• Ostrowski's on-ball pressure was vastly improved this season. I believe it's a big reason why his free-throw percentage dropped, but I can live with that. Defense is big for me, and boosted my take on Miah in the All-State voting.

• Reyes is a true game player, not a practice player. His penchant for foul trouble through the season was directly related to a number of factors, including a lack of conditioning early on due to a leg injury (infected boil). Kaimuki was 7-5 in OIA Red regular-season play, 7-0 after that as Reyes hit his peak. There's a lot to be said of that. And yet, his foul trouble in the state-title game almost derailed the Bulldogs. Quite a choice to ponder. If he gets POY, it wouldn't surprise me. If he doesn't, it wouldn't surprise me.

• Beau Albrechtson was the most consistent of the bigs this year, at least on offense. His defensive work was also outstanding, both on the boards, and in blocked shots. He was tireless and had no peer in the OIA. Sixteen boards against Punahou, which was one of the best rebounding teams in the state. Scott Smith of Saint Louis had decent games against Punahou, but often was kept under control by McLachlin. Albrechtson is 3 inches shorter than both, yet produced huge, clutch numbers in the final.

• Spencer McLachlin does so many things defensively that his offense would get overlooked by casual fans. He not only blocked shots left and right, his lateral agility and his finesse — he is the only guy who could change an opponent's shot just by faking a block attempt — separate him from every other defender. Offensively, the move to the high and low posts made him a highly productive hub in the new offense and took pressure off Miah. McLachlin still hit a 3-pointer in most games, but his value rose as he got more touches.

Other players like Smith are worthy of consideration. I saw a ton of games again this season, and it was one of those years when we didn't have a dominant player from a team that was outside the state final. For me, POY (in the SB ballot, it is simply a ranking of the Top 15 players), it's down to these guys.

The one factor that is in Reyes' favor is that he is the only one of these four who did the following: 1) dominate defensive rebounds, 2) dominate offensive rebounds, 3) attack the rack (control the halfcourt tempo), 4) get to the foul line consistently, 5) stretch defenses with his 3-point range, 6) challenge the passing lanes without putting too much pressure on his teammates, 7) pass the ball at the highest level (court vision), and 8) handle the ball well against fullcourt pressure.