Clemson forward named first-team All-ACC, Tigers picked 10th by media |
Senior
Aamir Simms (Palmyra, Va./Blue Ridge School) was tabbed preseason first-team All-ACC and Clemson was picked 10th in the conference on Wednesday by league media. Simms joins
Marcquise Reed (2018) and
Jaron Blossomgame (2016) as recent preseason All-ACC selections.
In addition to Simms, the preseason first-team includes Garrison Brooks (North Carolina), Sam Hauser (Virginia), Scottie Barnes (Florida State), Jalen Johnson (Duke) and Chris Lykes (Miami). Simms finished fifth in preseason Player of the Year voting. Simms is coming off of a third-team All-ACC season in 2019-20. He averaged career-highs in points (13.0) and rebounds (7.2) per game last season, while also leading the Tigers in points, rebounds, assists (78) and blocks (23). He notched six 20-point games last year, while shooting a career-best 47.4 percent from the floor and a career-high 40.0 percent from 3-point range. Simms earned ACC Player of the Week for his performance at North Carolina, leading the Tigers with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four blocks and three steals to help Clemson end its winless streak in Chapel Hill. He followed that performance up with a career-high 25 points in a win over No. 3 Duke. Simms tallied one of his five double-doubles on the season with 10 boards against the Blue Devils. Virginia has been chosen as the preseason favorite to capture the 2020-21 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, as chosen by media members in advance of the 2020 Operation Basketball event. It marks the first time since the 1982-83 season that the Cavaliers were selected the preseason ACC favorites. Among the 155 voters in the poll, Virginia received 97 first-place votes. Duke, reigning ACC champion Florida State, North Carolina and Louisville also received first-place votes and followed Virginia in second through fifth in the projections, respectively. FSU’s third-place ACC finish matches its highest preseason mark in program history (1992-93, 2011-12 seasons). Syracuse, Miami, NC State, Georgia Tech and Clemson held the sixth through 10th spots, respectively, while Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Pitt, Boston College and Wake Forest rounded out the poll. North Carolina senior forward Garrison Brooks was selected as the Preseason ACC Player of the Year. A second-team All-ACC honoree last season, Brooks also earned the 2020 ACC Most Improved Player Award. Named to the national watch list for the 2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, Brooks averaged 16.8 pppg and a team-high 8.5 rpg last season. He led the ACC in scoring in conference play at 18.8 ppg and was second in rebounding (9.0) and field goal percentage (.535). Florida State guard Scottie Barnes was picked as the Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year. The highest rated recruit at FSU under head coach Leonard Hamilton and his staff (No. 6 nationally), Barnes was selected to play in the 2020 McDonald’s All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Game and the Nike Hoop Summit following his senior season. Brooks and Barnes also were selected to the Preseason All-ACC First Team and were joined by Virginia senior guard Sam Hauser, Duke freshman forward Jalen Johnson, Clemson senior forward Aamir Simms and Miami senior guard Chris Lykes. The 2020-21 regular season opens Wednesday, Nov. 25, with non-conference action. The conference slate begins Saturday, Dec. 12, with Syracuse traveling to Boston College. Predicted Order of Finish School, Points 1. Virginia (97), 2214 2. Duke (34), 2146 3. Florida State (15), 1973 4. North Carolina (7), 1933 5. Louisville (2), 1693 6. Syracuse, 1234 7. Miami, 1223 8. NC State, 1149 9. Georgia Tech, 1147 10. Clemson, 1057 11. Virginia Tech, 794 12. Notre Dame, 769 13. Pitt, 635 14. Boston College, 404 15. Wake Forest, 229 First-place votes in parentheses; 155 total voters Preseason All-ACC Team First Team Name, School, Points Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 137 Sam Hauser, Virginia, 89 Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 59 Jalen Johnson, Duke, 52 Aamir Simms, Clemson, 50 Chris Lykes, Miami, 50 Second Team David Johnson, Louisville, 46 Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech, 43 M.J. Walker, Florida State, 38 Kihei Clark, Virginia, 37 Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 32 Preseason ACC Player of the Year Name, School, Points Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 102 Sam Hauser, Virginia, 24 M.J. Walker, Florida State, 10 Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 7 Aamir Simms, Clemson, 5 Matthew Hurt, Duke, 3 Chris Lykes, Miami, 3 Kihei Clark, Virginia, 1 Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year Name, School, Points Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 64 Jalen Johnson, Duke, 60 Caleb Love, North Carolina, 9 Day'Ron Sharpe, North Carolina, 6 DJ Steward, Duke, 4 Reece Beekman, Virginia, 3 Jeremy Roach, Duke, 3 RJ Davis, North Carolina, 3 Mark Williams, Duke, 2 Cam Hayes, NC State, 1
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