UNC guard, coach earn ACC's top honors after Tar Heels take regular-season crown
Posted March 11, 2024 4:20 p.m. EDT
Updated March 11, 2024 5:02 p.m. EDT
North Carolina senior guard RJ Davis was voted the ACC Player of the Year and coach Hubert Davis won the league's honors for Coach of the Year after the Tar Heels claimed their first outright regular-season conference title since 2017.
The ACC honors were voted by a 75-member panel that included 60 media members and the leagues's 15 coaches. UNC is the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, which begins Tuesday.
It is the first time since 1998 that the Tar Heels swept the player and coach of the year awards (Antawn Jamison and Bill Guthridge).
RJ Davis averaged a league-high 21.1 points per game. He was 11th in the ACC with 3.6 assists per game. He is the first UNC player to win the award since Justin Jackson in 2017 and the 15th Tar Heel player to win the award.
Davis scored a Smith Center-record 42 points in the Tar Heels' victory against Miami in late February. He had 36 points at home against Wake Forest in late January. Davis scored in double figures in his first 19 conference games. He had nine in Saturday's win over Duke.
Hubert Davis, in his third season, guided the Tar Heels to a 25-6 mark and 17-3 in the ACC. UNC won the league by two games, swept rival Duke and tied the league record for regular-season wins, matching Virginia's 17-3 mark in 2018-19. The Tar Heels were picked third in the preseason poll, behind Duke and Miami.
UNC integrated three newcomers, two transfers and a true freshman, around veterans RJ Davis and Armando Bacot in the starting lineup. Still, the Tar Heels led the ACC in scoring and rebounding.
Davis is the fifth UNC coach to win the ACC honor.
Three North Carolina players – RJ Davis, Bacot (second team) and Harrison Ingram (third team) – earned a spot on one of the three All-ACC teams. Duke, with Kyle Filipowski (first team) and Jeremy Roach (third team), was the only other ACC team to place multiple players among the top 15. Filipowski the preseason pick for ACC player of the year.
NC State guard DJ Horne earned third-team honors.
Virginia's Reece Beekman earned top defensive player honors, Notre Dame's Markus Burton took top rookie and Clemson's Ian Schieffelin was picked as most improved. Pitt's Ishmael Leggett earned Sixth Man of the Year honors.
ACC Player of the Year
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 68 votes; Kyle Filipowski, Duke, 3; PJ Hall, Clemson, 2; Armando Bacot, North Carolina, 1; Quinten Post, Boston College, 1
Defensive Player of the Year
Reece Beekman, Virginia, 43 votes; Ryan Dunn, Virginia, 19; Armando Bacot, North Carolina, 4; Maliq Brown, Syracuse, 4; Quinten Post, Boston College, 2; Jaeden Zackery, Boston College, 1; Jack Clark, Clemson, 1; Quadir Copeland, Syracuse, 1
Rookie of the Year
Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 46 votes; Jared McCain, Duke, 20; Carlton Carrington, Pitt, 5; Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 2; Caleb Foster, Duke, 1; Kyshawn George, Miami, 1
Most Improved Player
Ian Schieffelin, Clemson, 30 votes; Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 18; Lynn Kidd, Virginia Tech, 12; Harrison Ingram, North Carolina, 5; Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Louisville, 3; Maliq Brown, Syracuse, 3; Devin McGlockton, Boston College, 3; Isaac McKneely, Virginia, 1
Sixth Man Of the Year
Ishmael Leggett, Pitt, 33 votes; Quadir Copeland, Syracuse, 20; Seth Trimble, North Carolina, 6; Kyle Sturdivant, Georgia Tech, 5; Mason Madsen, Boston College, 4; Primo Spears, Florida State, 4; Caleb Foster, Duke, 3
Coach of the Year
Hubert Davis, North Carolina, 49 votes; Jeff Capel, Pitt, 12; Adrian Autry, Syracuse, 6; Micah Shrewsberry, Notre Dame, 3; Jon Scheyer, Duke, 2; Brad Brownell, Clemson, 1; Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech, 1; Tony Bennett, Virginia, 1
2023-24 ALL-ACC TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Name, School, Points
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 373
PJ Hall, Clemson, 363
Kyle Filipowski, Duke, 346
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 292
Blake Hinson, Pitt, 280
SECOND TEAM
Armando Bacot, North Carolina, 271
Reece Beekman, Virginia, 263
Judah Mintz, Syracuse, 219
Norchad Omier, Miami, 172
Quinten Post, Boston College, 135
THIRD TEAM
DJ Horne, NC State, 109
Harrison Ingram, North Carolina, 91
Jeremy Roach, Duke, 85
Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 69
Sean Pedulla, Virginia Tech, 62
HONORABLE MENTION
Joseph Girard III, Clemson, 54; Jamir Watkins, Florida State, 47; Jared McCain, Duke, 29; Ian Schieffelin, Clemson, 24; Miles Kelly, Georgia Tech, 16; Carlton Carrington, Pitt, 12; Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Louisville, 10; Ryan Dunn, Virginia, 10.
Note: All-ACC Team points are determined on a 5-3-1 system (five points for first team, three points for second team, one point for third team).
All-Defensive Team
Reece Beekman, Virginia, 73 votes
Ryan Dunn, Virginia, 65
Maliq Brown, Syracuse, 48
Armando Bacot, North Carolina, 26
Quinten Post, Boston College, 21
All-Rookie Team
Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 73 votes
Jared McCain, Duke, 73
Carlton Carrington, Pitt, 65
Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 60
Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina, 39
