An exciting, highly competitive 2006-07 ACC regular season is over. We wanted to get our thoughts on record prior to seeing the “official” media results. The following are my personal votes, and do not reflect the consensus view of SFN. I do have some data from other SFN bloggers, which I will also present.
Coach of the Year: Gary Williams, Maryland. Although I had pegged this as a Leitao/Greenburg race just a few weeks ago, it’s hard to ignore the fantastic job done by the always-sweaty GW. Coaching the kind of hard-nosed, blue collar team he likes, the Terps stormed back from a rough start to finish 10-6 (1 game out of first) and arguably the hottest team in the nation. Leitao lost my vote when his team gakked up the outright regular season crown by losing to Wake. Other SFN votes: Jeff also votes GW, Rick votes Greenburg.
Player of the Year: Jared Dudley, Boston College. Personally, this was the toughest vote of all - and there were lots of close calls in every category. Al Thornton is a very close second, and I wouldn’t object to anyone voting for Singletary or Dowdell. Maybe even Hansbrough, but I definitely think he was a half-click behind those four. Dudley carried his team, and performed well in every facet of the game. So did Thornton - but Dudley carried his team farther. Other SFN votes: Jeff also votes Dudley, Rick votes Thornton.
Rookie of the Year: Javaris Crittenden, Georgia Tech. I fully expect to be savaged in the comments, but I think Crittenden’s achievements merit the highest freshman honor. He is the best and most important player for a Yellow Jacket squad that had a great 2nd half, and has earned an NCAA berth. He was a true freshman PG in the ACC, and not only didn’t hit the wall, but actually continued to get better. Counting ACC games only, Crittenden finished 1st in assists, 3rd in steals, and 9th in scoring (one-tenth of a point behind Costner). The numbers speak for themselves, and subjective viewing makes him look even better. Go pro, young man! Costner and Wright are also extremely worthy candidates for the honor. Other SFN votes: Jeff and Rick vote Costner.
All-ACC, First Team
- J. Dudley, Boston College
- A. Thornton, Florida State
- S. Singletary, Virginia
- Z. Dowdell, Virginia Tech
- T. Hansbrough, North Carolina
No real arguments on these selections. It would be a shock and an outrage if this is not the official first team. The drop-off after these five is huge. Other SFN votes: Jeff is in complete agreement.
All-ACC, Second Team
- J.R. Reynolds, Virginia
- J. Crittenden, Georgia Tech
- D.J. Strawberry, Maryland
- T. Rice, Boston College
- B. Costner, NC State
Here is where the debates begin. Reynolds is the 2nd leading scorer in ACC play, so no real issue there. You can make a case for LOTS of changes among the others. Rice stepped up big to keep BC competitive (after the Williams suspension), Crittenden has great stats and led his team to a great second half, Strawberry is a very good all-around player (and the best for a team that’s firing on all cylinders). In the end, I chose Costner’s excellent overall numbers above Wright’s freakish athleticism and great “numbers per minute played.” Ultimately, Wright simply didn’t dominate and force Roy Williams to play him more minutes and always down the stretch. At their respective peaks, Wright was easily better - but Costner was more consistent. After POY, this was my toughest decision. Other SFN votes: Jeff agrees with Reynolds and Strawberry, but goes with Visser, McCauley, and McBob as his other three.
All-ACC, Third Team
- B. Wright, North Carolina
- J. Gordon, Virginia Tech
- J. McRoberts, Duke
- K. Visser, Wake Forest
- E. Ibekwe, Maryland
Honorable Mention: J. McClinton (Miami), T. Lawson (UNC), B. McCauley (NC State), G. Vazquez (MD), J. Mays (Clemson)
Jamon Gordon’s defensive excellence merits his selection (along with good overall offensive numbers). You might be surprised to hear that McBob only averaged 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in ACC play (and no, he is not in the Top Ten in assists, despite all you hear about his passing skills). My friends, those are 3rd team numbers unless you are a dominant defender (he’s not). Ibekwe is a decent scorer and very good rebounder and defender. Visser kept the Deacs from possibly being a 1 or 2-win team in ACC play. McCauley, Mays, and Lawson all would have made it (probably 2nd team, too) if the votes were counted at midseason.
Criticize me and submit your own rosters in the comments section below.
Just heard Costner got 3rd team.
Ok, I was with you dead on until you put Ben on honorable mention.
Ben is a 2nd teamer. Its Brandon that should be moved down in my opinion. Assist to Turnover ratio is the stat that I would call out that embodies why I think Ben deserves to be 2nd team.
I’m in total agreement on the big awards. Williams, Dudley, and Crittendon. Costner has been relied on to do a lot, but Javaris is a freshman PG entrusted to lead his team. He’s delivered.
Dudley wins the award with a Hodge like do everything season.
I’m good with the entire selection there save trading out Ben for Brandon.
Plus, my all rookie team:
Costner
Crittendon
T. Young
Greivis
B Wright
Note: That’s right. No Tylon Lawson.
Great selections, SFN.
Good points on Crittendon - I can see him being rookie of the year w/ those ACC #s.
Biggest problem I have is w/ Dudley. He disappeared in some key games for them - and his disappearances were a big part of the BC collapse. IMHO, Singletary is POTY. I don’t know if UVA wins 2 ACC games w/out his leadership and abilities, instead the tie for the conference title.
I would respectfully agree with all of your selections, save one.
VISSER???? Just because he’s the only “quality” player on an otherwise crappy team? That’s almost like voting Kris Lang all-ACC a few years ago! As a replacement for Visser, how about Terry fron UNX? He may not be explosive, but he HAS been clutch at times when they’ve needed him to be. You may now howl and scream about my opinion.
This is from the AP. Feel free to post.
Dudley
Hansbrough
Thornton
all tied as unaminous
Singletary
Dowdell
Reynolds
Strawberry
T. Rice
McRoberts
B. Wright
Visser
Crittendon
Costner
J. Gordon
Jack McClinton
Honorable Mention:
Ben McCauley was 1st HM,
All Freshman:
Crittendon
Wright
Costner
Lawson
Sheyer
All Defense:
J. Gordon
Ibekwe
Dowdell
Strawberry
McRoberts
FWIW, Tyler is 2nd in scoring and 1st in rebounding. I dont think he’s a half click behind anyone - especially considering his minutes played compared to the rest.
The official teams:
All-ACC Team
First team
Jared Dudley, Boston College (106), 318
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina (106), 318
Al Thornton, Florida State (106), 318
Sean Singletary, Virginia (100), 312
Zabian Dowdell, Virginia Tech (90), 302
___
Second team
J.R. Reynolds, Virginia (20), 232
D.J. Strawberry, Maryland (2), 180
Tyrese Rice, Boston College, 177
Josh McRoberts, Duke, 159
Brandan Wright, North Carolina, 150
___
Third team
Kyle Visser, Wake Forest, 120
Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech, 104
Brandon Costner, N.C. State, 94
Jamon Gordon, Virginia Tech, 61
Jack McClinton, Miami, 48
___
Honorable mention (20 or more points)
Ben McCauley, N.C. State, 36
James Mays, Clemson, 34
DeMarcus Nelson, Duke, 34
James Gist, Maryland, 28
Ekene Ibekwe, Maryland, 22
___
All-Freshman Team
Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech, 106
Brandan Wright, North Carolina, 106
Brandon Costner, N.C. State, 95
Ty Lawson, North Carolina, 64
Jon Scheyer, Duke, 54
___
Honorable mention (20 or more votes)
Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech, 42
Greivis Vasquez, Maryland, 37
___
All-Defensive Team
Jamon Gordon, Virginia Tech, 96
Ekene Ibekwe, Maryland, 65
Zabian Dowdell, Virginia Tech, 59
D.J. Strawberry, Maryland, 55
Josh McRoberts, Duke, 46
___
Honorable mention (20 or more votes)
Mario West, Georgia Tech, 33
DeMarcus Nelson, Duke, 25
James Mays, Clemson, 24
Vernon Hamilton, Clemson, 20
Sadly, McCauley REALLY faded down the stretch. I had him on 2nd team after 10 games or so.
I still think Dudley’s production was pretty incredible given how much defensive attention he received. Rather than get frustrated, he made lots of nice passes. He did come up small in a few big games, but Thornton also couldn’t pull FSU out of an awful losing streak.
BTW..I personally think that Visser would fit in nicely with GT’s Goon Squad!
Has anyone come up with the all ACC Goon team?
Chrisheel: Hansbrough was 4th in scoring and 2nd in rebounding in ACC games only. But I agree, he is the best player on the best team so he should be right there.
I would probably give it to Al Thornton who was first in scoring by a 3.5 margine(23.5 pts) and 1st in rebounding. That 45 point performance in such a key game should have sewn it up.
Tough call between the top three to four players.
I would have to agree with Mr O….Thornton absolutely carried FSU this year, without him, the Semiholes would be where Weak Florist or Miami is this year. Hansbrough just got more media.
Costner has recieved a lot of praise recently, and rightfully so, but I think you’re way off with putting him on the second team ahead of McCauley. Even if you’re looking purely at stats, McCauley comes out ahead. He gets a point and a half less per game and one less rebound, but he gets double the assists and has a much better A/T ratio. In addition, his offensive rating (kenpom ratings) is 14 points higher, and he’s a much higher percentage shooter (even with Costner’s 3-point shooting, McCauley’s effective field goal percentage is 4 points higher). That’s just the statistics. When you watch them play, it’s readily apparent to me that McCauley is the better player this year. He’s one of the rare players in the college game who always knows where everybody on the floor is. If he were playing with teammates who actually understood ball movement and cutting lanes (I really wish Cam Bennerman were around this year, just to watch him play with McCauley), he would probably get 2-3 more assists per game. In nearly every game I’ve watched this season, he has directly created at least 3-5 points for Costner via kickouts or interior passing. I’m not taking anything away from Costner, it’s been a great freshman season for him and he keeps getting better, but he forces a lot of bad shots and commits a lot of turnovers because he can’t deal with double teams yet. To me, McCauley is clearly the better player when you look at the year in its entirety, not just the last few games.
Mr. O,
That 45 pt performance, refusing to let his team lose, in a game they had to have was the best thing in the country this year that no one saw. OTOH, his team finished 8th in the league.
So to me, while Tyler doesn’t take a backseat to anyone, I ultimately would go with Dudley.
FSU finished 8th, yes. Take the injury plague away, and who knows, they could have been in the top 4 or 5. As much as I hate to say it, I believe a tie between Dudley and Thornton would have to be my vote. Both players are clutch, and both carried their respective teams when it was most needed.
Chris92heel: If your recruiting class had gone to FSU, then Al Thornton’s team wouldn’t have finished 8th. Put Tyler on FSU’s team, and they probably still finish 8th.
However, I do agree that Tyler is an absolute beast at this level. In fact, he is so good that he should be banned from college basketball.
All of the top three are very close, but I guess someone has to win.
This year’s ACCT will be the most interesting in a long time, IMHO. If someone stumbles on Friday, then it truly will be ANYBODY’S tournament to win. Well, with one glaring exception, WFU.
Xphoenix: Here are scoring and rebounding averages for ACC games only:
Costner: 8th(16.1 ppg), 6th (7.7 rebs)
McCauley: 25th(12.8 ppg), 10th (6.5 rebs)
Don’t have their assist numbers, but obviously McCauley would have the edge there(plus fewer turnovers).
I think McCauley would have made it over Costner had he not faded in the last few games. For some reason, he is struggling to figure out what to do against double teams now.
To me, Dudley showed the best all-around game. IMHO, Hansbrough is an average passer and an average defender. Hansbrough also is surrounded by much more talent (which I understand CAN cut both ways).
Don’t you have to factor in the suspensions to the two BC players in evaluating this too?
I just think that Dudley gets a major edge in lifting his team to a place that Thornton was unable to lift his.
OTOH, I think Dudley also plays for a better coach.
Someone should tell Big Ben that to beat a double team, you never dribble, keep your head up, pump fake and FORCE the other players to swipe at the ball, in turn drawing a reach-in foul or a hack. Believe me, I’m only 6′2″, but LOVE to play in the post. I get doubled by bigger players all the time and have only lost the ball a few times, while getting hacked a LOT. (I’ve got the bruises to prove it)
“IMHO, Hansbrough is an average passer ”
Bullshit! When have you ever seen Tyler pass?
The answer……NEVER!!
He simply WILLS the ball into the hoop!
Let the Hansbrough bashing party begin!
To clarify - I did look at “ACC only” numbers. Big discrepancy between Costner and McCauley for those, as O pointed out. McCauley also started getting killed on the boards down the stretch. He’s still a VERY GOOD player, and I love his game. But the last 4-5 games, he was just so-so.
It also may not be fair, but I look at UNC as a team that should have won at least 13 or 14 ACC games, but only won 11. And not saying it’s really Tyler’s fault - but a true POY arguably should have been able to will such a talented team to a few more victories.
There’s that whole “WILL” thing again. I am now attempting to will one million dollars into my checking account….damn.
Tyler can’t will the ball into his hands.
True, however, when he gets into trouble, what happens then?
Name me one person that at the beginning of the season thought it even possible to have a Costner / McCauley All ACC Debate. Very positive surprise. Who would have thoght that.
If anything, we thought we would be talking about Grant and Astur, if there was a shot at all of pack player being on any All ACC team.
Makes me think really good things about the future.
yeah, I was looking at season averages instead of conference averages. I’m still of the opinion that McCauley played the better season this year. He’s just a much more polished player right now.
Chris92heel, why doesn’t Lawson want to play defense?
Seems like he’d be the perfect NBA guard, all offense, no D.
Why else would he not start (senior day notwithstanding)?
I’m not taking anything away from his abilities or overall skills, but it seems to me he wants it to be the Ty Lawson show.
Rabid, IMO, one of the biggest adjustments that frosh have to make is on the defensive end of the court, particularly in terms of the focus and intensity necessary to be a good defender in the ACC.
He has been good at times, but he’s also struggled, particularly against experienced guards like singletary and dowdell, though its not like anyone has had much success versus those two.
And then, of course, there are rumors that have no business on a wuffie site
Dudley led the ACC in MPG with 38.8 per game.
Hansbrough wasn’t even top 11 in MPG, so if Hansbrough playes another 9+ minutes per game, then how many points and rebounds does he average???
If Hansbrough was on any other team, then I bet he averages maybe even 24 ppg game and 12 rebs. (he is at 19.8 and 8.6 right now).
Or at least based on his points per minute and rebounds per minute, he would be in those ranges if given 38.8 minutes per night.
Hansbrough is a freak IMO. Interestingly enough, Al Thorton played four less minutes per game than Dudley.
As far as Thornton not picking his team up like Dudley, BC had a 2nd team all-ACC player while FSU Thorton didn’t have much help.
I would have to say that McCauley is overall a more polished player than Costner. Granted, Costner has come a long long way this season, but look at the overall numbers. MCCAULEY IS A FUCKING MONSTER!! He will be the key player WHEN the ‘Pack beats Duke Thursday. Yes, I said WHEN. We match up very well with the Devils, and without Henderson, it may end up being like the game vs WFU when they lost Paul to suspension after he tried to feel up Hodge.
Chris: Are you talking about the rumors that say he either isn’t going or taking class seriously and that he has made it known that he is going pro?
Yeah, those.
I told all my UNX fan friends not to get too comfy with the current talent at Carowhina. I predict that they’ll lose Hansbrough, Lawson, and maybe Wright. Terry may also be gone. Then the Holes will have to once again rely on young, inexperienced talent. Williams has his work cut out for him if he loses these players.
BTW, wasn’t the only reason Lawson went to UNX the new NBA rule against straight from HS players?
Terry may also be gone?
You’re all over it man.
We might lose Wes Miller and Biscuits Burke as well.
NOT BISCUITS!!!! HOW WILL THE TEAM, NAY, THE ENTIRE LEAGUE SURVIVE???
I’m just voicing my thoughts and opinions. I meant Ginyard, it’s been a long day, sorry for the dumb ass mistake….Terry is a senior, I know.
Ginyard is going nowhere. Its possible, but unlikely, that we’ll lost wright, tyler, and tywon. And even if we do we won’t be young and inexperienced next year.
btw, what is the significance of ‘UNX’?
I DO know that losing Miller means losing the most in-your-face, irritating ass defender Carolina has. That’s not tenacious defense, that’s worrysome-ass little man fuck off defense!!
Where did the “Biscuits” tag come from anyway?
Bojangles biscuit special when the heels hit 100 pts. Dewey hit the shot to get us to 100 2-3 times this year.
OK, I got you. Cute, very cute. In your opinion, do you think Lawson would be an idiot if he went pro at the end of the year?
I do. IMHO, he’s far from ready for the next level, and if he fails, he can’t go back. One good example would be Josh Powell.
The kid went from mouse to monster and then left early. Now he’s in the big, bad NBDL!!!
My guess is that Lawson is very likely to go pro, Wright is somewhat likely, and Hansbrough very unlikely.
Nobody has yet made the case for Dowdell yet - but I assure you, it can be made. He’s by far the best defender among the “Big Five.”
BJD, arguably, you have perfectly inverted the guys and their likelihood of going pro.
Agreed, Zabian Dowdell is a great player, but he can’t handle stiff defense from a larger player. Fells did a number on him both times VT played State. As far as his defense, Fells scored 11 and 14 respectively. After Dowdell scorched Carolina, he was held to 9 against State.
proof again that we know more about “their” team than they do.
Looks like Roy agrees.
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=256100
Roy on Tar Heel fans:
“You don’t know if they’re in church, in prison, if they’re dead”
The 2nd one Roy. The 2nd one.
Can we get a mock entry on this story.
It goes with the territory, Roy, it goes with the territory.
I’m just a retail grunt/manager, and I always have somebody running up my anal cavity with advice on how to do the job I’ve been doing for the past 13 years. Deal.
McCauley was a pleasant surprise during the start of the season and had some huge games, but didn’t keep up the same level of play. Costner is getting better and has done a better job rebounding than McCauley. Costner deserves all ACC recognition, over McCauley, based on the entire season. I’m glad Ben got honorable mention and his hard work wasn’t totally ignored. I hope this recognition serves to motivate players and builds up their confidence. We’ve had so few All-ACC players over the last decade and a-half, I’m glad we had some on this years team.
The all goon team:
Henderson–Duke
Visser–Wake Forest
Georgia Tech’s first 5.
Coaches: Hewitt, Chaney, Phelps
Someone mentioned Josh Powell. He made an NBA roster after two years out of college. Same diff. as if he played 4 years. He’s also doing about as well as any NCSU player has done in the NBA, which isn’t saying much. He has a roster spot for the Golden State Warriors, and occassionally gets off the bench. Right now it’s only him and Ced Simmons representing NCSU in the NBA.
I did not realize he made an NBA roster. I don’t keep up with the NBA. Good for him! He’s a good kid (I met him at my work one night) and deserves every chance he gets. I do believe he should have stayed in school(as everyone should), things happen and it’s always good to have a degree to fall back on just in case.
Hey, here’s a good question…if it turns out to be a UVa / BC final, how many people will be in the stands? My guess is about 10.
Gene, you need to change your “tense” in the sentence. “Has done”, obviously you’ve forgotten about Googs, Thompson, Burleson, Thurl Bailey,
Chucky Brown, Kenny Carr, Vinnie Del Negro, Nate McMillan, Spud Webb(Even MJ applauded his slam dunk win) and many more. Obviously, you’re one of those young Tarhole fans who know “much of nothing”!
92heel - that’s just my gut talking. Lawson doesn’t seem like the kind of kid who is all that keen on the college experience. If he’s listening to guys whispering in his ear, he might get the idea he should go know while he still carries the “potential” tag, rather than stay and have his shortcomings confirmed. I also don’t believe there are many top PG prospects in the draft.
Wright is a guy that I would have expected to be “one and done” - but with Oden and Durant sucking up so much oxygen, I could see him waiting a year so he’s in line to be the consensus top pick. He’s only going to get better, and he could easily be next year’s POY (conference and national).
Hansbrough seems like a guy who really likes the college experience. I think his draft stock is likely to remain the same - and if he was looking just to maximize that, he would have gone pro last year. He could also stay and work on his jump shot range and kick-out passing - which would make him unstoppable.
highstick, I should’ve said how “recent” NCSU players are doing in the NBA. Bailey, Del Negro, Webb and Brown entered the NBA in the 1980’s. Burleson, Carr, and Thompson entered the NBA in the 1970’s. Googs entered the NBA in the 1990’s and had a nice career, but he, like the others you’ve mentioned, is no longer in the NBA.
After Googs, our NBA output has been Fuller, Hodge and Kevin Thompson. Fuller had the longest NBA career, which lasted 5 seasons or so, most of which was spent as a back-up. Kevin Thompson, I think was a second round pick, and lasted a season or two on someone’s bench.
We currently have two players in the NBA. Powell and Simmons. Both are reserves, seeing limited minutes.
Therefore, given the success / failure (depending on your point of view, I guess) of recent NCSU players in the NBA, I do not see how Powell leaving his sophomore year has hurt his NBA career.
BJD, It wouldn’t surprise me if Tywon left, but I think he’ll see that a 5-11 PG isn’t in high demand in the NBA. there’s certainly some scuttlebutt that he’s out the door.
Brandan is a top 5 pick - hard to turn that down.
Tyler isn’t in love with the schoolwork part of school and knows his draft status wont change as long as he’s a 6-8 post player with only moderate athleticism.
So yeah, they could all bolt.
My point was exactly that! The post said “N C State players has done “, not recent N C State players have done” which I’ll admit isn’t too much to talk about, but coming from “you know who’s program”, it’s no wonder! I thought I knew what you were saying, but wanted to make a point for some who can’t remember before “you know who”~
I can remember that at one time in the 80’s, maybe even early 90’s that State had more active players in the NBA than any other ACC team.
After looking up all of the names, I couldn’t even remember a few of them playing at all. Guess that was in an era that a lot of us hate of even acknowledge.
Trivia question, does anyone remember that not only did we beat Phi Slamma Jamma in the finals, but I think we opened up against them the next year and beat them again? With Spud at guard??
Josh Powell is actually getting some pretty regular playing time with the Warriors. He’s played in all but three of their games since Jan. 22, and has logged more than 10 minutes nine times so far, with three double figure scoring games. Not exactly Lebron James, but he’s really carrying the Wolfpack banner right now, unless we want to stake some claim on Damien Wilkins. Ced never plays any more. He sure could have had a lot of PT in Raleigh. Any regrets, Ced?
Quite frankly as the talent level he was playing against improved, McCauley was less effective. I think that defenses (coaches) also figured out that he was a big key to our offense - second only to Atsur. It will always be easier for Costner to get shots because of his range. The thing I must give Costner credit for is his rebounding. I would also say that his defense improved over the second half of the season. We will go as far as Courtney Fells can take us this weekend, as both a defensive stopper and a 3-pt shooter.
Unless he just totally hates school, the only reason for Hansbrough to go pro is to play in Europe. He might as well stick around and be BMOC for 2 more years, because once he leaves his glory days are over. He’s got ‘Danny Ferry’ written all over him and every NBA scout knows it.
Let me put it this way. If I were an NBA team owner and my GM spent a first round pick on Hansbrough, I’d fire him on the spot.
Emotions factored into some of my voting.
I simply cannot stand GW so I could not vote for him. Besides, it can easily be argued that Greenburg did more wiht less.
As for Thornton, he did the most with the least.
“unless he just totally hates school”
yeah, thats sort of what I’m saying.
Tyler will never be a star in the NBA, but I think he can be a solid, 10-year pro who works hard, gets rebounds, and does all the dirty work. I think he could turn into a guy who gets 15/10 every night. He’s no less athletic than charles oakley. Actually, he’s more athletic than oakley.
Interesting, chris92heel. I’d not heard that angle before, could definitely shake things up conference wise for next year.
Another big question for next year is: does Singletary stay or go? With him VA could be pretty good, without him they could be pretty ordinary.
And if he goes, does Lawson stay or vice versa?
zahadum, if lawson staying or going was based on draft position then he’d be definitely coming back, so I don’t think it really matters who else comes back.
Lawson would be gambling with the position he has (I would guess still Top 15). He could rocket to the very top - but if he shows significant holes in his game, he could lose all draft value. Very risky.
According to most, Lawson would be a late first round pick, at best. Most project him to the top of the 2nd round.
The award for most fashionable ACC coach goes to Sidney Lowe.
http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/549918.html