Apr 27, 2009
Centennial's Lorenzo Brown shoots a free throw after an intentional foul was called on Ravenscroft during the Summit Hospitality Group Invitational Championship as part of the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational Tournament at Broughton High School Tuesday, December 30, 2008. Centennial won 72-53. (Photo by Jeffrey A. Camarati)
This season the ACC may not have been the best league in college basketball from top to bottom, but the conference was loaded with stars. Coach Mike Krzyzewski went so far as to say this past season the ACC had more great players than any year he could remember.
It is hard to argue with him, with returning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough along with teammates Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, and Danny Green all returning for one more season, North Carolina alone could have fielded an all-conference team. Add to the mix Duke's Gerald Henderson, who for three months may have been the best player in the country, as well as Toney Douglas and future NBA sharpshooter Jack McClinton, and you had a group of players that were definitely the best collective mix of talent in the country.
Unfortunately for the ACC, next year they will all be gone. This season's collection of conference talent will leave a huge void, be it through graduation or moving on to the NBA. How will the conference that talent wise is among the best in the country year after year fill all these holes?
North Carolina will bring in one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, as well as returning players like Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller, and injured senior Marcus Ginyard. It will be impossible to replace Hansbrough, Lawson, Green, and Ellington, but Roy Williams doesn't rebuild he reloads, and the Tar Heels will be bringing in four McDonald's All-Americans.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Wale Forest could potentially go from national contender to the middle of the pack. James Johnson has already declared for the NBA and signed with an agent, while Jeff Teague has declared as well, but with no agent he could potentially return. If Teague goes, it will derail the momentum the Deacons built this past season, and they could be staring at another opening round NCAA loss cap to their season.
Duke is facing the departure of junior Gerald Henderson. Henderson helped lead the limited Blue Devils to a 30 win season with his scoring and athleticism. The Devils aren't very athletic with Henderson and without him they will definitely be exposed next year. Elliot Williams looked good down the stretch, but he doesn't have near the defensive ability and finishing strength Henderson possesses. Duke is bringing in a talented group of recruits, and the Devils are on the short list to snag top point guard prospect John Wall from Raleigh, which would help Duke, but if Henderson were to return and play his senior season alongside Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils would be the favorite to win the ACC again.
All everything guard Toney Douglas leaves Florida State as a senior, which will definitely hurt, but 7 footer Solomon Alabi returns which will make the Noles one of the most formidable front courts in the nation. Jack McClinton also graduated from Miami and the Canes will have a very hard time replacing his 20 points per game. Boston College loses Tyrese Rice, and Georgia Tech loses Gani Lawal. Clemson dodged a bullet with the return of Trevor Booker, and Maryland hopes Greivis Vasquez will pull out of the draft.
The conference all-rookie team returns all five selections, which is rare in these days where the best players leave so early. Virginia gets to see another year of Sylven Landesberg and Al-Farouq Aminu turned down millions to return at Wake, although he may question that decision now that his teammates have gone pro. Iman Shumpert at Georgia Tech is back and Ed Davis was likely a top five pick, but now will make Carolina the conference favorite next season.
All in all the conference drops well behind the Big-12, Big East, and maybe even the Big Ten in talent, but as we saw in the NCAA tournament a really good collection of individual talent doesn't necessarily translate to March success.
One other possible defection was put to rest this week as Sydney Lowe ended any speculation about his future by saying he would like to finish all four years left on his contract. He said he has already had one NBA offer as an assistant and fully expects Flip Saunders to come calling in the near future to join him in Washington. Lowe said "I know I'm going to get the phone call, but there's so much here. I love working with young men, teaching them and preparing them for the world."
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