardon the forced basketball cliché). Barry Hinson and Tom Ackerman are two sterling examples. As long-time ambassadors of heartland hoops, they command instant respect from everyone in the room.
This dynamic – the marriage of national cache and localized fan fervor – is what makes this event so special. For the MAC and its college basketball obsessed members, the who’s who of the game they love get to play in their playground for a night.
Think Heisman Trophy Awards, with a hardwood twist…
No, you won’t find this presentation airing on ESPN primetime (yet), but the majesty of all the pomp and circumstance exudes the same exclusivity and allure as the Heisman presentation.
As long as the MAC and USWBA partnership sustains, you can bet on me being an annual attendee – and you should be, too.