Important note from WNY Athletics regarding the weekly Connolly Cup nominees.
In an effort to clear up some of the confusion regarding the Connolly Cup and how nominees are selected, please read through the following FAQ. We’ve had people reaching out to us the last couple of weeks and instead of answering the same questions repeatedly, we’re going to put the answers here so everybody can have access to the information.
How does the Connolly Cup work?
During the season, the Connolly Cup Committee Members attend as many games as possible. Each member routinely makes it to 3-4 games each weekend to scout student athletes looking for outstanding performances on a weekly basis.
The players are judged on a number of factors including the strength of opposition, sportsmanship, athletic ability, team play and work ethic. Following the final game of the season, discussion and game tape is used to narrow the list of outstanding performers to the top ten.
The ten finalists are broken down using a secret ballot and grading system to determine the final winner. The finalists are honored at a press conference and luncheon.
Weekly Nominations
Each week, the Connolly Cup Committee releases a “Top Performers” list – these are players who are now eligible to be considered for discussion as a potential finalist at the end of the season.
This is NOT a Weekly MVP Award – while statistics are considered and many times the weekly nominees had top-5 performances, there are a variety of other factors that go into becoming a weekly selection.
Does it matter how many nominations a player receives?
Yes and No.
Players need one nomination (and only one) to be considered as a finalist. Multiple nominations do not mean or indicate in any way that an individual player is being considered more than another.
Every year, there are top-5 players named as finalists who only received a single weekly nomination.
If a player was not nominated, does it mean that the Connolly Cup Committee isn’t paying attention?
No – there are plenty of players each week who deliver top-ten statistical performances who are not nominated for various reasons.. many times that reason being they were already nominated and another player who had an outstanding performance that week hadn’t received their nomination yet.
This is intentional as it allows more players to be considered at the end of the season.
What if a player is slipping through the cracks?
Yes, players can slip through the cracks. It can happen – however, in an effort to offset that possibility as much as possible, coaches have multiple ways to make suggestions and reach out to promote players for consideration.
- When submitting their game reports, they can nominate a player for Athlete of the Week.
- Coaches who submit their team’s stats have an advantage as that information is shared with the Connolly Cup Committee. If a coach isn’t submitting their player’s stats (there are about 15-20 teams each week that don’t do this), there is no way for the committee to consider a player at a game they were not able to attend first-hand.
- They can reach out to Dennis privately to make sure he is aware of an outstanding performance.
Is WNY Athletics involved with the selection of the Connolly Cup nominees?
No – not at all. WNY Athletics should not in any way be considered part of the Connolly Cup – we’ve been around for 3 years now, the Connolly Cup has been around since 1972.
The only involvement WNY Athletics has with the Connolly Cup is that we post their weekly lists each week. Our writing staff is not involved in the selection of the Connolly Cup nominees.. and in the future, no questions or comments should be directed to them.
All comments or concerns should be sent directly to Dennis as he is the head of the Connolly Cup – if you need his contact information DM us on Twitter or send us a message on Facebook and we’ll send send you his email.
Cool – I totally get it. Where can I see the Week 7 nominees?
You can see their Week 7 Top Performers List here:
