Triangle teams rise to the top
Greensboro | It's a good thing Marcus Ginyard doesn't mind expectations, because he and his North Carolina teammates were unanimous selections Sunday to win the 2007-08 ACC basketball championship.
The Tar Heels, which finished 31-7 a year ago, tied for the regular season and won the conference tournament titles last season and advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament.
Three starters return for UNC, led by junior All-American Tyler Hansbrough. Sophomore guards Tywon Lawson and Wayne Elington are also back. Six other Tar Heels from last season's deep rotation also return, including Ginyard.
"Expectations like this are good because it means you have a talented, capable team." Ginyard said during ACC Media Day on Sunday at the Grandover Resort.
In a vote that is a lot more like the historic league's past, Duke was selected second with 29 second-place votes, followed by N.C. State with 27.
"This is what they say the ACC is about, having the Triangle with so many great teams," Duke senior DeMarcus Nelson said.
Rounding out the rest of the ACC in order: Clemson; Virginia; Maryland; Georgia Tech; Boston College; Florida State; Virginia Tech; Wake Forest; and Miami.
Hansbrough, Singler Top Lists
Hansbrough received 60 of 64 votes for pre-season ACC Player of the Year.
The forward averaged 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds last season and was a unanimous All-ACC performer for the second year in a row. He's the only ACC player accorded that honor his first two seasons.
Virginia senior guard Sean Singletary received four votes. Joining Hansbrough and Singletary on the All-ACC team was Boston College guard Tyrese Rice, N.C. State forward Brandon Costner, and UNC's Tywon Lawson.
Duke freshman Kyle Sinlger (6-foot-9) was named pre-season Rookie of the Year. He garnered 36 of 64 votes, beating out N.C. State's J.J. Hickson (15 votes) and Duke's Nolan Smith (5 votes). Five other players received a total of eight votes.
Prosser Award Announced
ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced the league's Faculty Athletics Representatives voted unanimously to establish the Skip Prosser Award, which will go to the ACC's top student-athlete among men's basketball players.
"That's a great way to honor coach, especially having it deal with academics, because that's one of the things he stressed," Wake senior forward Cameron Stanley said. "Making that award in his name is an honor, and I think that the ACC is
doing a real noble thing honoring coach that way."
Prosser, Wake Forest's coach from 2000-07, died of an apparent heart attack in his office in July.
One captain is OK For K
Duke had three captains last season: Nelson, Josh McRobertsand Greg Paulus. This season it has just one.
After the Blue Devils' initial player vote was tallied, coach Mike Krzyzewski had them vote again. He wanted just one captain. And with McRoberts in the NBA and Nelson voted by his teammates to handle the role, Paulus was the odd man out.
"It's not necessarily a slap in the face to him," Nelson said. "Coach felt like the leadership on our team the last couple of years has gotten away from how they established leadership at Duke."
Where's The Mask?
Hansbrough can finally laugh a bit when talking about the masks he wore last March after breaking his nose in the regular season finale against Duke.
The Missouri native's nose looks fine these days, and there's no need for either mask. So, does Hansbrough still have them?
"Yeah, they're lying around," he said. "I'm not sure where they are."
Asked if he might sell them on eBay when he leaves school, Hansbrough replied with a laugh, "I'll keep them."
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