Talk about 'em!
Jan 30, 2009
Tags: ACC
Sure, we live in a college basketball "mecca" here on tobacco road. I stole that from Sidney Lowe on Thursday. I liked the term. We are used to names like Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington, Green, Singler, Henderson, Scheyer, Costner, and even McCauley. We're even becoming up-close and personal with the Wake Forest gang in Winston-Salem.
Let's just remember that the ACC doesn't begin and end there. We like to think it does living in this area but there are a few other teams that are making tournament pushes. With about a third of the ACC schedule finished, I figured this is a good time to unveil a few players that don't get recognized enough. These are players outside the triangle that are not guys we know like Tyrese Rice, Jack McClinton, Grieves Vasquez, or Trevor Booker.
Landon Milbourne, Maryland: I saw him play in-person when the Terps got shellacked at Duke by 41 points. He was absolutely the only guy that could hit an open shot. He scored 19 points at Cameron Indoor while shooting 9 for 16. Right now he is the best player on the team, not Vasquez. The thing I like about him is what he can do with his size. He is tall enough at 6-7 to shoot over people, which he does well in the mid-range. He also has the ability to take the ball to the basket. He's one of the versatile players that you have to account for wherever he is on the floor because he can beat you both ways. What I like most about him as the junior has improved each season. I'm not just talking about scoring average either, which is up to 13 points per game this year. He is a threat on the glass, and on defense. He already has two games this season with four blocks. Right now he is one of the better wing players out there.
Rakim Sanders, Boston College: North Carolina fans know what this super sophomore can do. He torched the Tar Heels for 22 points and had an amazing seven steals in that game as well. He is not far off from the type of player Milbourne is. Sanders is a little raw but is a true scorer and will continue to get better. He came in and started every game as a freshman last season, and has kept up his scoring and improved his defensive skills. His athleticism is his strength. There is a youtube of him catching his own shot off the rim and dunking it in over Darnell Jackson of Kansas last season. I am a Kansas grad and the Jayhawks did slam them in that game. Sanders' high school coach once said that the key for him was making sure he played hard throughout every game, something that isn't a problem for him now in college.
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech: You talk about a conference with some good sophomores, Delaney is the most improved player in the ACC, bar none. While Sanders is a nice true scorer, Delaney is now a wide-eye scorer. He couldn't have a better week than the one he just turned in either. He scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win at No. 1 Wake Forest. Then he scored a career-high 29 in the overtime win at Miami. That got him ACC player of the week honors. Than last night he scored 37 points in an 86-82 loss to Clemson. He is small, but just an outstanding player. He is suddenly the go-to-guy on the Hokies team. Last year he was the third or fourth guy mentioned on a team that also has A.D. Vassallo and Jeff Allen.
