Offseason observations: ACC
Roster reports and offseason team news from the ACC.
Boston College
Once Boston College figures out who is going to take over for Tyrese Rice at point guard, next up will be the issue of consistency.
The Eagles return four starters from a team that was capable of beating North Carolina on the road on one night and losing at home to Harvard in the following game. But they did manage a winning record in conference play (9-7) and won 22 games overall.
Biko Paris, who had 56 assists against 31 turnovers in a reserve role last season, looks to be the early favorite to take over for Rice, but Reggie Jackson, who had similar numbers (55 assists, 40 turnovers) as a freshman, also figures in.
If at least one of them comes through, the Eagles have strength up in Joe Trapani, Corey Raji, and Josh Southern. Rakim Sanders is a scorer in the backcourt.
Rice is the only loss for the Eagles, and they did not add any signees in the spring period after getting shut out in the fall.
They do have a commitment for a point guard for next year in Danny Lawhorn out of Hartford, Conn.
Clemson
Clemson's prospects for next season took a jolt from an unexpected source when guard Terrence Oglesby, the team's top returning 3-point threat, left after two seasons -- not for the NBA but for a professional league in Europe.
The moved stunned coach Oliver Purnell, who, according to reports, learned of Oglesby's move while on vacation.
Oglesby scored 777 points in two seasons with the Tigers. A streak shooter, he made 177 3-pointers, but he was a liability on defense and he had more turnovers (59) than assists (57) last season.
Oglesby's premature departure leaves the Tigers with two returning starters -- forward Trevor Booker and point guard Demontez Stitt.
David Potter, who had no starts but averaged better than 17 minutes an appearance in playing all 32 games, is the logical choice to move into Oglesby's spot, but there also figures to be plenty of competition there.
Tanner Smith and Andre Young, who saw action in all 32 games as freshmen last season, also could develop into perimeter threats.
Guard Donte Hill out of a highly touted recruiting class is expected to improve the Tigers' backcourt defense.
Duke
Incoming recruits such as 6-9 Ryan Kelly and 6-10 Mason Plumlee look to bolster Duke's inside game next season, but Gerald Henderson's decision to pass on his senior season and enter the NBA Draft leaves a major void in the lineup.
Henderson not only was Duke's leading scorer last season (edging Kyle Singler by one point), he possessed great leadership skills and had the ability to take over the game in crucial situations. Even with his premature departure, however, the Blue Devils still return a veteran corps and will be a prime contender in the ACC race.
Jon Scheyer, who took over at point guard at midseason, and Singler combined to start all but three games while averaging in double figures. Both can be deadly from the perimeter.
Nolan Smith, Brian Zoubek, Lance Thomas and Elliot Williams all had at least 12 starts. Smith, who missed several games because of a concussion, is the likely candidate to step in at Henderson's starting spot. Williams finished strong and was a key in Duke's resurgence.
Kelly and Plumlee both look to work their way onto the floor as the season progresses. Plumlee is the younger brother of Miles Plumlee, who played in 24 games with two starts as a freshman for Duke last season.
Complete Blue Devils team report
Florida State
Despite a first-round loss in its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 11 years and the departure of its top scorer, Florida State has good reason to look forward to next season.
The Seminoles welcome back five players who had at least 16 starts last season from a team that won 25 games and finished with 10 conference wins, their most in ACC play since 1993.
Coach Leonard Hamilton, who received a new five-year contract in the offseason, didn't add any signees in the spring period but got two promising freshman to sign in the fall.
Guard Michael Snaer of Moreno Valley, Calif., was the country's No. 11 senior overall, according to Rivals.com, and will team with returnee Derwin Kitchen to contribute right away in the backcourt.
Freshman forward Terrence Shannon is coming off a knee injury that wrecked his senior high school season, but the Seminoles look set in the frontcourt with 7-1 Solomon Alabi, 6-9 Chris Singleton, 6-8 Ryan Reid and 6-11 Xavier Gibson returning.
Reid, who will be the only scholarship senior, needs to improve on his numbers (4.9 points, 3.7 rebounds) with the Seminoles looking for more offense.
Complete Seminoles team report
Georgia Tech
With Gani Lawal withdrawing from the NBA Draft -- and touted freshman Derrick Favors coming in -- Georgia Tech has the opportunity to go from a cellar dweller to a conference contender next season.
In addition to Lawal, who averaged 15.1 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, and Favors, ranked by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 4 freshman, the Jackets also welcome back D'Andre Bell.
Bell had the best season of his career in 2007-08 before missing all of last year because of a condition called spinal stenosis. He had surgery in December and has been cleared to play in 2009-10.
They aren't all that is in the Yellow Jackets' cupboard, however. Guard Iman Shumpert and forward Zachary Peacock combined for 61 starts last season, and Mo Miller started 16 games overall and 11 of Tech's last 13 at point guard.
Miller will get a challenge from incoming freshman Mfon Udofia from Stone Mountain, Ga.
All in all, Tech has talent, depth, and a nice blend of veterans and newcomers that should produce a team capable of challenging in the ACC.
Complete Yellow Jackets team report
Maryland
The decision by Greivis Vasquez to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return for his senior season makes Maryland a contender, not a pretender, in the ACC race.
Vasquez is one of four returning starters for the Terrapins, who were spotty at times but won enough to get to the NCAA Tournament, where they won a first-round game over California before losing to Memphis.
Vasquez is listed as a guard but really is more like all-everything for the Terps. He led them in scoring (17.9 points a game), rebounding (5.4), and assists (5.0). He also shot 32.7 percent from 3-point range and 86.7 from the free throw line. Vasquez should have more help in the upcoming season.
Eric Hayes and Adrian Bowie both have made progress in the backcourt, and Landon Milbourne is a steady performer up front. He is the second-leading returning scorer. Dino Gregory also could be more of a contributor at either power forward or small forward.
The Terps did have an unexpected loss when 6-8 center Braxton Dupree announced in the spring he was transferring. He had six starts last season. That lends some urgency for one of the two signees, centers Jordan Williams and James Padgett, to come through up front.
Complete Terrapins team report
Miami (Fla.)
Miami faces the task of replacing guard Jack McClinton, who was its top scorer from the past three seasons, but the Hurricanes welcome back three players who had at least 16 starts last season.
That includes forward Dwayne Collins, who started all 31 games in which he played. Collins withdrew his name from the NBA Draft and is the team's leading returning scorer (10.6 points game) and rebounder (7.3). Other players with returning experience are forward Cyrus McGowan (22 starts), guard James Dews (16), swingman DeQuan Jones (three) and forward Adrian Thomas (two).
The key for Miami will be how quickly newcomers fill in. Candidates include guard Malcolm Grant, a transfer from Villanova who sat out last season. He played in 29 games as a freshman for the Wildcats and shot a team-best 46.6 percent from 3-point range.
Coach Frank Haith also signed a recruiting class that is ranked among the nation's top 20. The four freshmen -- forward Donnavan Kirk, and guards Durand Scott, Garrius Adams and Antoine Allen -- are rated as high as 19th in the country in Scout.com's rankings. Scott, one of the three November signees (Allen signed in the spring), is the second five-star recruit for Miami in the last two years, joining Jones in that category.
Miami also redshirted forward Reggie Johnson last season, giving the Hurricanes another new on-court option.
Complete Hurricanes team report
North Carolina
As it did coming off its 2005 national championship when five starters departed, North Carolina faces a major rebuilding job.
But there's no need to cry for the Tar Heels. As they did four years ago with the introduction of a recruiting class that included Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Marcus Ginyard and Bobby Frasor -- a group that was augmented the following year with the arrival of Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington -- the Heels have a stellar cast of newcomers that ranks among the top five recruiting classes in the country.
Forwards John Henson, twins Travis and David Wear, and guards Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald all are rated among the top 55 freshman prospects by Scout.com.
They'll join a roster that includes returning starter Deon Thompson and forward Ed Davis, who looks ready to step up as a dominating defender inside after leading the Tar Heels in blocks as a freshman (65) last season. Davis also is the leading returning rebounder after averaging 6.6 boards a game off the bench.
Tyler Zeller, who saw some key time off the bench down the stretch after coming back from a broken wrist, and guard Larry Drew II also are key returnees. Drew is the likely starter at the point in place of Lawson.
Ginyard, who got a medical redshirt after playing in only three games, gives the Heels a second returning starter. He has 55 career starts and was voted the team's best defender in his sophomore and junior years.
Complete Tar Heels team report
North Carolina State
The cupboard started getting pretty bare up front for N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe when forward Brandon Costner, the Wolfpack's top scorer and No. 2 rebounder last season, opted to pass up his senior season for the NBA Draft.
With Ben McCauley and Courtney Fells having exhausted their eligibility, the 'Pack are losing their top three scorers and top two rebounders, putting a heavy load on returnees Tracy Smith and Dennis Horner up front.
But Lowe signed two forwards (Josh Davis and DeShawn Painter) and a center (7-foot Jordan Vandenberg) in the spring to go with another incoming freshman forward, Richard Howell, who signed in November.
It's a young, but potentially talented, nucleus to build around as the 'Pack try to get to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.
In addition to the frontcourt players, the 'Pack also welcome two freshman guards who signed in the fall -- Lorenzo Brown and Scott Wood.
Overall, the 'Pack's recruiting class is rated 13th in the country in Scout.com's rankings, which somewhat makes up for the loss of highly regarded hometown prospect John Wall to Kentucky.
Key backcourt and perimeter veterans returning are Javier Gonzalez (16 starts), Farnold Degand (11), and Julius Mays (3).
Virginia
New Virginia coach Tony Bennett didn't gain any new recruits as he took over the Cavaliers, but he did win a couple of key recruiting battles.
November signees Tristan Spurlock, a 6-7 small forward out of Woodbridge, Va., and Jontel Evans, a 5-11 guard from Hampton, Va., both confirmed they will honor the letters-of-intent signed when Dave Leitao was the coach.
Spurlock was rated a four-star prospect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. Evans got three stars.
They will join a roster that features key returnees like guard Sylven Landesberg, the ACC's Rookie of the Year and last season's leading scorer on the team; No. 2 scorer and No. 1 rebounder Mike Scott, and assist leader Sammy Zeglinski.
In all, the top six scorers and top five rebounders will be back, giving Bennett, who came from Washington State, the opportunity for early success.
"It's a hard-working group," Bennett told the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va. "And they seem to be hungry. When you don't have to coach effort, that's a good place to start."
Complete Cavaliers team report
Virginia Tech
Guard Hank Thorns, who had 15 starts in 65 games in the past two years, announced in May he was transferring, which means that one of the incoming freshmen, Erick Green or Ben Boggs, will pretty much have to contribute immediately.
Thorns was being counted on to take some of the pressure off star Malcolm Delaney in the backcourt.
On the good news side, Thorns' departure opens up a scholarship for Allan Chaney, who has transferred from Florida after playing sparingly as a freshman for the Gators.
Chaney, a 6-8 forward, will have to sit out a year but will have three seasons of eligibility remaining beginning in the 2010-11 season. Suspended for unspecified reasons for the last game of the season, when he was injured anyway, Chaney had announced in April he was leaving the Gators after playing in 23 games.
Since Chaney won't be able to help right away, the Hokies are hoping that J.T. Thompson will pick up where he left off last season. After missing the start of the season because of surgery to correct a hernia, Thompson came on strong down the stretch.
He returns up front along with Jeff Allen, who averaged nearly 14 points and better than eight boards a game as a sophomore last season. Incoming freshman Cadarian Raines, a 6-8 center, also could add critical depth.
Wake Forest
The season did not end well for Wake Forest, which at one time rose to No. 1 in the country but ended up losing to Cleveland State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Things got worse in the offseason.
Forward James Johnson and guard Jeff Teague -- a good one who is gone after just two seasons -- declared for the NBA Draft in early April and kept their names in past the deadline to withdraw, meaning the Demon Deacons will be without their top two scorers and their top rebounder from last season.
And, yet, it could have been worse.
Forward Al-Farouq Aminu was considered a first-round pick had he left, but he decided to return after averaging nearly 13 points and just over eight rebounds a game as a freshman.
The bigger loss of the two is Teague. He was the team's most reliable 3-point threat and he also led the Deacons in assists.
Though Johnson was a beast up front in his two years, his departure opens the way for Aminu to get more opportunities inside. With 7-0 Chas McFarland, who had 29 starts, and 6-11 Tony Wood returning, the Deacons look to be strong again up front.
They also have a solid point guard in Ish Smith and a good defender in L.D. Williams.
