Perimeter Play This Year in ACC
Eleven of the fifteen All ACC players return this year and eight of them are perimeter players. It appears that most teams will rely on their outside players this coming season and that should make for good competition because the quality of the perimeter players in the ACC is very good this year. IMO, the perimeter play on three ACC teams, Duke, UNC and Miami, should be excellent this year, while the perimeter play at Wake, BC, VT, GT, Md, FS and Clemson should be good to very good. My thoughts on the top three teams are as follows:
Duke – The Duke perimeter play was good last year but I expect it to be better this year. They are experienced and deep, and they have three players who are potentially All ACC. Henderson still has holes in his game but he is expected to pick up his game this year and lead the team. Scheyer is underappreciated by many Duke fans but he is the Devils’ best all around perimeter player, IMO. Paulus was 3rd team All ACC last year, is a good long range shooter and he had the best a/to ratio in league play last year. Smith is an above average defensive player and an outstanding offensive player. He should thrive as a sixth man. As a freshman, passing was an afterthought and his ballhandling and decision making were not up to ACC point guard standards (a/to ratio less than 1). If he improves in these areas, he can be an All ACC player in his junior and senior seasons. Pocious and Williams provide good depth in the event someone gets hurt or in foul trouble.
UNC – The Tar Heels get back their top four perimeter players plus Frasor, a top freshman, Drew, and Graves. Like the Devils, they have experience, depth and several quality players. Lawson and Ellington are likely All ACC players and Green, Ginyard and Frasor are quality support players. Other than Ginyard, none are noted for their defensive play although Green, like Henderson, blocks a bunch of shots. All have good a/to ratios, even in their high octane offense. Some posters have their fingers crossed that the Heels will have chemistry problems because the three who tested the NBA waters will be unhappy feeding Hansbrough. I doubt it since the perimeter players get plenty of shots in their fast break offense.
Miami – None of the Canes perimeter players, McClinton, Dews, Asbury, Hurdle and Rios have the high school pedigree of the Duke and UNC players. All they do is play. Statistically, they are better long range and foul shooters than either Duke or UNC, and based on what I saw late last season they are better defensively as a unit. In addition, all the players have a positive a/to ratio. To this experienced group they add a good freshman wing, Jones. If Miami gets some rebounding and defensive play up front, then they will be a legitimate top 25 team.
The rest – Wake returns their top players and if Aminu is as good as they say and Teague improves, they could also have an excellent perimeter and join the three teams above. Virginia Tech, Maryland and BC return their perimeter players and all three should have very good outside play. Clemson loses a key player but their returning players are very good. Florida State and Georgia Tech are counting on young players and freshmen but both sets of perimeter players should be competitive. Only Virginia and N.C.State don’t appear to have top perimeter play at this time.
gw67
