Obi Toppin won the John R. Wooden Award this Tuesday. It is his third major award in the last two weeks, after capturing the Associated Press and the Naismith Player of the Year awards last week. He would win this honor ahead of Luka Garza, Iowa’s center, who also had a superb season with his Hawkeyes.
Meanwhile, the Dayton Flyers‘ forward was dominant throughout the entire campaign, leading his team to the perfect record (18-0) while winning their Atlantic 10 Division.
Toppin posted 20 points, 7.5 boards and 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 63% from the field, while his Dayton recorder 29 wins and 2 losses since the start of the season. According to many experts and analysts, Flyers were one of the main candidates for winning the national championship when looking at the latest odds. Also, we need to point out that their prospects improved as time went by, meaning that the form of the crew was going up. It is safe to say that their top star had the most significant influence on these developments.
Toppin himself was more than convinced that the Flyers had realistic chances of making the biggest success in their history.
“I definitely feel like our team could’ve made it to the national championship game, just because of what we were so able to do this season and the amount of skills we had on the team,” he said. “Everybody bought in to what the coaches were asking, and we were dominating every single game this year. And we would’ve definitely been in the national championship game.”
The situation in the NCAA is still problematic when it comes to finishing the Tournament. There are a lot of options on the table, but for now, everything is on hold. COVID-19 pandemic frozen all the sports activities around the world, and among then college basketball also. Many hope that season would end somehow this summer, and that Flyers would have a chance to attack the trophy with Toppin leading the way.
Otherwise, the strong forward would leave the school this summer and jump to the NBA, leaving the team without its best individual. Such a scenario would practically erase their unique opportunity for making a notable result.
Once mentioning the NBA draft, although being the best college player, Toppin is not projected to be among the top three picks, according to most of the NBA analysts. Still, some teams would love to see him in their uniforms, and the uncertainty about his place in the draft might force them to trade up in order to get him first. It is why his place in various draft predictions oscillates very much.
Right now, Georgia’s Anthony Edwards has the biggest chances to end up as the first choice, because the Golden State Warriors need a way like him, and Memphis’ James Wiseman should go next to Cleveland Cavaliers, who are in need of a big man.
However, all this could change, especially in these unpredictable times. One thing is sure for Toppin, and that is the fact that he can produce an immediate impact on the floor in his rookie season. This draft class doesn’t have too many of such players.
