SB Nation - Jack McClinton

ACC Power Rankings: 12.8

MRickman84 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:30:14 -0000

So this probably should have been done yesterday, but I really want to get in the habit of doing power rankings throughout the season. UNC occupies the top spot this week, with Duke coming in second, as both are coming off tough losses last week to strong opponents.

Let's take a look at who is where after the jump...

1.) UNC-- [W vs. Michigan State, L vs. Kentucky] UNC is getting better as was expected. The young guys are playing well and Larry Drew II looks a lot more comfortable. I'm still concerned about the Heels' bench, as Strickland looks a little lost out there and Henson just does not know what to do with his body. The Wear twins are eating up a ton of minutes without a lot of productivity. Tyler Zeller is a great player for them though and really makes the perfect sixth man. UNC gets another tough test when they head to Dallas to play Texas at the Cowboys stadium next week.

2.) Duke -- [L vs. Wisconsin, W vs. St. John's] I thought this Duke team was supposed to be able to shoot? Kyle Singler is looking average at best so far this year and is taking a LOT of shots. You know what you're getting out of Jon Scheyer week in and week out and that is a great stabilizer. Andre Dawkins has been spectacular so far and we are going to be seeing a lot more of him as Duke enters ACC play. Duke's big weakness is still down low--Zoubek and Thomas are just bad, but the Plumlees work hard and are good players.

3.) GT [W vs. Siena, W vs. USC] The Jackets were left out of the Challenge this year because of their finish last season, and that really is a shame as I believe they would have won their matchup and turned the tide for the ACC. Instead, Tech put a whooping on Siena and USC last week. GT is stellar in the frontcourt with Lawal, Peacock and Favors, but losing Iman Shumpert is going to be sidelined for 3-6 weeks with a knee injury.

4.) Clemson [L vs. Illinois, W vs. South Carolina] Clemson is looking like bi-polar Clemson again, surprise! This is a good, solid basketball team. They have 5 players averaging at least 9 points per game and Trevor Booker is almost averaging a double-double (13 and 9). Their problem is that they just lose focus (as seen by the terrible collapse against Illinois). I think they are a better team than Georgia Tech, but they just can't pass them until they show some consistency.

5.) Miami [W vs. Minnesota, L vs. BC] Yes, I know they lost their first conference game. But it was very close and came down to the buzzer. They picked up a great non-con win over Minnesota, but still have not really been challenged other than their last two contests. Dwayne Collins is very good, but there's a lot of pressure on him coming into conference play since two of Miami's three strong guards are newcomers (Malcolm Grant from Villinova and freshman Durand Scott.) James Dews can get it done too, but we will see just how much the 'Canes miss Jack McClinton after the 1st of the year.

6.) Wake Forest [L vs. Purdue, W vs. Gonzaga] After a disappointing loss at home to William & Mary, the Deacs took to the road for two very tough tests. After a hard-fought loss to Purdue, the Deacs looked like they finally clicked in a win over Gonzaga at the Kennel. If the Demon Deacons can use this as a momentum builder, they could enter the new year at 10-2. They will be tested by UNC-W, who has played some good teams tough, as well as Richmond, which received votes in the polls this week. Freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart are looking like the real deal, but the Deacs absolutely need to get consistency from their bigs and from Al-Farouq Aminu.

7.) Virginia Tech [W vs. Iowa, W vs. Georgia] I like VT. They're better than they look on paper, and their loss to Temple is not a bad one--the Owls almost pulled off the upset against Georgetown a few games ago. They easily could finish anywhere between 6th and 10th, but the combo of Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen should be good for at least 6 conference wins.

8.) Maryland [W vs. Indiana, L vs. Villanova] I've seen Maryland play 4 times now this year and I'm sorry, I just don't think they are very good. Greivis Vasquez takes way too many ill-advised shots and he is shooting 32%. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are the strong points to this team and Eric Hayes keeps them calm sometimes, but they aren't deep and I'm not sold on their front court. The Terps were a hot pick to start the season, but they have to prove something to me before they can move up the board.

9.) Boston College [W vs. Michigan, W vs. Miami] Here we go again. It's the same old story every year. BC looks sparse on paper and then Al Skinner does a great job coaching his team to overachieve. It'll probably happen again this year and their last two wins are a big indicator of this. Reggie Jackson could be a great player, and BC gets bumped up a spot just from his nasty dunk against the 'Canes (on a terrible offensive foul call in the last 30 seconds) and his clutch FTs to seal the win. Raji, Jackson, Trapani is a great combo and they get a good effort out of Josh Southern too.

10.) Florida State [L vs. Ohio State, W vs. FIU] Florida State looked downright ugly against Ohio State. And downright ugly against Florida. But that win against Marquette was big, so they have that in them. Alabi, Singleton and Kitchen are a nice 1-2-3, but the 'Noles need to be getting more out of Xavier Gibson and Ryan Reid.

11.) NC State [L vs. Northwestern, W. vs Marquette] After their loss to Northwestern, I didn't think at all that the Wolfpack would beat Marquette. It was the furthest thing from my mind. State is 6-1, but they are a mess and there is just not much there.

12.) Virginia [L vs. Penn State, L vs. Auburn] Hey, at least Virginia has beaten Cleveland State, something Wake wasn't able to do last year. Sylven Landesberg is a heck of a player, but when your next two leading scorers are Mike Scott and Sammy Zeglinski, there's a problem there. Virginia is not very good.

somebody obviously never saw the UNC game

lt.winslow — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:41:41 -0000

perrennial nba powerhouse, minnesota t-wolves, have released former hurricane guard, jack mcnasty.

when asked for comment, t-wolves coach kurt rambis said "it's unfortunate. it's a numbers game really. there's only so many roster spots. and we just don't have room for a guy who carries a largely talentless team on his back and goes toe to toe with the best team in the country. guys like that just aren't going to help this team live up to the storied history that our fans have come to expect from us."

Weekend Deacon Dump 7/19: Ish Smith out to prove Wake will still contend this year

MRickman84 — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:33:42 -0000

Some interesting links rounded up for the weekend. The AJ Marshall commitment leads the headlines, but it is also good to see some more basketball quotes and previews. Onto the links...

Tar Heel State guards out to prove worth - Sports - The Sun News
[Ish Smith]: "When people talk about point guards in this league, they may want to say, 'He's the forgotten man, he's the forgotten man.' But it's better to be forgotten and remembered than never remembered at all."

The ACC point guard breakdown - News & Observer
Without the likes of Ty Lawson streaking down the court, Jeff Teague lighting up the scoreboard and Toney Douglas, Jack McClinton or Tyrese Rice stuffing the stat sheets, who will be the most breathtaking ballhandlers the ACC this season? Vying for awards: Vasquez, Delaney, Shumpert, and Ish.

Another A.J. to play for Deacons
"Wake Forest is a great educational school, and I can pretty much have a job when I graduate if I don't make it to the NFL," Marshall said. "The business school just blew me and my family away. They really had a nice itinerary set up and everything went by so well. "Meeting with Coach (Jim) Grobe and meeting with all the coaches just made me feel at home."

Sista Moves: WFU's Women's Football Clinic shares all the tricks of the big guys
"They learn a little bit of football," Grobe said. "I think sometimes the men are a little jealous because some of the guys would like to come over here and get coached a little bit."

UK student's poker riches don't end parents' worries - Mark Story - Kentucky.com
As he rose through the ranks of college football as an assistant coach, Dean Hood kept a big folder. In it, he wrote down ideas of what he would do — and wouldn't do — if he ever became a head coach. One of the "will not dos" was trying to be both head coach and defensive coordinator. This in spite of the fact that Hood built a stellar reputation making the defensive calls at Wake Forest for Jim Grobe.

Chris Paul refutes trade quote on Twitter
Responding via twitter to a published interview/report by Pro Basketball News, Paul tweeted the following on Friday night: "Jus for the record too...I'M NOT GOIN ANYWHERE!!! No clue what Chris Thomasson was talkin about, but I didn't say any of what he was say ..."

Fox Sports Community - Fox Sports > jherwitt > jherwitt's Blog :: Top 10 returning players for 2009-10
3. Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest Aminu has as much ability and athleticism as any other player in the country, and though the sophomore forward could have been a first-round pick in this year's draft, he still has plenty of room to improve. After posting 10 double-doubles and finishing his freshman campaign at Wake with 12.9 points and 8.2 rebounds, the ACC All-Freshman selection could turn into the conference's top talent with teammates Jeff Teague and James Johnson now playing in the NBA.

Darius Rucker, The Open and a ranking of coaches. at 850 & 620 THE BLOG
Okay, without going too much in depth, here’s my ranking of ACC head football coaches….Love to have your input, feedback and discussion on the topic on Monday. For some perspective on the objective, think about it this way. You’ve got a program and you need to hire a head coach and you can only choose from the dozen ACC head coaches. 1-Jim Grobe…does anyone in the country get more out of less than Grobe?

Day Eight Summer League Roundup - TrueHoop By Henry Abbott - ESPN
James Johnson's game can be disjointed at times. It's not that he looks lost. It's just the opposite -- he's a small forward with too many choices. Johnson couldn't buy a shot Friday (2-for-11 from the field), but he made four or five beautiful plays for teammates -- including a pinpoint interior bounce pass in traffic between two defenders to find James Augustine for a layup. Johnson finished with seven assists.

Skinner Nominated for Johnny Unitas Award
Four quarterbacks from North Carolina universities have been nominated for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The award is presented annually to college football's top senior quarterback. Wake Forest's Riley Skinner, Appalachian State's Armanti Edwards, Duke's Thaddeus Lewis and East Carolina's Patrick Pinkney have been named to the 21-player list. Edwards is the lone FCS (formerly Division I-AA) representative.

JC Shurburtt: Nike 7On7 national passing tournament - ESPN

Wake Forest linebacker commit Zachary Allen had a big day on offense playing tight end. Allen showed the ability to go up and get the football in traffic, prompting one scout to comment that he "must be a heck of a linebacker for him to not get a look at tight end".

Wake star left basketball for bank - Local & State - News & Observer
[Skip] It's been a steep climb from the public housing projects of Kingsport, Tenn., for Brown, who is 6 feet tall and 185 pounds, just 10 pounds heavier than when he was setting scoring records as a Demon Deacons point guard in the mid-1970s. He long ago shed the Afro he sported then, and at age 54 his short-cropped hair sports just a tinge of gray. After nearly 20 years as an executive at Bank of America, Brown chose to strike out on his own and raised more than $16 million from investors to form TriStone in 2004. "I've always enjoyed being in leadership roles," Brown says. "When I played basketball, I was in a leadership role."

NFC West Roundtable: Defensive End - Field Gulls
The player that pushes this ranking to a "B" is Mr. Everything Aaron Curry. Curry is auditioning as a situational end. Seattle played Julian Peterson in the role and he embarrassed many a good offensive tackle. Curry has Peterson+ speed and is a chiseled 254, but he lacks Peteron’s agility. He’s close. And if he can get there, he would be a ransacking nightmare with no clear counter. If he can get there.

Scout.com: Schedule Preview: Florida State
While it would be easy to select the Wake Forest game on Nov. 14 in this slot, considering the Demon Deacons have won three straight in this series by a combined 66-24...

Monday Morning Press (and Twitter) Clippings

Zach B — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:43:17 -0000

2011 Gonzaga prospect Kyle Wiltjer (right) stands with current San Antonio Spur and former Kansas standout Drew Gooden. (courtesy: TheShiver.com)

View full size photo »

We are just about a week away from the last day to withdraw from the NBA Draft and it's becoming quite clear how repetitive the workout reports are getting. This week should once again be chock-full with workouts for the four former Zags hoping to become draftees. And now for the news...

kevin c. (seatownsports) on Twitter

austin daye has made his decision. but we can't reveal his choice to protect our source. news should come out soon.

Being the twitter addict that I am, I had to put this up first this morning to show all the non-users that big things to happen on Twitter. Kevin C. who is an occasional commenter/fanshoter around these parts, writes the excellent SeaTownSports blog which covers every aspect of Seattle sports from high school all the way up to the bigs. He passed along that little piece of information regarding Austin Daye on Twitter a few days ago. I have a lot of trust in the Twitter device so I assume Kevin to know. If I had the guts to be a betting man...I'd have to put money on Daye being bye-bye.

DraftExpress: Reebok Eurocamp, Day Two

One NBA team mentioned being told quite confidently by Damion James that he is most certainly staying in the draft, and most assume that Gonzaga’s Austin Daye is a lock to stay in.

More on the Austin Daye-front. Like what we have been hearing for a while now, it seems like he's got one foot out the door at this point. I would think that we would start hearing some thoughts about coming back since his most recent workouts haven't been given the best grades. He's been called weak and a Prima Donna recently but if a team can tell him he will be in the top-20, that is all he needs.

HORNETS: Hornets.com: Big Easy Buzz Blog

I'm really excited about this piece from the New Orleans Hornets official blog because it is the first time I have heard about Jeremy Pargo in quite a long time. It seems odd that Pargo was testing the waters last season and now we can not find one single thing about his workouts or anything. Anyways, Pargo will be working out for the Hornets today and this is probably the first workout group I would love to watch. Participating with Pargo today is LSU's Marcus Thornton, Miami's Jack McClinton, UCF's Jermaine Taylor, VCU's Eric Maynor, and UCLA's Darren Collison. This is an intriguing group of guards that all do different things well on the basketball court and it should be a great measuring stick for Jeremy. Hopefully the Hornets get plenty of video from today's workout.

BULLS: Bulls conducting pre-draft workouts

Josh Heytvelt has a few days off before his next workout with the Chicago Bulls on the 10th of June. This should give him some much-needed rest as some of his most recent workout reports have been a bit suspect. He'll need the rest as he is going against DeJuan Blair once again.

Elite Camp a Success for Wiltjer | The Shiver, Kansas Jayhawks Sports, Kansas Basketball, Kansas Football

Really nice article done by ESPN's Kansas affiliate about Kyle Wiltjer's visit to Kansas this past weekend. Included in the article is a picture of Wiltjer with NBA player Drew Gooden who sponsors Kyle's AAU team. I was stunned by how tall Kyle was in comparison to Drew. Kyle seems like a very intelligent kid who is expecting some big offers to come soon to go along with ones from Gonzaga and Arizona State. Cal, Kentucky, and Kansas have all expressed interest and apparently Bill Self was chatting with him quite a bit. He maintains that location is not a big thing for him at all so Gonzaga will have their work cut out for them to keep this kid in the Pac-Northwest.

WTLC 2009 NBA Pre-Draft Coverage: OKC Thunder Work Out 12 Players

Mr Pappagiorgio — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:44:57 -0000

So you may have read about the Oklahoma City Thunder working out 12 players who will be part of the 2009 NBA Draft, in Darnell Mayberry's Thunder Rumblings Blog. The list of players, as you will see below, isn't exactly the caliber of player we would see the Thunder taking at #25 overall in the first round. Being as we only have two picks during the draft this season, both of which are first rounders, one might beg the question, why are the Thunder looking at these players? If you are, you are not the only one, some of the regulars who frequent the OKC Thunder Fans Forum, are wondering the same thing. One of our semi-regular commenters here at WTLC, A.D., brought up the point that they are working these guys out as likely free agent signings after the draft. While that is one good theory, WTLC has another theory that wasn't brought up during the thread linked above.

In THIS POST, which was made earlier in the week, we made the argument that at least 5 players, possibly 6, would probably not be returning next season, along with 2 more possibly headed for a season in Tulsa to gain experience and develop their game by getting substantially more playing time than they would be if they were sitting on the Thunder bench. So when considering that, and the fact the two of those guys are still sitting on contracts (Atkins and Watson), you can begin to put the pieces together as to why the Thunder might be working out some of these players, and although some may be looked at for post draft free agent signings, perhaps others are being looked at for 2nd Round Draft Choices. Did that get your attention? Thought so, now make the jump...

Before we get any further, I'm sure you are wondering who the 12 players are, right?

...from Thunder Rumblings. (Link at the top of this post)

Oklahoma State’s Terrell Harris, Texas’ A.J. Abrams, Marquette’s Jerel McNeal and USC’s Daniel Hackett headline this first group, which is filled with guards and has only one player listed taller than 6-foot-6.

Other players include: Jack McClinton (Miami), Paul Delaney (UAB), Jermaine Taylor (UCF), Garrett Temple (LSU), Courtney Fells (N.C. State), Josh Carter (Texas A&M), Joe Ingles (Melbourne Dragons) and Aaron Jackson (Duquesne).

So now you see why everyone is sort of wondering why the Thunder worked out these twelve players huh? We'll, lets jump in. Like we mentioned before, the Thunder have two guys in Earl Watson and Chucky Atkins that are likely to be traded and that could happen during the draft itself. The Thunder have value in the sense that both of these guys are expiring contracts and either one could likely be traded to a team looking to focus on creating room for the free agent bonanza in 2010, and its not entirely out of the question that either one could be traded straight up for a 2nd round pick (More than likely a late 2nd round choice).

Another trade scenario is that the Thunder aren't in Love with anyone at the #25 choice and doesn't want to get involved with guarantees that go along with first round selections. On draft day you might see the Thunder trade this pick for a pair of 2nd round choices or even package Atkins or Watson together with this pick, for a veteran player with multiple years left on his contract, and a 2nd round pick. Perhaps the Thunder really like what they see out of several of these workouts, we might even see both of those scenarios play out. Can you imagine the Thunder trading the 25th overall pick, Chucky Atkins, and Earl Watson all on draft day during multiple trades to pick up 3 or so 2nd round picks? To be honest, that's a bit of a stretch, but what I'm trying to emphasize here is, that the Thunder may very well be looking these guys to draft, in the 2nd round, as opposed to post-draft signing or using up that #25 overall pick.

A very big reason why I think you will probably see a trade during the draft and the Thunder acquiring a second round pick is because a good number of these guys are projected to go in the 2nd round. Seriously, why would the Thunder be working out players who are almost definitely going to go in the 2nd round, like Jermaine Taylor who is projected to go as high as #41 over at NBADraft.net in their Full 2 round mock draft. There you can take a quick peak and see where they think some of these guys are likely to go. We all know Sam Presti isn't hesitant to pull the trigger on any deal he feels will help the Thunder, and I just can't wait to finally see what he ends up doing. What do you guys think? Are the Thunder looking to ditch their #25 pick and drop to round 2? Or are they looking to sign these guys to free agent contracts or as possible project players at their D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers?

Also, what do you think about going after Marcin Gortat? Read our thoughts and comment here: Free Agent Targets: Marcin Gortat?

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Not an ACC Tournament Preview

T.H. — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:32:47 -0000

...just some miscellaneous thoughts on who might do well this weekend:

Clemson Few teams are better than the Tigers in pushing their opponents out of their comfort zone, with disruptive steals and a perimeter-oriented game that keeps their opponents from shooting the three. The Tigers also have a good road recor and the most impressive win over Duke this season. If they can fix the lapse in focus that had them finish 1-3 they could go far.
Wake Forest The Deacs get the winner of what could be the most overall ineptly played of the Thursday games - N.C. State/Maryland, two teams that have been known to just not show up for the occassional game. Couple that with a four game winning streak, and something to prove to the NCAA selection committee, and they could just be cutting down the nets on Sunday.
Miami The Hurricanes gave the Tar Heels a scare earlier in the season, slowing the pace of the game down and relying on Jack McClinton to score at will. It took a heroic effort by Ty Lawson to win that game, and if Lawson's not in the lineup, they could slip through to the weekend. Although Miami has had that much luck on the road in conference, they pull down rebounds pretty well and have the most overtime experience of anyone in the league with three games. Of course, they lost all three...

2009 ACC Tournament Preview

WakeJake — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:57:19 -0000

As fans of the ACC turn their eyes to Atlanta, there are many questions that will be answered over the next few days. Will Miami, Virginia Tech or Maryland make their case for a bid to the Big Dance? Will it be Duke or Wake Forest that is able to grab the two seed in Greensboro? Can Clemson or Florida State make some noise and improve their seeding dramatically? Most imporantly, who will get to hang the banner and have bragging rights as 2009 ACC Champions? Click through for a quick overview of the pairings and likely senarios that we may see before the brackets are revealed Sunday night.

The first game that tips of from the Georgia Dome on Thursday is likely the biggest game of the day. Virginia Tech and Miami both have the capability to be very good teams when they are firing on all cylinders and are each led by a tandem of great players. Virginia Tech has the smooth stroke of AD Vassallo and a do-it-all sophomore point guard in Malcolm Delaney. Miami is led by sensational senior Jack McClinton and a rugged forward by the name of Dwayne Collins. Whoever is able to win this game will get a shot at North Carolina, who may be without ACC Player of the Year Ty Lawson due to a lingering toe injury. Both teams played UNC well in the regular season and would be playing for their NCAA tournament lives, while Carolina may be coasting with a #1 seed pretty much wrapped up. Do not be surprised if VT or Miami is able to pull the upset.

The second game features a Clemson team that struggled down the stretch after smashing Duke at home and the hometown Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets who will try to play tournament spoiler. The Rambling Wreck had a rough season, but showed some promising signs in their last two games as they defeated Miami and played BC tough on the road, losing on a fade-away baseline jumper by Rakim Sanders at the buzzer. It will be interesting to see if Clemson can regroup now that it is do-or-die time. They certainly have the horses to get past GT and Florida State and make it to the semifinals for another potential shot at North Carolina.

In my estimation, the other half of the bracket is not as strong. Clemson, VT and Miami are all dangerous teams that did not earn a bye and are better than the BC, Maryland and NC State draw on the bottom half.

The first game in Thursday's evening session features the Terps and Wolfpack as they try to earn a date with our Demon Deacons on Friday evening. Maryland won a back-and-forth game against N.C. State in Raleigh at the end of the season before falling apart down the stretch against Virginia and Wake Forest. Despite their record, N.C State played much better at the end of the season and always seems to play well in the ACC Tournament. From a Wake Forest prospective, a matchup with either team will be no easy assignment. Maryland would be looking to avenge a game that they had in hand early against Wake while NC State has already beaten the Deacs once and played them tough in Winston-Salem.

The nightcap features the Eagles of Boston College against the Cavaliers of Virginia. Boston College should take this game behind the strong play of Tyrese Rice and Rakim Sanders, with another chance to upset Duke looming on Friday. Virginia is no pushover though, just ask Clemson and Maryland. Freshman of the Year Sylven Landesberg will be ready to shine in his first appearance in the ACC Tournament and could come out with a win if the Eagles are looking past the Wahoos.

My first round winner predictions - Virginia Tech, Clemson, NC State, BC

Looking ahead a bit, if Wake and Duke are lucky enough to survive on Friday, it sets up a huge semifinal Saturday game. Whoever wins that game would not only have a shot at the ACC title, but would likely stay home and play in Greensboro in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. The teams split their regular season matchups and the rubber match would likely come down to the wire again.

Sit back, grab some wings and get ready for another great ACC Tournament in Atlanta. You never know when the next Randolph Childress will arise....

Randolph Childress Crossover (via TNSweep)

Randolph Childress - The Shot (via WakeWacko)

Lunchtime Links 3/10

MRickman84 — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:30:06 -0000

I don't want to take anything away from the Announcer Rankings--so read those. And I'll try not to bump it down too much. Chattanooga punched their ticket yesterday and the last time they were there was a year that Wake Forest remembers well--2005.

Brett Friedlander, who has done a great job all year, has his last ACC roundup in the regular season.

The Ashville Citizen-Times has its Five ACC Tournament Questions.

The all-acc first team:

Teague was named to the second team and Johnson is on third-team. L.D. is on the all-defensive team and Aminu is on the all-freshman team. Not a bad year, everything considered. Would have loved to see James on the second team, but I won't complain too much.

The golf team won the General Hackler Tournament.

Morning Link Dump 2/17

MRickman84 — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:48:36 -0000

Mostly quiet on the Wake basketball front. That UConn-Pitt game sure was good, huh? Texas better be careful or they may find themselves out of the Dance. Onto the links...

Neat article about Dayton, who popped into the AP top-25 after their Xavier win. The UD point guard, Stephen Thomas, played AAU ball with Teague.

The News and Observer notes the recent trend of UNC giving up 30 point scorers.

Adam Gold of 850 The Buzz says there's a chance Hansbrough might not be on the All-ACC 1st team this year.

Since he's going crazy, it's good to keep an eye on who Jack McClinton is going to take on next.

Keep an eye on Spartanburg LB Andre Whitmire, who attended Wake's junior day and has an offer. He also has Stanford and Duke offers and interest from GT and Wisconsin. With that list, sounds like he'd be a good WF recruit.

The ACC Tournament may release tickets to the public for the first time in 43 years.

Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun notes that Maryland is playing with urgency.

The Green Bay Press Gazette has some interesting NFL Combine notes. With the combine tomorrow, keep a close eye since the Deacs have five players participating.

Diesel Draft Analysis has an interesting way of breaking down draft prospects--by bowl game.

John Clayton has his combine preview.

Bradley Handwerger assures everyone that Chris Paul isn't unhappy in New Orleans, just that he's unhappy that the team isn't winning enough for his expectations.

Afternoon Link Dump 2/16

MRickman84 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:38:56 -0000

Kobe and Shaq won co-MVPs at the All-Star Game last night. Isn't that cute. CP3 added 14 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds, while Timmy had six points in the Western Conference win.

Yesterday was not a good day to have a number next to your name in college basketball, especially in the ACC. Clemson and Duke both went down, while UNC almost lost to the maniac that is Jack McClinton. Butler also lost, and Pat Forde thinks it's a product of youth.

Hey, that sounds familiar...inexperience/immaturity, what a lot of people have said this year about the Deacs. Dan Collins addressed that in his most recent blog post.

Hoops Addict has Teague sitting 9th and Farouq 19th in their latest Mock Draft.

When Ish goes, the Deacs go, says Dan Collins.

Jeff Goodman says that Duke is showing some similar faults to past teams.

The Indy Star says Brad Stevens is the Coach of the Year, and mentions Dino in his list. He may have something there. I've seen a lot of Butler and there is really no way that team should only have three losses. They're good; but they aren't that good.

J.P. Giglio of the News and Observer spots the obvious but important trend that well-rested teams perform better.

A neat article about scouting opponents in the Boston Globe.

The State has a nice little rundown of some future recruits in the S.C. area. Several are Wake targets.

The memorials to Kay Yow have really been impressive since her passing, as teams continue to wear pink to raise awareness for breast cancer. The Wake women did this last night in their win against Va. Tech.

Neat piece in the Winston-Salem Journal about Courtland Lowe's quest to get on the PGA tour.

The Canton Rep has a little feature on Aaron Curry, who is slotted on Mel Kiper's Big Board to go fifth to the Browns.