Duke senior Kyle Singler was the leading vote-getter – and only repeat selection – on the Associated Press pre-season men’s basketball All-America team, announced today.
Meanwhile, North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes is the first freshman to make the list since voting began before the 1986-87 season.
"This is indicative of the great respect that Harrison has nationally, and it's an unbelievable accomplishment for a freshman," UNC coach Roy Williams told the AP. "I know Harrison would agree, however, that it would be even more exciting to make the All-America team that's picked after the season.
"So far in practice, he has shown the ability to grasp things that we are teaching very quickly, he has tremendous concentration and I fully expect that is he going to be a very important player for us from day one."
Singler, who helped lead his team to the NCAA title last season, was listed on 62 of the 65 ballots of the 65-member national media panel. He was on the pre-season first team last season and finished with an honorable mention postseason selection.
"Someone asked me if we don't win a national championship, will it ruin the year? You just never know what to expect in the year and toward the end of the year. We're not worried about that right now," Singler told the AP. "There's so much we can accomplish, especially at the beginning of the year and the middle of the year. There's so much to learn and experience."
Joining Singler and Barnes on the team were Jacob Pullen of Kansas State with 53 votes, Jimmer Fredette of BYU, who received 49 votes, and JaJuan Johnson of Purdue, who got 46. Barnes received the lowest vote total of the starters with 17.
Robbi Pickeral has covered ACC sports for The News & Observer since 2003. She can be reached at
Comments
have you seen the list!?
Wed, 11/03/2010 - 21:13 — gvillegatreither I am out of sync big time as far as college baskets go this year or this is one of the most worthless pre-season AA lists EVER!!
a center from Purdue
a guard from K-St
streaky shoooter Jimmer who made a name for himself in the tourney last season which was sorta brief.
a freshman :)
and the only real name worth its salt IMO: Kyle Singler.
this list is an embarassment. no wonder Harrison Barnes made it. It totally makes sense to me now that I have seen the list. or maybe I need a refresher class on some of these guys? But I don't think i'm that out of touch with ncaa baskets reality.
Anyone
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 16:13 — gvillegatrDoes anyone else think this is as weak an AA team we've ever seen? Or would agreeing with me, gulp, make me right!? Lol
i'll agree
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 16:15 — JPDOhioAny team that has someone from BYU on it has to be suspect.
I don't know what the fuss is all about?
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 14:38 — gvillegatrIf the guy is as good as everyone is saying, why not put him on the list? B/c a state fan doesn't think he should be?? not good enough for me. Fair or not to Barnes, it's on him to play up to the level.
It's simply the way college baskets has been heading for some time now. The major players are all young b/c of the nba/ncaa rule put in place a few years back. The people in charge of voting are finally wising up to this and felt Barnes was justified. Let's not forget these guys do this for a living!!
Let's see what the boy can do. I am all for it. If someone is going to set trends, I sure as hell want it being the UNC basketball program and NOT DUIke, ncsu, UK, KU, SU or any of the other program.
Go Heels!! But let's all (UNC fans) not forget the football season is here and November is moving month in college football.
Imagine
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 17:57 — YAR8packHahaha...I could only imagine the verbal diarrhea you'd spew were CJ Leslie or Harrow on the preseason list. NO, I don't feel any kid, no matter if they were on a team I suport, should be named to such a list before playing a single game.
How'd you like those slippers? The same company makes a nice backpack too. :-)
Another view
Wed, 11/03/2010 - 12:53 — SurferActually, no one on the list has played a single game this year. That's why they call it "pre-season". The real list (the one that matters) is the post season AA.
ACTUALLY
Wed, 11/03/2010 - 15:20 — YAR8packActually, the other four players listed on the preseason AA list HAVE played minutes in "a single game" at the collegiate level "this year", it is still 2010, though the only exception is how they were juniors at that time earlier "this year." ;-) Nice try though.
Nice try
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 15:14 — SurferYep, like you say, nice try. The voting for that "year" would have been post season though. Barnes did play a little in a tourney in the Bahamas in August, but I am not sure if you consider that this year or last. Bottom line, these preseason picks are pretty useless, except it does get a few people upset I guess. Personally, I really don't care.
Huh
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 15:41 — YAR8packSo none of those other four players played in any NCAA bball games from January to March of this "year," therefore giving the voters a premise by which to gauge their decisions? Well ain't that special.
None...
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 15:46 — Heels20...of those players have played in a single game this SEASON. No, Barnes has not played an official collegiate game yet, but it's not like he's never played basketball before. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with the voting, I'm just saying that I can understand both sides.
I hear ya
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 20:19 — gvillegatrBut your point doesn't exsist bc of one Harrison Barnes.
You seemed to miss my point as to why he was voted on to the team in the 1st place. The majority of the best players are freshmen and sophomores. The voters decided to get not only cheeky but smart and voted the clear cut incoming freshman as a pre season AA. It's not that crazy ... Anymore.
Maybe
Wed, 11/03/2010 - 08:15 — YAR8packDoesn't it seem weird that EVERY other player voted preseason AA is a senior and then Barnes is an incoming freshman?
Just confused by the lack of continuity of the voters. But, hey, I guess they wanted to get the keyboard jockeys (us) typing away about our disagreements.
Oh well. Today looks a lil brighter. Nancy "Blinky" Pelosi is gone, and that moron O'Donnell didn't get elected. Too bad Harry "Crypt Keeper" Reid is still there.
Time will tell
Wed, 11/03/2010 - 09:17 — Heels20If Barnes is a 1st team AA, then it's a good call. If not, then it looks like everyone in disagreement overlooked an extremely talented player despite his not playing a minute of college ball yet.
As far as the elections go, I'm glad we got a little bit of payback yesterday. Run 'em on out.
I say we run them ALL out. I
Wed, 11/03/2010 - 18:04 — unc098I say we run them ALL out. I expect nothing more than politics as usual with 'us' getting the short end of the stick.
Nuf said this is about sports.
Last word on Tuesday
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 08:56 — JPDOhioWith a sports analogy. It is one thing to win a starting job. It is another thing to keep it. What the GOP does now is what matters. And it all comes down to fundamentals and sticking to your core values. That wins in sports and could win in politics if someone would just give it a try.
I am happy with Tuesday's election results and gratified that guys whose opinions I respect and enjoy most on this site share those feelings. As an aside, I have great confidence in the wisdom of the American people, unlike our President, most politicians and many of the major media outlets. And this is despite living in a county that gave more votes to an ex-con, ex-Congressman than the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives.
Go figure. Go Pack!
Can't help but respond to
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 09:35 — unc098Can't help but respond to the last word.
For the record I am an Independent. I ditched my party affiliation ( Rep ) some years ago when I became fed up with the way our government had evolved. I appear to be one of a growing number of folks who have had enough. What I want are leaders , whatever their party affiliation, who have the guts to govern with independence, integrity and a vision, and have the courage to do so even if it goes against their party, the media, and the general public. This media driven culture has cultivated an ' us vs them ' climate that has created parties whose sole purpose is to perpetuate themselves at the expense of good government. WE the people need to be more active and pay attention. This government is a reflection of that participation.
I personally like a more balanced government and therefore am skeptically glad about the results this past week. What I don't want to see is the republicans doing everything in their power to be 'king of the hill' at the expense of tackling some very serious issues. That requires cooperation. Will that happen? Sorry but as I said earlier about Barnes: Show me!!
And guess what? The Independents do sway the elections and will continue to be more of force if partisan politics continue on their present course.
I tried to keep that short...
Broke my own rule about talking politics on the sports blog.
Agreed 100%
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 11:12 — Heels20Agreed 100%
two things
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 21:00 — JPDOhioFirst, we all know that preseason voting means nothing, but it does provide an opportunity for argument and controversy. So it is, by definition, necessary and good.
Second, I have a hard time understanding how anyone can vote for a player that has not played one minute of college basketball. There is nothing to base your vote on. So it is ridiculous, no matter who the player is.
it's a 200 minute game...
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 02:39 — TheMambaSTRIKESGood new is..Barnes will be good.....maybe very good....But......Bad news...Barnes cannot play all 200 minutes of a regular game...and that means Drew, and a couple stringbean front court guys (PF / C) .....et al .......must play at least 160.... If that roster finishes Top 10......as some blind faith delusional pre season polls say.........I'LL EAT YOUR GRITS !!!!!
MAMBY!!!
Thu, 11/04/2010 - 17:08 — bluecat69bluecat69very well put, momma said she always liked u best anyway. GRITS!!!! GO DUKE CHAMPS!!!!!!!
Ok !! but I want to see a
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 19:11 — unc098Ok !! but I want to see a picture of the grits!!I know you can do it.
re: Barnes
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 21:38 — unc098As they say in Missouri " Show Me "
My take (for what it's worth)
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 19:33 — Heels20Roy is usually cautious in hyping up freshmen, so I'm pretty ecstatic about Barnes considering the fact that the ball coach is implying that he could definitely live up to those expectations. I saw him play several times this summer and he was very good, but I still didn't expect he'd be getting this much love. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing whether or not he can live up to it.
Kyle Singler could not have ended last year any better, but I still think Nolan Smith is going to be Dook's best player this year. He's got a great work ethic and an incredible drive to win. Watch out for him this year.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I believe Kyrie Irving will end up being freshman of the year. Is it because I believe he is better than Barnes? No. Both of them have a tremendous amount of talent. But one thing that voters put so much consideration into is the team's record. Irving will have no trouble putting up the numbers with his scoring ability plus guys like Smith, Singler and Curry to get the ball to, and his team will more than likely have a better record than UNC. Barnes could very well fall short of this award even if he is the best freshman in the league. It's just how it works (let's be honest, JJ Hickson was a better player than Kyle Singler in '07-'08).
In a quiet moment, Ol' Roy says....
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 21:20 — JPDOhio"Please, stop doing this to us!" First, the #8 ranking, now this with Harrison Barnes. I am thinking Roy would prefer not to deal with the preseason hype, especially when he is trying to address last year's inconsistency and lack of focus. No doubt Barnes is a great player who is likely to have an exceptional year, but 1st team All-America seems like a stretch, especially with the question marks around him.
Regarding Singler, I think he could be the next coming of Danny Ferry. He will have a great year, aided by the talent around him, but Larry Bird he is not.
Kyle
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 08:11 — YAR8packAgreed, Singler is certainly a 'fairy.' ;-)
This is for gatr: www .neatoshop.com/product/Black-Knight-Plush-Slippers?tag=1588
??
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 16:40 — dkellyuncbet you wouldn't say that if CJ Leslie was on the list...or Kyrie Irving...all 3 players may very well be better than most of the veterans in the ACC..only time will tell.
Pffft
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 17:54 — YAR8packI'd take your money on that bet.
Check through the ACC Now blogs to see how little ballyhooing I've done about NC State's incoming class.
ok
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 18:46 — dkellyuncmaybe that's because all you state fans have to live for is football and expectations for basketball have been so far outta whack that you just expect to be less than mediocre... that's a shame.
Leslie is a baller.. he will be a great player at state if Lowe doesn't screw him up.
Leslie
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 21:25 — JPDOhioCJ will thrive under Sid. He is a player who is well suited for the style of play Sid wants his team to play.
No Pack fan in his right mind is going to hype this year's team. Speaking only for me, I expect this year's team to be very successful. But, as hyped as the freshmen class is, they haven't played a minute of college ball and have to be incorporated with the returning players. So caution is warranted and expectations realistic.
JPD
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 21:36 — unc098You touched on something in this comment which I believe may be an issue for this Pack team and that is how this promising freshman class will blend with a squad that was beginning to really jell at the end of the season. I am sure it will get resolved but I felt last years team ' as is ' had the potential to be very good this year, esp. defensively and they really played well together.
chemistry
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 11:07 — JPDOhioI have a decent level of confidence that State will be fine in this regard.
I agree that by the end of last season they played very well together and the addition of freshmen to the regular rotation can certainly be disruptive. However, the Pack needed help at guard and needed someone with skills on offense to take the pressure off of Tracy Smith. They appear to have gotten it.
The key will be how unselfish everyone on the team is. As good as the freshmen may be, Scott Wood and Richard Howell, among others, are going to earn minutes. I also have no doubt that Sid is going to have an 8-9 man rotation going each game that he will adjust depending on the game situation and who is hot and who is not. If these guys can stay focused on team goals, they could be amazed at how well their personal goals will be achieved.
Still, this is just speculation at this time. It needs to be proven on the court.
Agreed
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 12:37 — Heels20"The key will be how unselfish everyone on the team is."
great observation
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 10:34 — izzykareemTo me that was one of the most impressive things about the way last year's State team finished up, oh say, the last 10 games, which was much much more sound defensively.
as for Barnes, no one is knocking him at all, he's gonna be manly, but to make him pre-season first team is just ridiculous. He's not gonna be playing against 5-10 white kids with 2in vertical leaps and corn shucks for socks anymore.
Dude
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 19:14 — YAR8pack1st-Not sure why your butthurt is flaring. Twitter use isn't allowed by the b-ball guys, so your tar squeals should be safe. Though I guess you unc fans can take on your usual 'abandon-the-football-ship' mentality now that roundball season is near.
2nd-Do you blame State fans for having tempered expectations when it comes to b-ball given the onset of craptacular performances by the Wolfpack teams of recent years? What would there be to brag or get pumped about until the season gets well underway?
3rd-If Lowe doesn't finish with at least a trip to the 2011 NCAA tournament, I'll almost guarantee Leslie won't have to worry about what Lowe will or won't do as a coach, because Sid will be gone.
4th-Chill. Everyone (yes, including me) expects Barnes to do incredibly well while he's at unc, but there's no sane reason to put him in the preseason AA team BEFORE HE'S PLAYED A SINGLE MINUTE AT THE COLLEGIATE LEVEL. If you go back and read my original post, you'll clearly see that an intelligent heel fan states as much.
"only serve to get people in a furor."
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 16:13 — AgentPierce...."only serve to get people in a furor. "
*****
Isn't that the primary purpose of any sports story .... or political story?
Huh?
Mon, 11/01/2010 - 16:06 — YAR8packThis is definitely clear evidence to why pre-season polls (aka BS) only serve to get people in a furor.
This selection is from an email I just received from one of my unc buddies: Look, I'm sure Barnes is a great, great athlete and well-deserving of the hype surrounding him, and the odds greatly favor him living up to all of that hype......that being said, placing a freshman on the pre-season All-American team is downright absurd. Would it be such a stretch of commonsense from the list makers to just say "let's not place any freshmen, no matter how good we think they will be, on a preseason AA team since they haven't played a single minute of college basketball?"