Blog: LBSU's Casper Ware Is The Best In The West

(CBS) RAHSHAUN HAYLOCK --- Here's a question: who is the best college basketball player on the West Coast?

And if your answer is anyone not name d Casper Ware, let me ask you did your player play in the Drew League?

If so, was that player the Drew League MVP?

The answer is no.

In a year in which the Drew League celebrated arguably its best summer ever, thanks in part to the NBA Lockout, Ware was named the league's MVP.

In the last eight months, Ware has won the Drew League MVP, his second Big West Conference Player of the Year award and the Big West Tournament MVP.

Multiple conference player of year awards are a rarity in this day and age. Mostly because players don't stick around long enough to do it.

Equally impressive is the fact that Ware did it in a league that features Santa Barbara's Orlando Johnson, who spent the last couple of seasons near the top of the nation's scoring leaders.

Last season, Ware became the first player in Big West Conference history to win player of the year and defensive player of the year in the same season.

Ware now has Long Beach State in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.

He's a playmaker and a dynamic scorer, as he displayed on national television when he scored 14 points in the first 7:30 of the second half in the 49ers win over UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Tournament Championship game. He finished with a game-high 33 points.

Immediately, you'll notice his stature. Ware is listed at 5'10".

A lot of NBA teams will shy away from him because of his size. If he's 6'1" he's a sure-fire first round pick.

Because he's 5'10" he's 59th out of 60 in a recent mock draft.

There's no shortage of quick, penetrating guards in the association. In fact, there's a team locally that could use a player with those skills.