The Oscars won't be handed out until March 26. The Kodak All-Americans won't be named until March 30. And the Naismith Player of the Year won't be announced until April 8.

But we thought we'd jump the gun and hand out some (meaningless) awards of our own now that the postseason is upon us (and before you even ask, no, we have no allegiance to the Big 12):

Player of the Year
A tough one, and also, one worthy of debate.

	Texas' Edwina Brown is the 1999-2000 Wade Trophy winner.

While Tamika Catchings is an obvious candidate, being that the 6-foot-1 forward is Tennessee's do-it-all player, the Dish isn't sure the junior has fulfilled the expectations that made her our preseason Player of the Year. There's no doubt she is one of the best players in college ball. However, she still lacks that Holdsclaw-esque ability to rule the hardwood when needed.

Serious arguments also can be made for Betty Lennox, Ruth Riley and Kelly Miller. Lennox, the sharp-shooting Louisiana Tech senior, is perhaps the best shooter in the country. Riley, a Notre Dame junior who led the nation in field goal percentage in 1999, is perhaps the best center in the nation. And Miller, who has a 2.24 assist-to-turnover ratio, just keeps making Georgia a better team. But we passed on all three.

And no, we aren't hanging with the Huskies, either. Although Svetlana Abrosimova, Shea Ralph and Sue Bird are integral parts of UConn's success, the country's top-ranked team is perhaps so good because it doesn't have one star player.

Instead, the Dish likes Texas senior Edwina Brown, who is averaging 21.6 points (10th in the country), 8.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.9 steals and 35.6 minutes.

While we've considered that the 5-10 senior forward likely won't cap her collegiate career with a national championship, and that the Player of the Year award is rarely handed to an athlete whose team isn't playing late in March, the Dish argues that Brown's overall skills are as good as they come -- and her passing ability is better than anyone's. As one colleague put it, Brown might not have a great jump shot, but she has breath-taking passing skills. We agree.

Coach of the Year
While all the usual suspects have continued to bring in the wins, earning nods as Naismith Coach of the Year finalists, there was one glaring omission among the 15 nominees: Oklahoma's Sherri Coale.

The fourth-year Sooners coach struggled through a 5-22 season in her inaugural year in Norman, mustered eight wins the next and 15 last season. In 2000, however, Coale's Sooners won a share of the Big 12's regular-season title. Texas Tech and Iowa State also share the championship.

The best part? In a Big 12 coaches' preseason poll, Oklahoma was picked to finish sixth in the conference race. Iowa State was the overwhelming favorite.

Coale's numbers, however, say it all. After struggling to just 28 wins in her first three seasons, Coale's Sooners are 23-6 this season, and sit at No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. The Sooners had won just 13 conference games over the past three years prior to the 1999-2000 season.

Comeback Player of the Year
We almost didn't pick a winner for this category because it's too easy. And without a doubt, it has to be Connecticut sophomore Sue Bird.

The 5-9 guard played in only eight games last year before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee on Dec. 30.

This season, however, Bird has been an integral part of the top-ranked Huskies' success. Although she averages 10.7 points, good for third on the team, Bird's ball-handling skills are her biggest attribute. She averages 4.4 assists per game with a 1.94 assist-to-turnover ratio. Bird also shoots a team-best 88.4 percent from the free-throw line and 51.3 percent from the field.

Rookie of the Year
We like Notre Dame freshman Alicia Ratay, and don't doubt she is one of the top freshmen in the land. But while the Big East is a tough conference, the Dish thinks Bulldog freshman LaToya Thomas put in a slightly better performance for Mississippi State in the SEC.

When Tennessee was gearing up to play Mississippi State two weeks ago, Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt compared Thomas to former Vol Chamique Holdsclaw.

Said Summitt, who had recruited Thomas: " ... She reminded me of Holdsclaw. She was probably the best (small forward) in America coming out of high school."

A few days later, Thomas dropped in 20 points and Mississippi State led by seven with 2:17 left before the Lady Vols pulled out a 79-75 victory.

"We couldn't stop her," Summitt said after the game.

And hey, if she's good enough for Pat Summitt, Thomas is fine by us.

Thomas finished the SEC regular season as the conference's leading scorer, averaging 20.7 points per game. She also ranked fourth in rebounding (8.0) and third in field goal percentage (.576), which also ranks 21st in the country.