Voter RAM-blings:

One man’s votes for the all-CAA teams, player of the year, defensive team and rookie team and coach of the year (The league asks us to vote for the top 15. Points are tallied according to order):

1) Eric Maynor, VCU, player of the year—Some people probably won’t vote for him because he’s a sophomore, but he’s the MVP of the top team. He creates for others, can take over a game, and is terrific in so many areas that don’t show up on the stat sheet. That meets all the definitions of the top player. His penetration gives teams fits and gives teammates easy baskets. Struggled some with his trademark runner in the lane down the stretch, but he carried the Rams in some big games (see ODU, where he scored 16 points in the final 7 minutes).

2) Loren Stokes, Hofstra—I really struggled with this one. I’ve only seen Stokes play once, and Antoine Agudio was the man who stoked the Pride in that win over VCU. Stokes had a good game, but Agudio took and made the clutch shots. It isn’t really fair to base a vote on one game, but that’s all I had to go on. Originally voted for Agudio in this spot, then changed my mind after talking with some other people who had seen more of Stokes and Agudio.

3) Gary Neal, Towson—Best offensive player in the conference. Makes some unbelievable shots and has unbelievable range. Had he had some help and not played on a .500 team, he might be at the top of this list.

4) Frank Elegar, Drexel—Good big men are a precious commodity in the CAA, and Elegar is the most dominant one in the conference. At 6-9, he’s a scoring and rebounding machine inside.

5) Valdas Vasylius, ODU—His performance down the stretch earned him this spot. ODU has a balanced team, but the 6-7 Vasylius stood out during the Monarchs’ 11-game winning streak. Tough matchup for most teams because he can drive to the basket or score inside.

I really felt Agudio, B.A. Walker of VCU and Will Thomas of George Mason deserved to be on the first team, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

The next five: Agudio, Walker, Thomas, Drew Williamson (ODU), Adam Payton (William and Mary).

The final five: Herb Courtney (Delaware), Bennet Davis (Northeastern), Jesse Pellot-Rosa (VCU), Bashir Mason (Drexel), Lance Perique (Georgia State).

All-rookie team: Pierre Curtis, (James Madison, rookie of the year), Matt Janning (Northeastern), David Schneider (William and Mary), T.J. Gwynn (VCU), Cortez Downey (UNCW). It was tough deciding between Curtis and Janning. Their stats were similar. I went with Curtis because he’s a point guard, has to handle the ball more and has more responsibility.

All-defensive team: Chaz “Swat it into the Fifth Row” Crawford (Drexel), Brandon Johnson (ODU), Bashir Mason (Drexel), Will Thomas (George Mason), Tommy Breaux (Towson).

Coach of the year: Anthony Grant, VCU. Don’t think I need to justify that. Runners-up: Tony Shaver, William and Mary. Bill Coen, Northeastern.