ACC on pace to obliterate competition

After sending two of its teams to the Final Four and obtaining the No. 1 conference RPI record, by all accounts the ACC had a phenomenal year. As the last season before the conference expands to 11 teams, 2004 was seen as the capstone of an unbelievable conference format.

   Despite all of its successes in the last year that the conference will include two games between each school, ACC historians of the future will see 2004 not as the end of a great era, but a gathering storm for an even more dominant conference. Miami and Virginia Tech will not improve the conference at all (from a basketball standpoint), but the ACC's powers--Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Maryland and Georgia Tech--all have futures at least as bright as their pasts.

   * Duke: Believe it or not, the prime of Mike Krzyzewski's career will be in the next five to ten years. While Coach K had substantial success at a young age, he is poised to have his best coaching years in his late 50s and early 60s, the years most coaches experience their most success. The catalyst for Duke's future success was Krzyzewski's 2002 recruiting class that included J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, Shavlik Randolph, Sean Dockery, Michael Thompson and Lee Melchionni. Rated the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, the group was considered a slight disappointment during its freshman season. Though somewhat successful, the group was considered inferior to Syracuse's tandem of Gerry McNamara and Carmelo Anthony and Georgia Tech's Jarrett Jack and Chris Bosh, as well as the North Carolina trio of Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton and Sean May. Although Thompson has transferred and Melchionni has not seen much action, the group has emerged as the best pack of sophomores in the nation, and perhaps more importantly, none seem likely to leave early for the NBA.

   This stability from such a large group of players has allowed Krzyzewski to recruit players who may be more tempted by the League, as even if the likes of Shaun Livingston and Luol Deng spend a very short amount of time in Durham, the Blue Devils will still be a perennial top-10 team. Players like Deng and Livinston only add icing to the ambitious cake Krzyzewski is baking. Future recruits such as Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts also have talents that lend themselves more to the college game than the professional one. Expect the Duke hating to continue well into the future.

   * N.C. State: For all of his critics, Herb Sendek has built up quite a program at N.C. State. Julius Hodge, too skinny for NBA scouts, should be back next season, and there are few reasons why the 2004 ACC Player of the Year will not win the award again. The Wolfpack should be less deep than they were this season, but if any player can single-handedly will his team to victory, it's Hodge.

   * Maryland: The youngest team in the ACC won the conference tournament this year, which may have been the most frightening sight for opposing ACC coaches in 2004. John Gilchrist and company will play close to the level of their ACC tournament for the entire season in 2005, making a win over the Terrapins one of the most difficult feats in college basketball. Much like Krzyzewski, head coach Gary Williams also should be reaching his coaching prime in the coming years.

   * Georgia Tech: Perhaps the brightest future belongs to the Ramblin' Wreck. The runner-up in the NCAA championship game, Paul Hewitt's squad surprised many this March. But don't expect Final Four runs to come more easily for the Yellow Jackets in the future. The 2004 team got hot at the right time, and the chances of this occurring again are low. Jarrett Jack may test the NBA waters this spring, and it is my feeling that the sophomore guard will use the capital he gained in the NCAA Tournament to fuel his entry into the NBA Draft. While B.J. Elder and Luke Schenscher could sting opponents with their play this season, Jack was the honey that stuck the Yellow Jackets together for their tournament run. Jack made the plays in the clutch, with the exception of Will Bynum's game-tying drive against Oklahoma State in the national semifinal, and without the point guard, Georgia Tech is just an above average team.

   * The rest of the ACC: Florida State showed flashes of brilliance this year, but ultimately left its NCAA Tournament dreams unfulfilled. Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton will improve the Tallahassee school's prospects in the coming years, but perennial appearances in the Big Dance will be out of the football school's reach. Much of the same can be said about Clemson. Though Oliver Purnell is a tremendous coach who built up a successful Dayton program, his Tigers get beaten up too much by the conference's powers for any long-term success to be found. The University of Virginia is largely out of perennial contention as long as Pete Gillen is at the helm. Miami and Virginia Tech will likely be cup-cake games for the traditional powers.

   In ESPN.com's Andy Katz's preview of next year's college basketball season, he places five ACC teams in the top 10 of his preseason rankings. This is a very biased and realistic assessment of the league next year. And for all the history the league has seen, things are only going to get better on the Atlantic Coast.

   Robert Samuel is a Trinity junior, and currently serves as Sports Managing Editor.