Jim Spanarkel of Duke, Charlie Scott of UNC and Monte Towe of N.C. State are among the former basketball players named ACC Tournament Legends today by Commissioner John Swofford.
Spanarkel, Scott and Georgia Tech's Brian Oliver all were ACC Tournament MVPs. This year's class of legends also includes: Florida State's Ron King, former Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech coach Bill Foster (not the one who coached Duke), Wake Forest's Frank Johnson, Boston College's Danya Abrams, Clemson's Randy Mahaffey, Maryland's Al Bunge, Virginia's Richard Morgan and Virginia Tech's John Wetzel. They'll be honored next month at the ACC Tournament in Atlanta.
What's wrong with this picture? The commissioner can spin the merger any way he chooses out of politeness to the newest members, but there's no rewriting history: King (1971-73), Wetzel (1964-66) and Abrams (1994-97) never played in this conference. How can they be considered ACC legends?
Comments
Just one more reason why Swofford must go
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 12:29 — DeaconPeachNot securing televised coverage for all conference games, honoring people who were never part of the conference as "conference legends", changing the hoops schedules so that the traditional rivalry games no longer occur on the final weekend of ACC play...oh wait, UNC & Duke still do play that weekend - amazing how that game still happens, yet the rest of the conference gets the shaft once again...
Get this buffoon out of the ACC office before the conference is ruined any further!
I actually
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 12:38 — gvillegatrhad the oppurtuntiy to talk with Swofford (when i lived in GSO) while the expansion talks were becoming a reality.
Miami and Free Shoes University really screwed this whole thing up. he had all his eggs in one basket.
someone does need to pay, besides the coaches all the time!
just expand the basketball conference games and get rid of most of the cupcakes. I believe this will happen before the next tv contract signed. get the football championship game and acc tourney into NC (full time) and most (or all) of these problems will be solved.
Inquiring minds would like to know more.
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 13:14 — JPDOhioMore details on what Miami and FSU did to screw things up would be appreciated.
no brainer
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 14:19 — gvillegatrthey quit playing top notch football! I guess you could say it was more Miami since they were the ones just coming into the conference. but both of these teams are the reason the ACC championship went to Fla ... banking on sold out football stadiums and generating tons of revenue. If this would have happened, you would not hear as much pressure to bring this back closer to NC. Also, the ACC Tourney went to Tampa b/c of Miami and FSU ... opening up a brand new market(s). I believe this was one of Miami's deal breakers (or both).
It just messed up the enitre balance of the conference in the money generating sports. I'll watch just about any ACC match-up but alot of people will not anymore. This was not the case 4-5 yrs ago.
The ACC simply needs to get back to basics. Word is, NCSU and Maryland are one of the few teams who cannot sell out their allotment of ACC basketball tickets in Atlanta. Regardless of how terrible and embarassing they are, this simply has never been the case. and people are talking.
Now I understand
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 16:51 — JPDOhioAlthough I seem to remember you stating how much you enjoyed the ACC tournament when it was in Tampa. So did my son, who drove over from Orlando every day of the tourney except one. Now that he lives directly across the channel from St. Pete Times Forum, I'm kind of hoping they go back there in the future. I do see your point about keeping it in NC, but, like a playoff to determine to BCS Champion, the politics will never allow that to happen.
The problem is the Georgia Dome
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 15:07 — DeaconPeachThe Dome was never meant to be a basketball venue and when they attempt to do that, the result is a cavernous barn where no one is near the court and the view from the nosebleed seats is like watching from the Goodyear Blimp. There may be more seats available, but no one wants to see a game from them. And State & Maryland fans are dissatisfied with Lee Fowler & Gary Williams respectively...I can understand why they might not want to travel that far.
If Swofford had a brain (or the guts), he would have found a way to get the ACC Tournament permanently situated in the midsection of the conference where it belongs...in the state of NC.
Actually the worse crime is
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 09:57 — gethlivesActually the worse crime is actually honoring Danya Abrams who took out Derrick Phelps in the 1994 NCAA Tourney. Why don't they honor John Tudor while they're at it?
horrible day
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 12:31 — gvillegatrman. that loss stung for a while too!
three worse losses UNC ever took (that I can remember) GTown in 07. BC in 94. Weber State in 99.
Weber State wasn't fun but
Wed, 02/18/2009 - 12:54 — gethlivesWeber State wasn't fun but it was more embarassing than truly upsetting. Carolina had overachieved that year to get a 3 seed so it wasn't that surprising they lost early. If it had been a school with a different name, i think we all would have been a little more forgiving.
How can they be considered ACC legends?
Tue, 02/17/2009 - 19:00 — JPDOhioThey can't (or at least shouldn't). There is no integrity left in sport's history or records any more. These guys (not just the ACC, but all sports at all levels) make it up as they go along.