Pre-season Awards
Player of the Year: Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
This
may be an unpopular pick with the folks down in Durham, but let me
explain. Duke legitimately has two, maybe even three (depending on how
good Kyrie Irving ends up being), players that will contend for
conference player of the year. That’s why they are going to be the best
team in the league. Kyle Singler can afford to have an off-night,
because Nolan Smith and Irving, and even a Seth Curry or a Plumlee, are
talented enough to carry the Dukies, at least for stretches. No
disrespect to Dorenzo Hudson or Jeff Allen — both are very good
players — but they are a notch below the second and third options that
the Blue Devils have. I think Delaney has the kind of senior season
that Greivis Vasquez had last year; one where he puts up very
impressive numbers and leads his team to their best season in recent
memory. (Duke also had two, maybe three, viable player of the year
candidates last year as well.) Keep in mind, Delaney has been on the
wrong side of the bubble in each of his three seasons in Blacksburg.
You don’t think he is determined to win something this year?
And a close second goes to: Kyle Singler, Duke
Runner-up
came down to Singler and Nolan Smith, but with the amount of talent
that Duke has in their back court this year, Smith may not have the
opportunites that Singler does. Hell, Smith could very well be a
second-fiddle in the back court to Irving by season’s end. I see Smith
playing a complimentary role — albeit very well, but still as a second
or third option — this season. Before last season, I called Singler
the best complimentary player in the country. Last season changed my
opinion of him. He played fantastic basketball down the stretch, capped
by an outstanding tournament, a better title game, and a Final Four MOP
award. This is Singler’s team.
Breakout Star: Tyler Zeller, UNC
Zeller
has had a rough first two seasons with the Tar Heels. As a freshman, he
broke his wrist in the second game of the season before returning late
in the year for front court depth and a shot to participate in a
national championship. As a sophomore, Zeller missed 10 games with a
stress fracture in his foot before returning for an essentially
meaningless stretch run. And for the majority of his time in Chapel
Hill, he has played second fiddle to the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Ed
Davis, and Deon Thompson. Zeller is a talented player in the post, with
a solid back-to-the-basket game and a nice touch of his jumper. Playing
on a team where he is the only real offensive threat in the post with a
talented back court, Zeller should have plenty of opportunities to get
post touches and will be needed to rebound the ball effectively. He
averaged 9.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg playing just over 17 minutes as second
fiddle last year. What happens this season when he is the a go-to guy
in the post and gets 34 minutes?
All-Conference First Team:
- POY – Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, Sr.
- G – Nolan Smith, Duke, Sr.
- G/F – Harrison Barnes, UNC, Fr.
- F – Chris Singleton, Florida State, Jr.
- F – Kyle Singler, Duke, Sr.
- F – Tracy Smith, NC State, Sr.
All-Conference Second Team:
- G – Kyrie Irving, Duke, Fr.
- G – Durand Scott, Miami, So.
- F – Joe Trapani, Boston College, Sr.
- F – Tyler Zeller, UNC, Jr.
- F – Jordan Williams, Maryland, So.
Freshman of the Year: Harrison Barnes, UNC
Barnes
has a very real shot at being the first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft
should he decide to come out. A 6’8″ small forward, Barnes is an
incredibly smooth player. He doesn’t have the length or freakish tools
of a Kevin Durant, but plays a similar style to Durant. He’s always
under control, thrives in the mid-range, and is an excellent all-around
shooter. Barnes is a smart kid that understands how to play the game
and has sneaky athleticism. Barnes will likely be the focal point of
the Tar Heel attack from day one, and some believe he has a shot at
being a first-team all-american.
All-Freshman Team:
- G – Kyrie Irving, Duke
- G – Kendall Marshall, UNC
- G – Reggie Bullock, UNC
- G – JT Terrell, Wake Forest
- F – CJ Leslie, NC State
What Happened?:
- Coaching Changes: It was a relatively quiet off-season in the ACC, unless you were a head coach. Boston College got rid of Al Skinner, parting ways before the man who headed the Eagles for 13 years interviewed at St. John’s. BC brought in Cornell head coach Steve Donahue, who built the Big Red from an Ivy cellar dweller to a Sweet 16 team.
Next up was Oliver Purnell, who simply up and left Clemson for DePaul. A week later, the Tigers signed Brad Brownell away from Wright State.
Perhaps the most surprising coaching change belongs to Wake Forest, who fired head coach Dino Gaudio
despite making a second straight tournament after another disappointing
finish to a season. The Demon Deacons hired Colorado head coach Jeff
Bzdelik, who pulled of one of the more impressive recruiting feats I
can remember. Bzdelik kept the Wake Forest assistant coaches on staff,
and was able to convince all five members of Gaudio’s impressive recruiting class to stay and give him a chance. - Allan Chaney passes out:
Chaney, who transferred to Virginia Tech from Florida and was scheduled
to be eligible this fall, gave everyone a scare this summer. He fainted
during a workout and had to be revived when a trainer gave him CPR. It
was ruled dehydration, but after collapsing again later in the summer,
it was determined Chaney needed more tests. He was found to have a viral inflammation of the heart, and it is not yet known if he will be able to play for the Hokies this season, although it doesn’t look good.More bad news was sent the Hokies way when they found out that JT Thompson would miss the season after tearing his acl.
- Speaking of the Hokies:
Seth Greenberg always seems to be on the wrong side of the bubble. In
fact, each of the last three seasons, Virginia Tech has been left out
of the NCAA Tournament. Would it surprise you that he wanted tournament
expansion, or that he didn’t like the format of the “First Four”? Regardless, Greenberg has decided to play a tougher schedule in hopes that he avoids being left out again this season. - Bernard James: Is it possible that the most interesting person in college basketball is on Florida State? Read this, then answer that question.
What’s Next?:
- Why does no one want ACC schools?:
Throughout everything that went on this summer with conference
expansion, the ACC was really the only league that stayed out of the
rumor mill. Sure, there was speculation that Maryland could be headed
to the Big Ten, but that was it. - Another national title?:
The ACC has accounted for five of the last ten national titles. Many
believe that Duke is far and away the best team in the country this
season. Can they repeat?
Power Rankings:
- Duke:
The reigning national champs, Duke is easily the favorite to win it
all. A major reason for that is the talent that the Blue Devils got
back. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, both of whom are going to populate
a number of preseason all-america lists, both decided against going pro
to return to school and try and win a second straight national title.
Smith will be the anchor for what should be one of the better back
courts in the country. Joining Smith in the starting line-up will
likely be Kyrie Irving, who most believe is one of the top five
recruits in the country. Irving, a pure point guard that plays well
beyond his years, will be a perfect complement to Smith in the back
court. Seth Curry — Steph’s little brother who averaged 20+ ppg at
Liberty as a freshman that will be eligible this season — Andre
Dawkins, and freshman Tyler Thornton fill out the back court for Coach
K. With more of a guard-oriented line-up this season, Singler will go
back to splitting time at the three and the four. Brian Zoubek is gone,
which means Duke is going to need one of their bigs — whether it is
Mason Plumlee (who is the most talented of the group), Miles Plumlee,
Ryan Kelly, or freshman Josh Hairston — to develop a mean streak
defensively and on the glass. That said, this is still a team that is
as deep as it is talented. Don’t be surprised if they win both ACC
titles and a national title. - Virginia Tech:
The Hokies may just be the second best team in the ACC this season.
While they missed the NCAA Tournament last year, this was still a
25-win club that went 10-6 in the ACC, and they return everyone from
last season. Malcolm Delaney, who could very well be the ACC player of
the year this season, returns, as does Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson,
giving the Hokies as good of a 1-2-3 punch as there is outside of Duke.
Victor Davila and Allan Chaney (assuming he can get cleared) will
provide muscle inside, which will be all the more important with JT
Thompson sidelined for the season. Terrell Bell and freshman Jarell
Eddie give the Hokies athleticism and defensive toughness on the
perimeter. Erick Green proved to be an adequate back-up at the point in
limited minutes as a freshman. Its tough to think anyone can take the
ACC from Duke this season, but Tech has as good of a chance as any team
at finishing second in the conference. - North Carolina:
Its going to be interesting to see where North Carolina gets placed by
writers in the preseason. The Heels were arguably the most
disappointing team in the country last season and lost quite a bit (Ed
Davis, Deon Thompson, the Wear twins, Marcus Ginyard) from that club.
But this is also a team that has had two very good recruiting classes
back-to-back, which means that there are quite a few question marks. Up
front, the biggest question mark is depth. There are really only three
bigs on the roster. Tyler Zeller is back for his junior season. When he
is healthy, he is a very good post player on both ends, but he has
battled suffered major injuries each of his first two seasons. John
Henson was a top 10 recruit in 2009, but until he puts on weight he
won’t be overly effective in the ACC. Justin Knox, an Alabama transfer,
will be eligible immediately. His size will be nice, but he averaged
6.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg as a junior. On the perimeter, the question marks
will be positional battles. Larry Drew is the veteran point guard.
Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland were hyped as freshmen, but had
disappointing first seasons. Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock are
this year’s talented freshman, and while Bullock could very well end up
starting for this team, the guy to watch will be Marshall. Drew wasn’t
the answer last season at the point, and Marshall was a highly regarded
recruit. It seems the only certainty anyone has with this team is that
Harrison Barnes will be the real deal. UNC should be improved next
year, and while I believe Duke and Virginia Tech are still the better
teams right now, this group should be in the mix for the second spot in
the ACC. - NC State:
It seems that Wolfpack fans that have been patient with Sidney Lowe’s
tenure will finally be rewarded this year, as NC State looks to have a
team that can make a run at a tournament bid. Its starts up front,
where the Pack got some great news when Tracy Smith, who led the team
in scoring and rebounding as a junior, withdrew from the NBA Draft and
decided to return for his senior season. The news got better when Lowe
scored an upset, landing 6’8″ Raliegh native CJ Leslie, a top 20
recruit. With Richard Howell and 7’0″ sophomore Jordan Vandenburg also
returning, the Wolfpack have a very good front line. Lowe will also
have a nice combination of experience and young talent in his back
court. Javier Gonzalez, who started at the point last season, will be
back for his senior season. 6’7″ shooter Scott Wood also returns, as
does CJ Williams, a 6’6″ swingman who started 16 games as a sophomore.
Freshmen guards Lorenzo Brown and Ryan Harrow will provide depth, and
quite possibly compete for a starting spot. This is the most talented,
and probably the deepest, team Lowe has had at NC State. It will be a
disappointment if he cannot lead this group to the NCAA Tournament. - Florida State:
The Seminoles lost both of their starting front court players —
Solomon Alabi and Ryan Reid — but should still have enough size up
front. 6’11” junior Xavier Gibson returns who, along with Terrence
Shannon, who only played in 18 games, is the only rotational big man
back from last season. But Hamilton brings in plenty on the front line.
Okaro White is a 6’8″, top 100 forward. Jon Kreft, who initially signed
with Florida State is 2006 but has had his share of troubles getting
into the school, is a seven-footer and former five-star recruit that
will finally be eligible this year. Bernard James is a 6’10” JuCo
all-american that spent six years abroad in the Air Force. Florida
State’s biggest issue last season was their ability on the offensive
end; simply put, they couldn’t score. With the exception of incoming
freshman Ian Miller, a four star point guard out of Charlotte, this is
the same group. The two best players on the perimeter are Chris
Singleton and Michael Snaer. Both are tremendous athletes — Snaer
playing the two, Singleton at the three — with a ton of upside, but
offensively they are limited. One of those two is going to need to
develop into a legitimate threat with the ball. Derwin Kitchen might be
the best creator for Leonard Hamilton’s club, but he turns 25 during
the season. He won’t be getting all that much better. Rounding out the
perimeter will be juniors Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys. Florida
State is going to be a big, physical, experienced club, and if a couple
of their better players can improve their scoring ability, this is a
team that could once again win 20 games, finish above .500 in the
conference, and make the NCAA Tournament. - Clemson:
With Oliver Purnell now at DePaul and Trevor Booker getting paychecks
from the Wizards, its pretty obvious that Clemson is going to be a much
different team next season. Where Clemson was a team known for their
full-court press under Purnell, it will be interesting to see how new
coach Brad Brownell runs this team. At Wright State, he was known for
his team’s staunch, halfcourt defense and offensive execution. Brownell
walks into a pretty good situation with Clemson. With Demontez Stitt,
Andre Young, and Tanner Smith, Brownell has an experienced and tough
back court returning. Throw sophomore Noel Johnson, who is only going
to get better, into the mix, and the Tigers will have a very perimeter.
The key to the Clemson season is going to be how their front line
develops. Jerai Grant is a known commodity, an athletic, 6’8″ senior
that is going to get some dunks, some rebounds, a couple of blocks.
Milton Jennings and Devin Booker, however, were both highly regarded
recruits as freshmen that had so-so first seasons. Part of it was that
the two only played limited minutes with Grant and Trevor Booker, but
if these two can begin to live up to their potential, this Clemson team
could end up being a tournament team. - Maryland:
Its could be a tough year for the Terps, coming off of their share of
the ACC regular season title. They lose Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes,
and Landon Milbourne to graduation, which essentially means that the
Terps will lose their three best players. All hope is not lost,
however. Junior wing Sean Mosley has been quite impressive playing a
role in his first two seasons in College Park. Center Jordan Williams,
if he can cut some weight and get a bit quicker and more athletic,
could develop into one of the better bigs in the ACC. Guard Adrian
Bowie, swingman Cliff Tucker, and bigs Dino Gregory and James Padgett
have all shown signs of being capable ACC players. If Mosley can
develop into a 15 ppg player, Williams continues to improve as a post,
and the six Maryland newcomers — particularly the two point guards,
Pe’Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin — are ready to compete at the ACC
level, Maryland has a shot at getting a bid to the tournament. - Boston College:
It was quite a tumultuous off-season for the Eagles. It started with Al
Skinner getting fired, and continued with Rakim Sanders transferring to
Fairfield, Brady Heslip transferring to Baylor, and with Kevin Noreen
backing out of his commitment to the school. The cupboard isn’t bare
for new head coach Steve Donahue, however. Joe Trapani has developed
into one of the better combo-forwards in the ACC, averaging over 14
points 6 boards as a junior. Junior Reggie Jackson is developing into
one of the better all-around guards in the ACC, and Corey Raji is a
tough, 6’6″ senior forward that really gets after it defensively and on
the glass. Biko Paris and Dallas Elmore will also see time on the
perimeter, but that is not where BC will struggle. There is not much
size on this Eagle roster. Josh Southern, who started 25 games last
season, is a 6’10” center and Courtney Dunn, who saw action in just 26
games, are really the only post players this team has. This is an
experienced group with some talent at the top, but they are not all
that deep and will be learning the system of a new coach. An NCAA
tournament bid would be a bit of a surprise. - Miami:
Miami won 20 games last season, but that number is a bit skewed when
you consider 14 of those wins came in non-conference play. With Dwayne
Collins and James Dews, their two leading scorers, graduating, its
tough to see the ‘Canes improving all that much. If they do, it is
going to rest on the shoulders of their back court. Durand Scott, who
had a solid freshman campaign, and Villanova transfer Malcolm Grant are
both very good back court players. 6’6″ small forward DeQuan Jones is
one of the best athletes in the conference. Adrian Thomas, at 6’7″, is
a tough, experienced kid that can score and knock down a jumper. Reggie
Johnson is a capable center. But when you finish dead last in a power
conference, lose your top two scorers, and bring in a recruiting class
that doesn’t feature a program changer, its tough to expect too much. - Wake Forest:
The Demon Deacons will have as much turnover as anyone in the
conference. They lose four of their top six scorers, including
Al-Farouq Aminu and Ishmael Smith. Head coach Dino Gaudio was fired,
replaced by Jeff Bzdelik. To top it off, center Tony Woods was booted
from the team after a domestic violence incident. But that doesn’t mean
that all is lost for Wake this season. Sophomore guards CJ Harris and
Ari Stewart both had promising freshman seasons, and have the potential
for a breakout sophomore year. Junior big man Ty Walker was a highly
touted freshmen that will finally have an opportunity to play extended
minutes. Georgetown transfer Nikita Mescheriakov will be eligible to
play, joining a very good five-man recruiting class, which includes
four four-star recruits. This team is young, and they are
inexperienced, but Wake has some talent and potential. I think Wake is
a bit of a sleeper this season, but they are a young squad and probably
a year away from making the tournament. - Georgia Tech:
Paul Hewitt’s club is going to have a much different feel to it this
season as Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal, and Zach Peacock are all gone.
This year’s team is going to center around the Yellow Jacket backcourt.
Headlining that group is Iman Shumpert, a 6’4″ combo guard that has
shown flashes of greatness in his two seasons with the Rambling Wreck.
But he’s also been inconsistent, something that will need to change as
he will be counted on to shoulder a much bigger offensive load. Moe
Miller, who has seen his numbers drop in each of his three seasons,
will be back for his senior year. Hewitt will need Miller to return to
the form of his freshman season, when he averaged 8.1 ppg and 3.3 apg.
Rounding out the perimeter will be sophomores Mfon Udofia, Brian
Oliver, and Glen Rice Jr. as well as freshman Jason Morris, a four-star
recruit. Somewhere out of that group, a secondary scorer is going to
need to develop. Up front, Tech will be very young, as there are going
to essentially be three freshmen — two redshirt (Kammeon Hosley and
Daniel Miller) and one true frosh (Nate Hicks, a former Tulane signee)
— that make up the rotation. It looks like another rebuilding year for
Hewitt. - Virginia:
The Cavaliers will be an interesting team to keep an eye on this
season. After going 5-2 to start ACC play, the Cavs proceeded to lose
their last nine games in conference. They also will be without Sylvan
Landesberg, their leading scorer who was kicked off the team late in
the season. But could it be possible that this club will be better
without Landesberg? After he was kicked off the team, Virginia went
1-3. But all three of those losses came to the two conference
co-champions. They return Mike Scott, Mustapha Farrakhan, and Will
Sherrill and add talented freshman KT Harrell. Sammy Zeglinski had
surgery on his knee and his return this season is questionable. Bennett
will also bring in his first real recruiting class, which is six
players deep. Bennett’s roster is not overloaded with talent, but
neither were his teams at Washington State. Can Bennett mold this team
into one that can compete in the ACC? While I expect another finish
near the bottom of the league, I think this could be a team that sneaks
up on some people in the ACC.
