PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Game-raising Regan a major player
Nichols standout big man is seventh junior to take top honor
Last year, Will Regan of Nichols became the first sophomore to be named to the All-Western New York first team in 14 years.
This season, he got even better.
How much better?
On Friday afternoon, Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins, the former Duke star, watched Regan work out in Nichols' gym. So did Providence assistant Rodell Davis. In Buffalo today will be Maryland assistant Rob Eshan and Vanderbilt assistant King Rice, the former Binghamton High and North Carolina standout. Michigan has been recruiting Regan since last summer. Villanova and Virginia are as well.
The elite all-around game that has attracted major colleges to Regan nudged him to the front of one of the most competitive Player of the Year races ever, one in which every other first-teamer could make a compelling case for the award.
The 6-foot-9 junior was already a proven superior post presence in the high school game, which is why he earned first-team honors last year. This season he added an arsenal of midrange jumpers and floaters and handled the ball more. He even pulled up to shoot … and nail … three-pointers when the opportunity was there.
Regan is the seventh player to win the Player of the Year award as a junior, following Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris, Maceo Wofford, Jason Rowe, Tim Winn and a certain other forward from Nichols: Christian Laettner.
Regan averaged 23.9 points per game on an eye-popping 60.5 percent, a figure that is all the more impressive considering he extended his range this season. He sank 176 of 220 free throws for 80 percent. He grabbed 13.8 rebounds and blocked 3.7 shots per game while he averaged 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals.
Regan has 1,401 points for his career after a season in which he scored 646. He potentially could join another exclusive club next year: only 12 players are in Western New York's 2,000- point club.
He has also been one of 85 juniors (and 15 sophomores) invited to the NBA's high school summer camp held this June in Charlottesville, Va.
Along with the above programs, coach Greg Plumb's mailbox has been filled up with letters regarding Regan from Duke, Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, California, Arizona and Penn State. Regan's MVP performance at the Primetime Shootout in Trenton, N.J., was so impressive that, according to Plumb, the Auburn coach offered him a scholarship on the spot.
"All [of his on-court accomplishments are] pretty special, but what separates Will from everybody else is that he never takes a minute off no matter what happens around him," said Plumb. "I would be surprised if any one player in the area had the amount of attention he got every game. He was constantly double- and triple-teamed and had everything done to him defensively that could be done.
"Yet he demonstrated an uncommon attitude and demeanor through it all never complaining and always giving 100 percent. He was our leader both on and off the court. His teammates follow his lead and are better because of him."
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