Holiday honors: New Jersey’s midseason MVP, top transfers and more

Who's the best player in the state? The most improved? How about the most improved team?

We’re six days out from Christmas and its accompanying lull in the college basketball schedule, so while this is not the true midpoint of the campaign, it’s our best opportunity to zoom out and assess the first six-ish weeks of the season.

Just like last year, that leads me to my “holiday honors” column, where I recognize the best players and teams in New Jersey at the time of year when bells start jingling and reindeer start flying.

No big intro required, as this thing is clocking in at almost 2,000 words anyway. Enjoy!

Midseason MVP: Matt Allocco, Princeton

Deciding this award was surprisingly challenging. Cliff Omoruyi did not crack my top three candidates, mainly because, before his recent games against Seton Hall and cupcake Long Island, he wasn’t exactly putting out the kind of performances worthy of the Naismith Player of the Year preseason watchlist that featured his name.

I was down to Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall’s do-everything guard, and two members of Princeton’s backcourt. And while Xaivian Lee has been a revelation to many this fall, the senior leader and the best all-around player on the best team in New Jersey is Matt Allocco.