SFN’s All-ACC Picks

This year, we’ll beat the traditional media to the punch, and announce our selections the same night regular season play is complete. Here are your honors:

Player of the Year: Toney Douglas, Florida State

No shortage of great players in the ACC this season, but one player stood clearly above the rest. Florida State won 10 ACC games, more than any other “one man band” in the league. And Lord, did Douglas ever carry the Noles. His offensive exploits were so legendary (easily the ACC’s leading scorer during conference games, and 10th in assists), it’s easy to forget his defensive prowess. I discussed POY candidates with a Duke friend this week, and he rightly noted that Douglas would be the only ACC player on an offensive and defensive first team list. That’s the complete package we expect to see in an ACC Player of the Year.

Coach of the Year: Al Skinner, Boston College

COY boiled down to a two-man race (with master scowler Leonard Hamilton), and ultimately hinged on Rakim Sanders’ fall-away jumper yesterday. I had long pledged to vote for Skinner if he managed to get 9 wins out of this ragtag bunch, and he did it – even with Tyrese Rice faltering somewhat in the second half of league play. The Eagles were reeling at the end of last season, and most observers (especially me) expected them to hang out with Virginia, Georgia Tech, and NC State in the ACC cellar. Instead, they came out and punched UNC in the mouth to open league play. Skinner’s job getting his team to believe they could go into Chapel Hill and win is worthy of hardware.

Rookie of the Year: Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

Most observers will give the nod to UVA’s Sylvan Landesberg, but in the games I saw, Landesberg seemed like a guy who scored alot because somebody had to score for the hapless Cavaliers. On the other hand, Aminu was a key cog on a very strong Wake Forest team, bringing elite athleticism and strong rebounding to the Deacon frontcourt. Going into tonight’s game, Wake ranked 2nd in FG defense, rebounding, and blocked shots – and Aminu gets the nod for his work building those stats.

    First Team All-ACC:

Toney Douglas, Florida State
Ty Lawson, North Carolina
Gerald Henderson, Duke
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
James Johnson, Wake Forest

The first four picks were easy, but I struggled with the fifth. In the first half of the season, I would have put Teague and Rice on the first team, ahead of Henderson and Johnson. Until the last week of ACC play, Jack McClinton made my list. But down the stretch, I don’t think anyone was playing any better than Henderson and Johnson. Johnson had a huge second half in tonight’s comeback win against Clemson, which the Deacs needed to secure 2nd place. And you know he’s drooling at the possibility of playing NC State again on Friday.

    Second Team All-ACC:

Trevor Booker, Clemson
Jack McClinton, Miami
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
Tyrese Rice, Boston College
Jeff Teague, Wake Forest

You know it’s one hell of a strong year in the ACC when the second leading scorer (McClinton) and runaway leading rebounder (Booker) are only second team. Neither one was a big enough factor down the stretch, though – and Miami and Clemson both sort of limp into the ACC tourney. Rice and Teague each fell off dramatically in the second half, and Teague’s lackadasical defense and overall inconsistent effort almost dropped him to third team. Malcolm Delaney might be your early leader for 2009-10 POY, assuming everyone expected to go pro actually does so.

    Third Team All-ACC:

Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
Kyle Singler, Duke
Danny Green, North Carolina
A.D. Vasallo, Virginia Tech
K.C. Rivers, Clemson

Like the first team, the first four selections were pretty easy. All told, Rivers had a disappointing year. But he’s still a very good defender, solid rebounder, and reliable shooter. He just edges out Jeff Allen and Wayne Ellington.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

08-09 Basketball General

12 Responses to SFN’s All-ACC Picks

  1. wufpup76 03/08/2009 at 9:10 PM #

    Hard to argue with any of this, though you could certainly make a case for some of the 2nd team guys being on the first team … but who do you take off?

    Too bad there was no room for Booker and McClinton on the 1st team.

    I would’ve actually had Danny Green on the 2nd team – he is tremendously important to that team and has made many clutch plays and been an ok defender. I would’ve moved Delaney to the 3rd team, but that’s my opinion.

    And the biggest thing I agree with is Douglas as POY. No player means more and has brought it for EVERY game this season. Offense, defense, assists, rebounds – he did it all. In my opinion, it would be a pretty tremendous disservice if Lawson got POY over Douglas. There is such a thing as defense, and it’s an important part of the game. I also seem to remember Rice and Teague singlehandedly thrashing him in their head-to-head meetings.

    Great play and overall consistency should be rewarded – not just late season surges. Of course, we all know where the award will probably wind up b/c that’s just the way this bullshit goes.

  2. wufpup76 03/08/2009 at 9:12 PM #

    Hi – could you take my comment out of moderation?

    Thanks.

  3. MA Wolfpack 03/08/2009 at 10:04 PM #

    Does anyone really think the writers will give POY to anyone other than Hansbrough? I know he does not deserve it, but I am sure they will give it to him.

  4. drhammondo 03/08/2009 at 10:16 PM #

    I agree with your picks for the most part–with the exception of Tyler Hansbrough. I know that he leads the league in scoring, and I understand he is everyone’s all-world player (which is more than a little annoying for any Wolfpack fan). But if you are going to put a second Tarheel on the first team this year, it has to be Danny Green (especially if you use the “all-around” player argument for Douglas). The guy does nothing but hustle–4th on the team in scoring when he is NEVER the first offensive option on the court–1.5 blocks/game, 2 steals per game–and I guarantee that if you asked anyone on that team who their MVP was this year, Green would be the answer. Oh yeah, and all of that from a guy that wasn’t even supposed to be a starter this year.

    If I could pick ANY UNC or Duke player to have been on an NC State team since 2000 (during the timespan that they were actually at either school), I would pick Danny Green. Those are the types of players we need in Wolfpack uniforms!

  5. Greywolf 03/08/2009 at 10:39 PM #

    “If I could pick ANY UNC or Duke player to have been on an NC State team since 2000 (during the timespan that they were actually at either school), I would pick Danny Green. Those are the types of players we need in Wolfpack uniforms!”
    .
    Definitely!!
    .
    Do you have a All-Lefthanded sophomore team or something that we might place a Wolfpacker on the second or 3rd team? I shouldn’t have said that, because it fails to recognize the effort that Dennis Horner, Tracey Smith and Javi Gonzales put out to get better. It doesn’t recognize the effort Fergie put out either. He may not have been the best or even good but there never was any doubt about his desire to win. He gave what he had when he was out there. I wonder why he was so darned inconsistent.

  6. crackdog 03/09/2009 at 12:57 AM #

    “I wonder why he was so darned inconsistent.”

    Probably because of the injury he suffered mid-year.

  7. Wulfpack 03/09/2009 at 5:19 AM #

    I like the picks except I think Hamilton should be COY and Landesberg FOY. Looks good.

  8. Scooter 03/09/2009 at 6:31 AM #

    Lets be honest, if we could have one of any of UNC’s starters, we would probably take them. Of those five, though, I agree that Danny Green would be the choice for the team we currently have. He plays with a lot of passion — something our team has lacked almost completely over the last couple of years. It would be nice to finally see a skilled and passionate player wearing the ole’ Red and White again. We need players that are proud to wear the jersey.

    Also, if I had a vote, Toney Douglas would be my vote for POY as well. FSU has had a good year by there standards (hell, by our standards these days), and he has been amazing. His offensive game has come on strong over the course of the year, but his defense is something we don’t see from a lot of guards these days. Amazing player and head-and-shoulders above the rest this year. Not to hate on Hansbrough, but considering his expectations, it would be unfair to say he was disappointing, but he wasn’t able to single-handedly take over games this year as he has the past two.

  9. RickJ 03/09/2009 at 7:38 AM #

    If I had one pick off UNC for our team, it would be Lawson. I don’t think this is a very difficult decision if you are trying to pick the player that would most improve our team.

  10. Wolf Dog 03/09/2009 at 8:18 AM #

    Very well done. I think the writers outside of NC will have a similar looking list.

  11. Greywolf 03/09/2009 at 8:46 AM #

    RickJ
    March 9th, 2009 at 7:38 am
    “If I had one pick off UNC for our team, it would be Lawson. I don’t think this is a very difficult decision if you are trying to pick the player that would most improve our team.”
    .
    I’d have to agree with Lawson being the player who would most help our team, but what Drhammondo and I both were speaking to was “type of young man” we’d like to see playing for the Pack. With a team of Danny Greens, effort and attitude would not come up on this board except in a very positive manner.

    Looking to see who would most improve our team is a different matter.

  12. highstick 03/09/2009 at 6:21 PM #

    My God, guys, you’re not picking the All ACC, All World Hansborough?

    Jeez, he’s the only ACC player to have ever been a unanimous all ACC first team for 4 years! I can’t believe you’re dissing him like that!

    First player to ever go through a season and never foul anyone!
    First player in history to never have to dribble the ball cause he just “willed” it to go in!

    It’s disgusting for those before Hansborough to lose there rightful places in history because the referees and media have their heads stuck up their rectums!

    It’s gonna be wonderful watching him flop in the NBA like his fat predecessor May!

Leave a Reply