Zach Hayes is an editor, contributor and bracketologist for Rush the Court. Follow him on Twitter @zhayes9.

Every August, ESPN college football guru Kirk Herbstreit releases his Herbie awards, a grab bag of honors and predictions about the upcoming season covering everything from quickest running back to hardest-hitting linebacker. The Herbies are so popular they even resulted in their own half-hour show hosted by Herbstreit and Erin Andrews. With no equivalent in the hoops world, I volunteered to step up to the plate. Some of these awards are Herbie knock-offs, some are 100% original and all are intended to be fun. Whether they look ridiculous by March…well, the jury is out. Here are this year’s Pro-Zach awards, passing out happy pills since 2011:

Washington's Terrence Ross is ready to make the leap

All-Next Chapter

• Team Irreverence: Players Who Don’t Get Enough Respect – GOLD: Rodney McGruder (Kansas State), SILVER: Kent Bazemore (Old Dominion), BRONZE: Doug McDermott (Creighton)
• Shhh, Don’t Tell: Best Kept Secrets – GOLD: C.J. McCollum (Lehigh), SILVER: Alex Young (IUPUI), BRONZE: Dominique Morrison (Oral Roberts)
• Forwarding Address: Top Transfers – GOLD: Mike Rosario (Florida), SILVER: Royce White (Iowa State), BRONZE: Brandon Wood (Michigan State)
• Fresh Approach: Top True Freshmen – GOLD: Anthony Davis (Kentucky), SILVER: Austin Rivers (Duke), BRONZE: Andre Drummond (Connecticut)
• Off and Running: Ready To Take It To The Next Level – GOLD: Terrence Ross (Washington), SILVER: Keith Appling (Michigan State), BRONZE: Michael Snaer (Florida State)

All-Skill Set

• SWAT Team: Intimidating Shot-Blockers – GOLD: David Foster (Utah), SILVER: John Henson (North Carolina), BRONZE: C.J. Aiken (St. Joseph’s)
• Floor Generals: Best Passing Guards – GOLD: Kendall Marshall (North Carolina), SILVER: Scott Machado (Iona), BRONZE: Dee Bost (Mississippi State)
• Kiss The Sky: Best Dunkers – GOLD: Quincy Acy (Baylor), SILVER: Mason Plumlee (Duke), BRONZE: Jared Cunningham (Oregon State)
• Twine Ticklers: Best Pure Shooters– GOLD: John Jenkins (Vanderbilt), SILVER: Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh), BRONZE: Doron Lamb (Kentucky)
• Complete Coverage: Best Defenders – GOLD: Bernard James (Florida State), SILVER: Ronald Nored (Butler), BRONZE: Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)

All-CEO

• Chairmen of the Whiteboard: Top In-Game Coaches – GOLD: Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), SILVER: Brad Stevens (Butler), BRONZE: Rick Pitino (Louisville)
• Used Car Salesmen: Top Recruiters – GOLD: John Calipari (Kentucky), SILVER: Sean Miller (Arizona), BRONZE: Roy Williams (North Carolina)
• Instant Impact: Best Coaching Hires – GOLD: Mark Turgeon (Maryland), SILVER: Lon Kruger (UNLV), BRONZE: Pat Skerry (Towson)
• Show Me Some Respect: Underrated Coaches – GOLD: Matt Painter (Purdue), SILVER: Brad Brownell (Clemson), BRONZE: Stew Morrill (Utah State)

All-Miscelleny

• Dress for Success: Looks the Part – GOLD: Thomas Robinson (Kansas), SILVER: Patric Young (Florida), BRONZE: Trevor Mbakwe (Minnesota)
• The Longar Longars: All-Name Team – GOLD: Indiana Faithfull (Wofford), SILVER: God’s Gift Achiuwa (St. John’s), BRONZE: Jabs Newby (Eastern Kentucky)
• Little Giants: Best Diminutive Guards– GOLD: Peyton Siva (Louisville), SILVER: Casper Ware (Long Beach State), BRONZE: D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
• Paint Patrol: Best Big Men – GOLD: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State), SILVER: Terrence Jones (Kentucky), BRONZE: Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
• All-Elmer’s: Glue Guy Extraordinaires – GOLD: Jorge Gutierrez (California), SILVER: Darius Miller (Kentucky), BRONZE: Mark Lyons (Xavier)
• Stat Sheet Stuffers: Most Versatile Players – GOLD: Tu Holloway (Xavier), SILVER: Draymond Green (Michigan State), BRONZE: Robbie Hummel (Purdue)

All-ProZach Team

• The Ultimate ProZach: Best College Ambassadors – GOLD: Robbie Hummel (Purdue), SILVER: Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin), BRONZE: Tim Abromaitis (Notre Dame)
• Your 2012 ProZach MVP – GOLD: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State), SILVER: Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin), BRONZE: Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)

zhayes9 (301 Posts)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 at 11:13 am by zhayes9 and is filed under 2011-12 Season Preview. Tagged: alex young, andre drummond, anthony davis, ashton gibbs, austin rivers, Bernard James, brad brownell, brad stevens, brandon wood, casper ware, CJ Aiken, cj mccollum, darius miller, david foster, dee bost, dj cooper, dominique morrison, doron lamb, Doug McDermott, draymond green, god's gift aschiwa, harrison barnes, indiana faithfull, jabs newby, Jared Cunningham, jared sullinger, jeffrey taylor, john calipari, john henson, john jenkins, jordan taylor, jorge gutierrez, Keith Appling, kendall marshall, kent bazemore, lon kruger, mark lyons, mark turgeon, mason plumlee, matt painter, michael snaer, mike krzyzewski, mike rosario, pat skerry, patric young, peyton siva, quincy acy, rick pitino, robbie hummel, rodney mcgruder, ronald nored, roy williams, royce white, scott machado, sean miller, stew morrill, terrence jones, terrence ross, thomas robinson, tim abromaitis, trevor mbakwe, tu holloway. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.