Boston College Athletics
Jared Dudley Garners Preseason Attention
October 09, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 9, 2006
As the 2006-07 basketball season nears and preseason publications begin to grace bookstore shelves everywhere, Boston College senior forward Jared Dudley is receiving well-deserved recognition.
In addition, junior center Sean Williams and sophomore guard Tyrese Rice have also gained some preseason plaudits.
Not surprisingly, Dudley's name appears almost everywhere. Athlon Sports' 2006-07 College Basketball preview issue selected the San Diego, Calif., resident to its preseason All-America second team. It also mentions Dudley as an All-ACC first-team choice and as the nation's second-best "inside-out" player (behind Florida's Joakim Noah).
Street & Smith's 2006-07 College Basketball Yearbook lists Dudley as an All-America third-team selection.
The 2007 ACC Basketball Handbook and Lindy's 2006-07 College Basketball publication both name Dudley as an All-ACC first-team selection.
CBS Sportsline.com ranks Dudley second on its list of the nation's Top 10 seniors. Gary Parrish, the web site's senior writer, defines these 10 players as those who have already proven themselves at the collegiate level. Parrish writes, "Life without Craig Smith could be difficult, but there's no reason to think Dudley won't succeed, because he has spent a career eliminating doubts." Wisconsin's Alando Tucker is ranked first.
Dime magazine ranks Dudley as the ninth-best player in college basketball. Dime bases its selections on which player one would "pick for one game." It notes that "last season (Dudley) often played his best against the best comp, putting up big numbers in spotlight games against Duke, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Michigan State."
Ranked ahead of Dudley on Dime's list are Noah, Glen Davis (LSU), Greg Oden (Ohio State), Tyler Hansbrough (UNC), Josh McRoberts (Duke), Ronald Steele (Alabama), Kevin Durant (Texas) and Jeff Green (Georgetown). UCLA's Arron Affalo rounds out the Top 10.
BC's Sean Williams gained All-Conference second-team recognition from the ACC Basketball Handbook, while Athlon chose the 6-foot-10-inch center as the ACC's Best Defensive Player and its Most Underrated Player. Street & Smith's rated him as the conference's "Best Shot-Blocker."
Sophomore guard Tyrese Rice earned preseason All-ACC third-team recognition from Athlon. He is also mentioned among 36 Division I candidates for the Bob Cousy Award. The Bob Cousy Award is presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top collegiate point guard in NCAA basketball.
Boston College was selected to finish third in the ACC in three publications - Athlon, Street & Smith's, and the ACC Basketball Handbook. The Eagles were picked second by Lindy's.
