Boston College Athletics
Men's Basketball Tabbed Second In ACC Preseason Poll
October 24, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 23, 2005
Boston College won't sneak up on any of its ACC men's basketball opponents this winter. With four starters returning from last season's 25-win team, the Eagles were selected second in the Atlantic Coast Conference's preseason media poll. The announcement was made at the league's "Operation Basketball" (media day), which was held at the Grandover Resort & Conference Center in Greensboro, N.C. on Sunday.
Senior forward Craig Smith gained a spot on the All-ACC preseason first team. The Los Angeles, Calif., resident gained All-Big East first-team honors last winter after averaging 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Duke's J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams were unanimous choices to the All-ACC preseason team (87 ballots). Smith was the next highest vote-getter with 73. Miami's Guillermo Diaz (59) and Wake Forest's Justin Gray (57) rounded out the team. Redick, the 2004-05 ACC Player of the Year, gained ACC Preseason Player of the Year honors.
Duke was selected first in the preseason media poll. The Blue Devils were picked to finish first on all 87 ballots. Boston College placed second, followed by Wake Forest, NC State, Maryland and North Carolina.
The bottom half of the preseason list was - in order - Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Florida State and Virginia.
Media Day Notes: The media event was attended by more than 200 accredited media representatives ... Head coach Al Skinner, junior Jared Dudley and Smith represented the Eagles at the event ... The event featured four hours of interviews. The 12 league coaches met with the print media for the first two hours, while the league's 24 players in attendance (two per school) chatted with the electronic media. The coaches and players switched assignments for the second half of the event ... When asked which venue he was most looking forward to visiting this year, Smith pointed to Maryland's Comcast Center. The senior cited the three-year old building where the Eagles will play their league opener, noting the arena's rowdy fans. Dudley opted for UNC's Smith Center - aka the Dean Dome. The San Diego, Calif., resident said he grew up a huge Tar Heel fan watching Michael Jordan and company capture a national title. He also mentioned he has several family members who reside in The Tar Heel State ... Shortly after arriving, Smith and Dudley received a warm greeting from ACC Commissioner John Swofford ... Among the players in attendance were Redick and Williams (Duke), Chris McCray and Nik Caner-Medley (Maryland), Guillermo Diaz and Robert Hite (Miami), J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary (Virginia), and Justin Gray and Eric Williams (Wake Forest).
