Glenn: My All-ACC Ballot (Input Welcomed)

Members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA) must submit our ballots in the official All-ACC voting by Sunday at 9 p.m.

Below is my tentative ballot. Your feedback in the "Comments" section at bottom is welcomed and appreciated.

Coach Of The Year

Frank Haith, Miami OR Oliver Purnell, Clemson

This one remains wide-open for intelligent debate. Strong cases are being made for Haith (near-certain NCAA bid after 12th-place media projections in preseason), Purnell (school's first NCAA bid in decade; will set school record for ACC wins if he can get Tigers to 11-5), Virginia Tech's Seth Greenberg (possible NCAA bid with freshman-laden, low-expectations lineup) and even Wake Forest's Dino Gaudio (winning campaign after tragic offseason). Locally, many Duke and North Carolina fans are pushing for Mike Krzyzewski (top-five nationally with unconventional lineup) or Roy Williams (No. 1 despite significant injuries and ailments).

Player Of The Year

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

Hansbrough, already named the national player of the year by some media outlets (including Sports Illustrated), should be unanimous for the conference award. In terms of passion, energy, consistent effort and overall toughness, Hansbrough is one of the best players in ACC history. In terms of production, he's clearly the best in the conference this season, and his career numbers put him in some very impressive company.

Rookie Of The Year

Kyle Singler, Duke

Several ACC programs have relied heavily on freshmen this season, making for a large and desirable pool of candidates, but Singler stands out for his crucial all-around, two-way play on a very successful team. He scores outside. He scores inside. He rebounds solidly. He passes well. He helps the guards with his adroit ball-handling. He defends. He hustles. He plays hard. He's tough. He's extremely smart and incredibly polished, especially for a first-year player. He does the big things and the little things. Bottom line: He's a winner. Duke needed great things from him right away, and he has delivered far more often than not.

Defensive Player Of The Year

DeMarcus Nelson, Duke

If Boston College center Tyrelle Blair played more minutes, this would be his honor. He is an absolutely dominating shot-blocker, by far the best in the conference. But Nelson is an even bigger factor because he showcases his versatility and repeatedly sets the tone for the Blue Devils' defensive intensity in his 30-plus minutes per game. Sometimes asked to handle point guards and power forwards in the same game, Nelson is quick enough on the perimeter and strong enough in the post to be very effective in both places for a successful team that relies heavily on its defense.

All-ACC First Team

Tyler Hansbrough, Jr., North Carolina
DeMarcus Nelson, Sr., Duke
Tyrese Rice, Jr., Boston College
Sean Singletary, Sr., Virginia
James Gist, Sr., Maryland

There will be some debate on everyone except Hansbrough, but in my eyes the first four are absolute no-brainers. Beyond their impressive production statistically, Hansbrough, Nelson, Rice and Singletary are the unquestioned hearts and souls of their teams, and they draw an extraordinary amount of attention from the opponent in every game they play. That's a heavy burden to carry and always deserves a lot of credit when it's time to hand out honors and awards. The fifth spot is a much closer call, but Gist ranks in the top 10 in the ACC scoring statistics, and in the top five in rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots. That's an impressive combination.

Some voters have reservations about awarding first-team slots to players (e.g., Rice and Singletary this year) from teams with losing ACC records. In the first 54 seasons of ACC history, it happened 38 times. Previously, there have been six seasons in which two or more of the first-team selections came from teams with losing conference records: 1964, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1992 (three) and 1994.

Assuming they make the first team, Hansbrough and Singletary will become just the 24th and 25th three-time first-team All-ACC players in conference history. The others, starting with the most recent: Juan Dixon, Maryland (2000-02); Trajan Langdon, Duke (1997-99); Matt Harpring, Georgia Tech (1996-98); Antawn Jamison, UNC (1996-98); Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1995-97); Bryant Stith, Virginia (1990-92); Mark Price, Georgia Tech (1984-86); Sam Perkins, UNC (1982-84); Ralph Sampson, Virginia (1981-83); Mike Gminski, Duke (1978-80); Phil Ford, UNC (1976-78); John Lucas, Maryland (1974-76); David Thompson, N.C. State (1973-75); Charlie Davis, Wake Forest (1969-71); John Roche, South Carolina (1969-71); Charlie Scott, UNC (1968-70); Bob Verga, Duke (1965-67); Billy Cunningham, UNC (1963-65); Jeff Mullins, Duke (1962-64); Art Heyman, Duke (1961-63); York Larese, UNC (1959-61); Len Chappell, Wake Forest (1960-62); Len Rosenbluth, UNC (1955-57).

All-ACC Second Team

Jack McClinton, Jr., Miami
K.C. Rivers, Jr., Clemson
Greivis Vasquez, So., Maryland
Kyle Singler, Fr., Duke
???

All-ACC Third Team

My candidates for the final spot above, as well as the five slots on the All-ACC third team (ACSMA members extended their vote to three five-man teams starting in 1990) include: Wayne Ellington, So., UNC; A.D. Vassallo, Jr., Virginia Tech; Cliff Hammonds, Sr., Clemson; Toney Douglas, Jr., Florida State; Deron Washington, Sr., Virginia Tech; Jason Rich, Sr., Florida State; James Johnson, Fr., Wake Forest; Greg Paulus, Jr., Duke; Gavin Grant, Sr., N.C. State; J.J. Hickson, N.C. State; James Mays, Sr., Clemson; Trevor Booker, So., Clemson; Bambale Osby, Sr., Maryland.

All-Rookie Team

Kyle Singler, Duke
James Johnson, Wake Forest
J.J. Hickson, N.C. State
Jeff Teague, Wake Forest
Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech

Terrence Oglesby (Clemson) and Rakim Sanders (Boston College) also have had outstanding rookie seasons.