Casper Ware Wins District IX Player Of The Year

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/03/06/casper-ware-wins-district-ix-player-of-the-year/

Writer roundtable: Three big questions

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7025817/writers-roundtable-our-experts-answer-three-big-questions

3. What's one conference POY race that will be fun to track throughout the season?

Leung: Long Beach State's Casper Ware and UC Santa Barbara's Orlando Johnson will battle it out in the Big West, and given that both seniors have won the award before, it should be an interesting race. Johnson (21.1 ppg) is the nation's second-leading returning scorer and looking to play in his third straight NCAA tournament after withdrawing his name from the NBA draft. Ware is the reigning player of the year who was also named the conference's top defender. His 49ers have been denied a trip to the NCAA tournament by UCSB in each of the last two seasons.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/15755657/2011-12-season-preview-top-100-players-in-college-basketball

36. Orlando Johnson (senior guard, UC-Santa Barbara). Stud of a player who I'm really glad got this high of a ranking. Johnson's the real deal. Can be a future pro, and he deserves a moment in the 2012 NCAA tournament. — M.N.

75. Casper Ware (senior guard, Long Beach State). Vastly underrated. Terrific work ethic, gets after it on the defensive end and also can score and set his teammates up. — J.G.

Writer roundtable: Three big questions

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7025817/writers-roundtable-our-experts-answer-three-big-questions

3. What's one conference POY race that will be fun to track throughout the season?

Leung: Long Beach State's Casper Ware and UC Santa Barbara's Orlando Johnson will battle it out in the Big West, and given that both seniors have won the award before, it should be an interesting race. Johnson (21.1 ppg) is the nation's second-leading returning scorer and looking to play in his third straight NCAA tournament after withdrawing his name from the NBA draft. Ware is the reigning player of the year who was also named the conference's top defender. His 49ers have been denied a trip to the NCAA tournament by UCSB in each of the last two seasons.