Oct. 22, 2007
GREENSBORO, N.C. -
Wake Forest was picked to finish 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season by a vote of the media members attending the 2007 ACC Operation Basketball on Sunday at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center.
The Demon Deacons are coming off a season in which they finished 15-16 overall and 5-11 in the ACC. Wake finished tied for 10th in the final conference standings but still advanced to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament. The Deacs were picked to finish 10th in last year's preseason poll.
Wake Forest returns four starters from last year's squad. The Deacs will feature a young team this season with just two upperclassmen in senior Cameron Stanley and junior Harvey Hale.
The Deacons received 157 points in the voting, finishing just five behind Virginia Tech for ninth. Wake Forest was picked as high as seventh on two ballots.
The Deacons were shut out of the preseason teams for the second straight season. Freshman James Johnson received two votes for ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year.
Kyle Singler of Duke was voted as the 2007 ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year, beating out NC State's J.J. Hickson who took second in the voting.
North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough was the ACC Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight season. Hansbrough received 60 of the possible 64 votes. Virginia's Sean Singletary received the other four votes.
Hansbrough and the Tar Heels were a unanimous selection as the preseason favorite in the league. Duke and NC State followed in second and third in the poll.
Clemson, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Florida State rounded out spots 4-9. Miami was picked to finish last.
Wake Forest opens the 2007-08 season against Fairfield on Friday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m.
Preseason ACC Poll
1. North Carolina (64), 768
2. Duke, 653
3. NC State, 641
4. Clemson, 514
5. Virginia, 492
6. Maryland, 447
7. Georgia Tech, 389
8. Boston College, 332
9. Florida State, 284
10. Virginia Tech, 162
11. Wake Forest, 157
12. Miami, 153
ACC Preseason Team
Tyler Hansbrough, Jr., North Carolina
Sean Singletary, Sr., Virginia
Tyrese Rice, Jr., Boston College
Brandon Costner, So., NC State
Ty Lawson, So., North Carolina
ACC Preseason Player of the Year
Tyler Hansbrough, Jr., North Carolina (60)
Sean Singletary, Sr., Virginia (4)
ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year
Kyle Singler, Duke (36)
J.J. Hickson, NC State (15)
Nolan Smith, Duke (5)
5 others with 8 votes
