At CBS Sports, Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander surveyed nearly 100 college coaches for their “Candid Coaches” series. All trainers were given complete anonymity for their participation in hopes of getting the most truthful answers possible. Who do you think the coach will be the best player in college basketball for the 2022-23 season? Tshiebwe ranked second behind Gonzaga All-American Drew Timme. Timme received 43.9% of the votes and Tshiebwe received 33.7% of the votes. North Carolina big man Armando Bacot come in third with 10.2%.

The 2022-23 season is poised to shine the spotlight on more great players than any other year in college basketball of this generation. Of course, this is a byproduct of the NBA not valuing traditional centers and power forwards the way it did 60 years ago. But thanks to NIL, and because the college game still offers a myriad of styles and a more diverse line-up than the pros, the top-flight 4s and 5s are back in college hardwoods.

Even Norlander, a senior writer at CBS Sports, commented after the results were announced, was shocked to see Timme ahead of Tshiebwe. But he thinks Kentucky’s shocking upset loss to St. Peter’s in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament left a little of stale taste with some. Also, Timme was a First-Team All-American last year and return for the fourth season of the college ball with the Bulldogs a popular pick for preseason No. 1.

One interesting takeaway from the poll is how much influence the center has on college basketball again. The top three players in the nation next season will all be big men, according to the coaches surveyed. NIL legislation and the lack of need for “traditional” bigs in the NBA helped revive the era of the center.