Pro Prospects on display at ACC Tournament

Big fish are ready to say goodbye to small ponds in a month when college stars begin submitting their names to the NBA draft.

The Atlantic Coast Conference consistently lights up the board on draft night better than its peers. In the last three seasons, 13 former ACC players have been selected in the first round.

When the league convenes for its postseason tournament this Thursday, there are several prospects that will be looking to improve more than just their team’s NCAA Tournament outlook.

Al Farouq-Aminu (Wake Forest) Soph. SF 6-8, 205 lbs.

2009-10 Stats: 15.9 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 45.8 FG%

Aminu tested the NBA waters last season, before ultimately returning to Winston-Salem for his sophomore year. He is a consensus top-10 pick if he comes out this year, which he will be required to if he submits his name a second time.

His playing style may be better suited for the power forward position in the NBA. He lacks an outside jump shot, but his mid-range game is above average for a “4” at the next level. His outstanding athleticism shows there is plenty of upside for him entering the league. He has developed into one of the nation’s best rebounders this season.

NBA Comparison: Antawn Jamison

Solomon Alabi (Florida State) Soph. C 7-1, 245 lbs.

2009-10 Stats: 11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 bpg

Alabi is an undeveloped transplant from Nigeria whose superb shot-blocking skills make him a potential first-round pick. He has room to add strength, which would help him tremendously at the next level. Scouts have spoken to his leadership ability as a huge attribute.

Where Alabi needs to improve the most is developing a low-post offensive game, and showing more effort on the boards. He is sliding down recent draft boards, however. His paltry average of six rebounds per game is a red flag for a seven-footer in the ACC.

Considering all the areas he has room to improve in, Alabi would be best served to return for a junior season and be a top-10 pick in 2011.

NBA Comparison: Samuel Dalembert

John Henson (North Carolina) Fr. PF 6-10, 200 lbs.

2009-10 Stats: 5.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg 14.4 min/game

I’ll admit it, a month ago I was in the minority opinion by saying Henson would be nuts to enter the draft. After the injury to Ed Davis in mid-February, I can see where Henson thinks heading out of Chapel Hill would be a good idea.

Take one look at him, and you’ll see he needs to find a weight room and stay in there for quite some time. However, the same questions were raised about Kevin Durant. Big difference: Durant was scoring 30 points a game in college, while mid-level posts in the ACC are abusing Henson.

He has shown in the final weeks of the season a distinct ability to block shots and grab rebounds. His problem at the next level would simply be getting destroyed by much more physical post players.

If he develops his body, he could be a future star in the NBA, but he probably needs another year or two at UNC before he is ready.

NBA Comparison: Josh Smith

Trevor Booker (Clemson) Sr. PF 6-7, 240 lbs.

2009-10 Stats: 15.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg

Booker is one of the most physical players in the country, which makes up for his lack of ideal height. Unfortunately for Booker, that height disparity will grow even larger in the NBA, and it will ultimately doom his career.

He made his name at Clemson by out-muscling his opponents. In the NBA, there will be nights when opposing shooting guards are taller than him. He simply has nothing close to the necessary perimeter game to play small forward in the pros.

To dispel the theory that his physical game will translate to the pros, take his numbers from last year’s game against North Carolina and Tyler Hansbrough – arguably the most physical player in college basketball this decade. In 28 minutes, Booker scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds. Let’s face it, Hansbrough wouldn’t be the biggest of his troubles in the NBA.

NBA Comparson: Jason Maxiell

Kyle Singler (Duke) Jr. SF 6-9, 235 lbs.

2009-10 Stats: 17.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 38.6% 3pt.

Singler’s outside shooting ability made him an impossible matchup for opposing power forwards. When Mike Krzyzewski moved him to small forward mid-season, he initially struggled. He rebounded from that slump to shoot the lights out, including an 8-for-10 performance from behind the arc against Georgia Tech.

Singler’s biggest problem is his athleticism and quickness on the defensive end of the floor. If he can improve that, he could become a decent role player at the next level.

He’s projected as no higher than a mid-to-late second round pick, but at that point in the draft, he’s one of the safer bets. In all likelihood, however, he will return for a senior season at Duke and a run at a national championship.

NBA Comparison: Hedo Turkgolu

Greives Vasquez (Maryland) Sr. PG 6-6, 197

2009-10 Stats: 19.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 6.3 apg

Vasquez is one of the ultimate tweeners in this draft. It’s just not clear whether he will play the point or shooting guard in the NBA. He has excellent attributes for both positions, along with serious detriments.

Let’s start with the strengths. At point guard, he has excellent court vision and is a strong passer. His length is a rare component in NBA point guards. He has the commanding respect of his team that reflects well on his leadership ability. As a two-guard, he is very good at penetrating into the lane, and is a physical defender.

Now the weaknesses. He is slow defensively at point guard, which he makes up for in college with his great length. He’s not very strong, which will give him problems on both ends of the floor at either backcourt spot. He needs to improve his jump shot significantly if he wants any hope of playing off the ball in the NBA.

NBA Comparison: Manu Ginobili

Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech) Jr. PG/SG 6-3, 170 lbs.

2009-10 Stats: 20.9 ppg, 4.2 apg

Delaney’s stock has fallen tremendously in the last month. His shooting percentages have plummeted in ACC play, which lost him any chance to be drafted this year as a shooting guard. He shoots more free throws than anyone else in the ACC, but has had trouble getting to the line in recent games. He needs to develop a more consistent offensive game to make it at the next level.

Like Vasquez, he has strengths and weakness at both guard positions. Delaney is ultra-quick with good floor vision and an excellent work ethic. He has been overpowered at times by more physical guards in ACC play, and can sometimes disappear for stretches of games.

He is another player who could shoot up draft boards if he stays in school one more year.

NBA Comparison: Jason Terry

The Plight of Malcolm Delaney

I spent much of winter break covering Virginia Tech basketball games, and after every one of them I came away very impressed with Malcolm Delaney.

He could pull up for three in transition; he could beat his defender off the dribble and make plays in the lane; he even looked committed on the defensive end of the floor, at least on-ball.

It didn’t matter that the teams he was abusing were Longwood, North Carolina Central, High Point and Charleston Southern. The plays he was making were those of a soon-to-be NBA player.

“I watch a lot of NBA games” he told me after beating Charleston Southern 73-50 on Dec. 19.

You bet he does. He has all the signs of an early-entry draft pick. The quotes did a piss-poor job hiding Delaney’s intentions.

Is he a team player? Yes, he wants the Hokies to go as far as they can into the postseason, and he loves his teammates.

He is a quiet star in Blacksburg, though. He doesn’t come up yelling at the crowd after big baskets, nor do you see him getting in the grill of opposing guards, giving them an earful as they jog down the court together.

That secluded demeanor is much of the reason that little has been made of Delaney’s possible early exit from the Hokies.

The days of ESPN’s Chad Ford projecting Delaney as a first round pick are history.

During ACC play, Delaney’s shooting percentages are in a free fall, and his numbers are down across the board. He is barely shooting more than 30 percent from behind the three-point line; he also shoots less than 40 percent from the floor. Despite that, he still leads the conference with 20.4 points per game.

Even Allen Iverson took fewer shots to score so many points.

His downhill conference season has reached its lowest point after losing to Maryland on Saturday. He is 9-for-41 (22 percent) from behind the arc in his last seven games.

The loss to the Terrapins exposed Delaney in several ways. The biggest of which was his size when it comes to playing defense. Whenever he defended Greivis Vasquez, the taller and stronger Maryland star ran Delaney off screen after screen, which Delaney was unable to get around in time. If Vasquez wasn’t running off screens, he simply overpowered Delaney to the hoop on several occasions.

Right now, Vasquez is listed as the 81^st best draft prospect on espn.com. If he can expose the vulnerability of Delaney’s defense, what would the point guards who actually play in the NBA do to him?

Teams are beginning to realize that there is no other person on the Hokies that is a consistent scoring threat besides Delaney. Besides the fact that it is hurting Tech down the stretch, it is hurting Delaney’s stock by the day.

If he were putting up 25-30 points a night while shooting better than 39 percent like he is, this would not be a discussion. The fact of the matter is that he seems to lack trust in his teammates at times, and his most dangerous offensive tool is his ability to draw fouls.

He draws these fouls because he is a step quicker than most people that defend him, and the only way they can stop him is to foul. At the next level, there will be hardly anyone that he will beat off the dribble with any ease.

Therefore, Delaney needs to develop a much better jump shot against tough defense. Along with that, he has to strengthen his frame to be able to make such shots and more importantly defend at the next level.

This is a call for him to stay in school another year. What once looked like a probable first round pick and NBA roster spot now is a likely undrafted free agent who is a year or two away from being able to contribute in the league if ever.

The benefits of coming back another year are great. For one, it could produce the best season of Virginia Tech basketball in two decades. The only two players off this year’s team graduating are Paul Debnam and Lewis Wticher, who have each played sparingly this season.

Coming into the fold next year are Florida transfer Allan Chaney and incoming freshmen guards Jarell Eddie and Tyrone Garland.

The freshmen will add depth in the backcourt, while Chaney may very well start next season. Needless to say, there will be sufficient talent surrounding Delaney, which will give him an opportunity to make a name for himself across the country with a big season.

At this point, there are simply more questions than answers concerning Delaney and the NBA. 

Virginia Tech trounces Miami 81-66

Coming off only its second loss of the season, the Virginia Tech basketball team wasted no time in disposing of the Miami Hurricanes Wednesday night in Blacksburg.

Thanks to a 50-23 lead at halftime, the Hokies (13-2, 1-1) cruised past Miami in Cassell Colisieum, winning by a score of 81-66.

Tech made seven three-pointers in the first half, including three from Terrell Bell. The Hokies shot 62.1 percent from the field in the first half; the first time Miami (15-2, 1-2) had allowed a team to shoot that well in a half since the Hokies shot 61.5 percent in Miami last season.

The early offensive onslaught was somewhat surprising, considering the Hurricanes entered the game with the ACC’s best scoring defense, allowing an average of 58 points per game.

“Miami is a really good basketball team,” Tech coach Seth Greenberg said, “they are going to beat a lot of teams in the ACC.”

As well as the Hokies shot the ball from the floor, Miami shot that poorly. The Hurricanes were 7-of-26 from the field in the first half.

Miami started the game defensively in a 2-3 zone, against which Tech would take a 20-5 lead before coach Frank Haith switched to a man defense.

“Tonight, our defense let us down,” Haith said.

As easy as the Hokies made the game look in the first 20 minutes, Miami gave Tech all it could handle to close the deal. Trailing 62-34 with 14:03 to play, the Hurricanes went on a 15-2 run to come within 15 points with eight minutes to play, their smallest deficit since the 10:48 mark of the first half.

“It’s human nature to get a little passive (with such a big lead),” Greenberg said, “it was probably my fault.”

Following a media timeout with 7:38 remaining, the Hokies inbounded the ball from behind their own basket. Advancing the ball quickly up the floor, Jeff Allen caught a pass just below the foul line and, without hesitation, crafted a perfectly placed behind-the-back pass to an open J.T. Thompson, who finished the play with a two-handed dunk.

“I told the guys in the huddle (during the timeout) to attack and be confident. I didn’t draw up the behind the back pass though,” Greenberg said, hinting at a grin.

After that play, which brought the Tech faithful to their feet again, Miami never came within less than 14 points of the lead.

For the first time in over a month, the Hokies played in front of a nearly packed home crowd. The energy created by the electric crowd aided the Hokies in shutting down a Miami team that entered the game ranked 72^nd in the country according to realtimerpi.com.

Malcolm Delaney lit up the Miami defense for 28 points. It was the eighth time this season he has topped 20 points in a game.

The Hokies shooting percentage dropped to 29.2 percent in the second half, and they failed to make another three-point shot.

It was the second straight game where Tech struggled to make shots in the second half. On Sunday, the Hokies surrendered a 38-34 halftime lead to 13^th-ranked North Carolina on the road, losing 78-64.

The 27-point lead at the break over a conference foe was the largest in the Hokies six seasons as a member of the ACC.

Miami freshman guard Durand Scott finished the game with eight points and two assists. Scott entered the game leading all ACC freshmen with 4.4 assists per game. He made several plays in the second half that the crowd, and Greenberg, argued that he committed a traveling violation.

Instead of contemplating the situation with the officials, he turned to an unusual source for advice. His wife, unable to attend the game due to illness, gave her husband a troll doll to keep in his pocket during the game.

After a particularly questionable call in the coach’s eyes, he took the troll out of his pocket. He even named the purple-haired doll.

“I asked ‘Mike’ if he could tell me why there was no foul,” Greenberg said.

While the three-inch tall cartoon figure may not be able to help Greenberg get more calls, maybe he has found a new good luck charm?

“It’s a little big for my pocket,” he said.

Hokies take huge step forward, beat Seton Hall in OT

Over a three-game homestand the Virginia Tech basketball team enjoyed leading up to its game with Seton Hall Saturday night, coach Seth Greenberg spoke very highly of his team’s “approach” after every game.

He had no idea how much better the approach could get.

With its best player and leading scorer Malcolm Delaney sidelined with a sprained left ankle, Saturday night was a huge challenge for the rest of the team.

Following the Hokies’ win over Longwood, the game in which Delaney went down a minute in, Dorenzo Hudson said the team needed to “just play ball”.

Easy, right?

Hudson made it looked easy enough; scoring 41 points in a 103-94 overtime win.

Erick Green, while not spectacular, handled the pressure of his first career start in a tough environment with seven points and only three turnovers.

Green battled foul trouble the entire game. He played the final 12 minutes of regulation with four fouls, and made it four minutes into overtime before fouling out.

Jeff Allen, whom coach Greenberg has made it no secret to be the key to how far this team can go in the postseason, turned in his best game of the season. He scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

The biggest play of the game for Allen came early on in overtime, when Allen stole the ball from Robert Mitchell at halfcourt and proceeded to finish on the other end with a rim-rattling two-handed slam.

No matter where the Hokies finish this season, they will look back at this game as their proverbial turning of the corner.

All of the odds were against them: no Delaney, freshman point guard, proven foe from the most powerful conference in the country. Had Seton Hall taken control of this game early and cruised to victory, nobody would have blamed the Hokies.

Instead, Tech seized control of the game early, and though the Pirates continued to fight back and even take the lead on several occasions, the Hokies never lost their composure.

Coach Greenberg can remember this game as the night Malcolm’s sidekicks revealed themselves. Hudson emerged with the best game of his career at the most important time. Clearly, the Hokies can look to someone besides Delaney for guidance when the game matters most.

Tech discovered an important aspect of its team tonight: they can win when Delaney is off the floor. There will be times during the next two months when he may be in foul trouble or, god forbid, be injured again.

This game gives the team confidence that they can step up if that happens.

Manny Atkins had a breakthrough moment, too. Leading by two with a minute to go in overtime, Atkins drained a three-point shot from the left wing. Seton Hall took the ball back down the court, and Jordan Theodore responded with a three of his own.

Immediately after the ball went through the net, Atkins sprinted towards the Hokies’ basket, catching a pass that Tyrod Taylor could not have thrown better, and finished with a right-handed slam that all but sealed the win.

As much as twenty-point runaway wins are nice, the game Saturday was exactly what coach Greenberg needed for his team. Facing the pressure of an overtime game against a team that nearly knocked off fifth-ranked Syracuse earlier in the week, Tech held its own against the experienced foe.

After last season, where they lost seven games in the final seconds, the Hokies are leaving no doubt this season as to who owns the floor.

The first 11 wins of the season for the Hokies were against suspect opponents, and that’s with the generosity of a Salvation Army volunteer. Finally, the Hokies have validated themselves against a worthy opponent, and secured an out-of-conference win that will impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee in March.

How’s that for an approach?

Delaney’s injury overshadows easy win

With all due respect to the hit song by the musical group “The Verve”, Virginia Tech’s 85-50 win over Longwood Wednesday afternoon was a bittersweet symphony.

After only one minute, 22 seconds had elapsed, the Hokies season may have taken a turn for the worse when leading scorer Malcolm Delaney suffered a frightening injury.

Delaney hit the floor hard underneath the Hokies’ basket, rolling on the floor in severe pain for over a minute, even after athletic trainer Chad Hyatt and head coach Seth Greenberg arrived at his side. The injury was diagnosed as a sprained left ankle.

Greenberg summoned seldom-used reserve guard Paul Debnam to assist Hyatt in carrying Delaney off the floor. He was unable to put any weight on the injured ankle, while exiting the floor to a standing ovation from the home crowd.

X-rays on the injured ankle were negative. Greenberg announced Delaney would undergo a precautionary MRI prior to the team’s departure for Cancun Wednesday night.

As Delaney was being attended to on the baseline, junior guard Dorenzo Hudson gathered the team at midcourt.

“I told the guys to just play ball, and we’ll deal with him after the game,” Hudson said.

By stretching the final margin to 35 points, Hudson’s advised appeared to be heeded well.

“Our kids really rallied (after the injury),” Greenberg said.

The rest of the first half played out seemingly unnoticed by much of the Cassell Coliseum crowd, which was more concerned with the situation of the Hokies’ fallen star.

Erick Green replaced Delaney in the lineup. The freshman played a career-high 30 minutes.

“I was nervous, I did not expect to play so early in the game,” Green said.

Despite the unanticipated volume of playing time, Green played well. He finished with 15 points to go with four assists. He did turn the ball over four times as well, however.

Entering the game, the Hokies expected Longwood (3-11) to incorporate a frenzied trapping scheme defensively, which led to many of the Hokies’ 18 turnovers.

“It was uncharacteristic of us,” Greenberg said, “I don’t know that it was because of anything they did, as much as it was the things we did not do.”

The loss of Delaney provides a world of problems for Tech, which faces Seton Hall (9-3) in Cancun on Saturday. That game should prove to be the toughest challenge yet for the Hokies.

“Seton Hall is a really good team; they rebound the ball, are athletic and long, and have a great scorer,” Greenberg said.

When will Delaney return?

“Not until he is ready to play,” Greenberg said, declining to elaborate.

The coach went on to say that Delaney’s rehab will begin immediately, and that all the necessary equipment to do so will accompany the team to Cancun.

The pressure of keeping the team on the right path now falls on the other 11 players on the Tech roster to pick up the slack created by the devastating injury.

Leadership on the court will have to come from other places, but Hudson is confident in his teammates.

“We will just have to step up and play ball.”

Delaney injured, Hokies on cruise control at home

It took only one minute, 22 seconds for the Virginia Tech basketball team's season to be put in serious jeopardy. Malcolm Delaney, the leading scorer in the ACC, was injured with an apparent left ankle sprain after falling hard to the floor underneath the Hokies' basket.

At halftime, Tech leads Longwood (3-10) by a score of 43-21.

The actual game is taking a backstage to the story of Delaney's injury. After injuring the ankle, he rolled around in agonizing pain for nearly a minute, even after athletic trainer Chad Hyatt and head coach Seth Greenberg arrived at his side.

Greenberg summoned seldom-used reserve guard Paul Debnam to assist Hyatt in carrying Delaney off the floor. Delaney was unable to put any weight on the injured ankle, as he exited the floor to a standing ovation from the home crowd.

Late in the first half, Delaney was spotted leaving the floor once again on crutches. He was also wearing a protective boot. The initial report is the injury is only a sprain, with x-ray results revealing there ankle is not broken.

The Hokies' leading scorer is Erick Green, who replaced Delaney in the lineup, with 10 points. Ben Boggs has added six points, all from the foul line.

Hyatt has earned more than the worth of his paycheck already today. Five minutes after Delaney's injury, freshman Manny Atkins limped off the court after rolling his ankle. He would return to action later in the half, however.

Three minutes after Atkins' injury, Erick Green was hit hard while attempting a lay-up. He winced in pain, but continued to play, until moments later he was fouled on a three-point play. He continued to display signs of pain to his abdomen, leaving Greenberg no choice but to replace him in the lineup.

Green also returned late in the first half.

With the game's outcome already decided, the most important thing for Greenberg's squad is to make it through the second half with no more injuries, as a trip to Cancun against Seton Hall is only three days away.