Summer Session: No Time Off for ACC

They say there's an offseason in ACC basketball. Then again, they say a hummingbird flaps its wings 100 times in a second.

It just so happens both are entirely too fast for the human eye to see.

With apologies to Johnny Cash, since Duke cut down the nets in April, the league has been everywhere, man. North Carolina has hosted 10 practices, gone to the Bahamas and returned. Duke's Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, as well as Florida State's Chris Singleton were on the USA select team squaring off against Mike Krzyzewski's Team USA squad in Las Vegas and New York. Singleton was at LeBron James' skills academy, Miami's Durand Scott hooped it up in New York's Dyckman league, while Georgia Tech's Iman Shumpert, Duke's Plumlee brothers and others spent time at the Chicago Adidas Nations event.

And the rest of Tobacco Road's best spent their nights plugging away in the SJG Pro-AM, which bills itself as the Rucker of the South, but might as well call itself the summer ACC.

So, what's changed since our spring round up? Not nearly as much as the league's frequent flier status. Predicting the ACC is still more along the line of explaining string cheese than string theory (Pick Duke or North Carolina, winners of 13 of the last 14 ACC tournaments then scatter some order of Virginia Tech, N.C. State and Florida State behind.)

But early glimpses of the incoming freshmen show the league will be young and talented, and as always, restless.

After all, you don't win five national championships in 10 seasons by taking it easy over the summer.

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Comings and Goings

North Carolina coach Roy Williams again characterized the Wear Twins May transfer as a "surprise," in his summer press conference, but he wasted little time in shock and immediately found a big body to take their place. Transfer Justin Knox graduated from Alabama and will have a season of eligibility left as a graduate student at North Carolina. He will add depth to a North Carolina frontcourt that, after the departures of the Wears, as well as Ed Davis and Deon Thompson, was a two-man show. The Tar Heels and 2011 star power forward recruit James McAdoo also flirted with the idea of an early enrollment, but McAdoo instead opted for his senior year in high school.

The NCAA granted Miami's Adrian Thomas an unusual sixth year of eligibility in August, so the 6-foot-9 forward (and league's leading 3-point shooter at 42.1 percent) will be back for Frank Haith's team. Thomas lost both the 2007 and 2008 seasons to injury after playing just four games. Thomas' career will now span from the fall of 2005 to the spring of 2011, which means he'll spend more years in college by himself than an entire Kentucky recruiting class.

Maryland added Berend Weijs, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Harcum College. Weijs set a school record with 119 blocks in 27 games last season, and Williams has had a good eye for talent among juco big men in the past (Bambale Osby, Jamar Smith, Ryan Randle). Weijs, a native of the Netherlands, will be able to play immediately and have two years of eligibility remaining. So, to recap, Maryland lost a South Korean (Jin Soo Choi) and a Venezuelan (Greivis Vasquez) from last year's team and replaced them with an Icelander (Haukur Palsson) and a Dutch national. Still good at basketball. Still experts at risk.

At Duke, Carrick Felix, who would've been the school's first junior college transfer under Mike Krzyzewski, decided to leave that claim to someone else. Felix, whose playing time would've likely been cut due to the return of Kyle Singler, asked for his release in late May and signed with Arizona State instead.

Summer Storylines

• North Carolina played a pair of games in the Bahamas in August to take advantage of new NCAA legislation that allows freshmen to compete in summer trips out of the country. If the thought of the Tar Heels playing road games in the Caribbean seems strange, it still seems a heck of a lot more likely than an NIT road game in Starkville, Miss., or Birmingham, Ala., both of which were on North Carolina's late season travel itinerary. Short of Meryl Streep doing dinner theater or Warren Buffet doing your taxes, there aren't many stranger pairings than the Heels in the NIT. But with 10 practices and a pair of scrimmages in the Bahamas, Carolina is ahead of the curve for 2010.

Early returns seem positive, although last year's starting point guard Larry Drew II and incoming big man Justin Knox didn't play in either game. However, the Heels seem to have addressed some of their major shortcomings. Last year, the Heels didn't shoot well (32.8 percent from three-point range, 48 percent effective field goal percentage), they turned the ball over like it was a hobby (20.9 percent of possessions), didn't have a go-to scorer and played defense poorly, if at all (witness the 82-50 loss to Duke, the basketball equivalent of a shooting gallery where the targets didn't move). Harrison Barnes seemed to confirm his position as head Heel, scoring 44 points in the two games, while fellow freshman Reggie Bullock added 38. Those two alone should drastically upgrade Carolina's perimeter, while sophomore Dexter Strickland (28 points) has to improve on a disappointing freshman season. Though the level of competition is suspect (Never trust a team sponsored by a bank), the Heels still hit 43 percent from three-point range.

Then there's Kendall Marshall. The incoming point guard handed out 13 assists against three turnovers, which must sound symphonic to Tar Heel fans who watched Drew stumble to a 30 percent turnover rate, more than twice what predecessor Ty Lawson posted in 2009. Again, the level of competition is suspect, but only once last season did Drew post as few as three turnovers in a two-game span.

• Even with the return of Duke's Singler and Smith, all five starters back at Virginia Tech and the reigning defensive player of the year (Florida State's Chris Singleton) in the fold, the ACC is still going to be defined by players who still get carded to get into R-rated movies. Eight of the 15 all-ACC players moved on, as well as ACC freshman of the year Derrick Favors and Deon Thompson, the NCAA's career leader in games played. But for a second consecutive season, the league put six recruiting classes into Scout.com's top 25, and the summer watch has been all about freshmen, particularly in the SJG Pro-Am summer league. North Carolina's Barnes and Duke's Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in Scout's final rankings, both sent Twitter into a tizzy with ready-for-primetime performances and a little light trash talking. N.C. State's dazzling Ryan Harrow is exactly what a point guard would be if he was coached by YouTube, and he's joined by power forward CJ Leslie (Scout's 11th-ranked player) and 2009 holdover scoring guard Lorenzo Brown. Then there's five-star guard Ian Miller (Florida State), K.T. Harrell, who might be Virginia's leading scorer as a freshman and Wake Forest's Tony Chennault, who should be the Deacons point guard to start the year. None of them spent a lazy summer by the pool.

• Allan Chaney, consensus four-star power forward who transferred to Virginia Tech after a single season at Florida, fainted during a workout April 21, and, although he's received a diagnosis, his basketball future remains uncertain. Doctors discovered Chaney suffers from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that can mimic a heart attack. The disease is curable, but more than three months after he collapsed, Chaney's immediate future is no clearer. After sitting out a year following his transfer, Chaney may have to give up another.

• At N.C. State, there's a season-long chemistry project underway. The Wolfpack are bringing in one of their best recruiting classes ever, but will have to find a way to mesh the young talent with the returning veterans. Keep an eye on Harrow and Javier Gonzalez. The former is a stylish 5-foot-11 point guard who passes the ball so precisely you'd think it had a GPS chip embedded. The latter is the erratic point guard he's likely supplanting, yet a senior leader on the team. The last time coach Sidney Lowe dabbled in a chemistry experiment, it exploded in the 'Pack's face when then senior Gavin Grant predicted the team wouldn't lose more than four games in 2007-2008. They lost nine straight to finish the season. With C.J. Leslie, Lorenzo Brown and Harrow (plus returnees Tracy Smith and Scott Wood), the Wolfpack will have the talent to compete in the ACC. All eyes this summer are on how the pieces fit together.

• For a man who might have been denied a third Final Four by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Michigan State in the second round, Gary Williams reportedly hasn't stopped smiling this summer. After athletic director Debbie Yow, whom Williams has butted heads with on multiple occasions, moved to N.C. State, multiple sources told FOX Sports' Jeff Goodman it literally added five years to his coaching career. Which is good. Replacing three starters from last year's team make take a few back.

• Nothing says serious like Miles Plumlee's chin. The eldest of Duke's two current Plumlee brothers grew a metaphor in whiskers since the end of the Blue Devils national championship run last season. Evoking the tough-guy persona of Brian Zoubek, who grew a beard before surprisingly developing into a key cog in Duke's title-winning team as as senior, Plumlee seems to be embracing the roles he and his brother Mason will have to play to replace sandpaper seniors Zoubek and Lance Thomas. The duo have been the subject of a pair of viral YouTube dunks (here and here), but will need more games like last year's win over Wake Forest (when the brothers scored 30 points to go with 21 rebounds) than highlight-reel dunks.

Pre-Fall Power Rankings

1. Duke – It's hard to remember a team that lost so much and still had so much expected of it, which is a compliment to head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the program he's built. Duke must replace three starters from its national championship team, but may very well be even more talented.

2. Virginia Tech – The Hokies return all five starters from a team that managed the greatest upset of the NCAA tournament field (that is to say, winning 10 games in ACC and not making the tournament at all) and might add Chaney in the frontcourt. The Hokies' ACC mark was slightly deceptive in 2010; they played the ACC's three top teams (Duke, Maryland and Florida State) just once each and lost them all. But with leading scorer Malcolm Delaney back in the fold, the Hokies will win 10 ACC games again, and force the NCAA to be even more creative in snubbing Seth Greenberg's team.

3. North Carolina – The Tar Heels still have problems to solve, even with the addition of Barnes, Bullock and possible starting point guard Marshall. The frontcourt is talented (Surely Tyler Zeller can't suffer a freak injury three years in a row. John Henson, meanwhile, has reportedly beefed up to 208 pounds) but runs about as deep as a Paris Hilton tweet. Still, if Marshall can take over at the point and the team can up its intensity every game, the Heels are a Sweet 16 team again.

4. Florida State – The more we think about the Seminoles, the more we like them. Singleton can be one of the ACC's best players, while Michael Snaer and Deividas Dulkys are strong scoring wings. Incoming five-star recruit Ian Miller will have to fight to find playing time on the perimeter. The Seminoles lost Solomon Alabi, but 7-foot center Jon Kreft might be able to step in, which would mark an extraordinary step back for the highly touted center, who lost his scholarship to Florida State in 2006 after a drug arrest. The lone red flag with the Seminoles is turnovers. Derwin Kitchen is an effective point guard, but Florida State is one of the worst ball-control teams in the nation.

5. N.C. State – The Wolfpack are here until proven otherwise. N.C. State has the talent to compete for the top two in the ACC, but head coach Sidney Lowe has yet to prove he can consistently win in the league. Consider us putting on our skeptical red blazer.

6. Clemson – Oliver Purnell bolted for DePaul, but left plenty of talent behind, even though star Trevor Booker graduated. The Tigers almost certainly upgraded in Xs and Os and could be a surprise top-four team in the ACC. An appearance by former star recruit Milton Jennings, now a sophomore, would help.

7. Maryland – Consider it a vote of confidence for Gary Williams. He'll have to replace three starters and their combined 43.6 points per game, more than half Maryland's offense in 2010, but Williams always finds a way. Expect the team to take its lumps early, then charge for the bubble from mid-January on.

8. Miami – It's tempting to overrate Miami based on a nice finish to the season without star Dwayne Collins, but the return of Thomas, the development of Scott and the late-season emergence of Reggie Johnson are reasons to believe.

9. Wake Forest – Early returns seem to be encouraging for the Deacons' freshmen, but with only C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart back as impact players, Wake Forest is young even by ACC standards.

10. Georgia Tech – Iman Shumpert returns as the team's best player, but will need to improve on his inefficient 2010 season (94.6 offensive rating). The first-round frontcourt of Favors and Gani Lawal are gone, but Yellow Jacket guards never much seemed interested in passing to the post anyway.

11. Boston College – Short on personnel while changing offensive philosophy means former Cornell coach Steve Donahue won't be going to back-to-back Sweet 16s.

12. Virginia – Tony Bennett can flat out coach, so enjoy looking down on the Cavaliers while you can.

Watch List

Kendall Marshall, North Carolina – We covered Marshall's Bahama's effort above, but is there a more important player in the ACC? Publicly, the Tar Heels won't say that Marshall is expected to overtake Larry Drew II as the team's starting point guard, but if he doesn't, North Carolina won't challenge for the league crown.

Durand Scott, Miami – A fearless, attacking wing, the New York-raised Scott averaged 16.25 points per game over the Hurricanes' final eight contents, including 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting against Duke. Scott put it all together as injuries hit Miami and could be one of the ACC's most explosive scorers in 2011.

Seth Curry, Duke – He may be the only player in the ACC that would finish last in H-O-R-S-E to his entire family. The younger brother of Stephen Curry (and son of former NBA vet Dell Curry) is eligible to play after sitting out a season, but don't expect simply a long range shooter. According to Duke players, he can put the ball on the floor as well and should give Duke excellent depth in the backcourt, along with sophomore Andre Dawkins, senior Nolan Smith and incoming freshmen Kyrie Irving and Tyler Thornton.

Chris Singleton, Florida State – Singleton has played with LeBron James, against Team USA and in what seems like every basketball camp in the country. He's the reigning ACC defensive player of the year, but also the Seminoles' leading returning scorer. If practice makes perfect, the 6-foot-9 forward is a darkhorse for ACC player of the year honors.

Jordan Williams, Maryland – Were it not for top-five pick Derrick Favors, Williams would've been the ACC's freshman of the year. But the 2011 Terrapins won't look much like the 2010 version, without seniors Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne. Can Williams thrive as the team's top offensive option, along with Sean Mosley?