We’ve now reached the point where we must begin distributing large amounts of (virtual) hardware. That most treasured of occasions has arrived: the preseason awards! At CBS Sports, we place a premium on the big three: player, rookie, and coach of the year. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive look at the greatest players, our All-America teams are available right here.
This is how we determined the winners: CBS Sports’ collective college basketball brain trust of writers and commentators submitted individual votes and provided their top three picks in each of the categories below. This year did not appear to be as difficult as others in the past, and for good reason: keep in mind that 2021-22 will be a season with a higher percentage of returning players than is customary in the contemporary period. The NCAA has granted all scholarship athletes an additional year of competition as a result of COVID-19 temporarily upsetting the whole sports world.
The season of college basketball begins in 19 days. This is the area of the sport with the highest national expectations. — Norlander, Matt
CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year for 2021-22
Drew Timme was the leading scorer and rebounder for a Gonzaga team that reached the NCAA Tournament championship game last season and ended 31-1. The 6-foot-10 forward is the lone returning CBS Sports First Team All-American from last season. As such, it’s unsurprising that he’s the CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year.
Simply put, Timme is an outstanding college athlete who plays for an outstanding college team – more precisely, the squad that is the betting favorite to win the 2022 NCAA Tournament. He averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game last season while shooting 65.5 percent from the field – and he was even better in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 20.3 points and leading the Zags to victories over North Florida, Oklahoma, Creighton, USC, and UCLA before being upset in the championship game by Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears.
Timme has a fantastic opportunity to join Adam Morrison as the only Zags to ever win a National Player of the Year award if he performs at a similar level this season and Gonzaga maintains at or near the top of the sport. Gary Parrish –
CBS Sports Preseason Coach of the Year for 2021-22
While other Big Ten coaches such as Tom Izzo, Mark Turgeon, Fran McCaffery, Juwan Howard, and Brad Underwood garner greater national notice, Purdue coach Matt Painter has quietly steered the Boilermakers to an astonishing 91-40 record in Big Ten play over the previous seven seasons. Purdue’s long-overlooked coach is now receiving recognition as the Boilermakers start the 2021-22 season with a team capable of challenging for the program’s first Final Four participation since 1980.
Last season, Painter led a team that was largely reliant on four rookies to a Big Ten Tournament double-bye and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That youthful squad has matured into an experienced unit, with virtually every significant player returning and the addition of a pair of four-star freshmen. In an era of mass transfers, this roster’s consistency, depth, and star power speak volumes about Painter’s abilities as a coach as he approaches his 17th season at the helm of his alma university.
Painter has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year four times and was named NABC National Coach of the Year in 2019. Yet he remains underrated on a national level, maybe in part because he is committed to his alma institution and has yet to reach the Final Four. However, don’t be shocked if he adds to his trophy case this season and solidifies his position as an outstanding coach in the sport’s evolving vanguard. — D. Cobb
CBS Sports Preseason Freshman of the Year 2021-22
With the No. 1 recruit from last year’s class (Chet Holmgren) joining a star-studded Gonzaga squad, Paolo Banchero, Duke’s No. 2 overall recruit, appears to be in line to step up as the sport’s brightest emerging star. With the Blue Devils’ top two scorers and part of their playmaking gone, Banchero will be a one-man show for a top-15 Duke squad. We want him to produce, score and excel at nearly everything he is asked to do as the team’s alpha. Kyle Boone –
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