SECAUCUS, NJ, Jan. 16, 2008 -- If you were to put together teams made up of current NBA players for each major college conference (and that's exactly what we're doing here), there is no doubt that Team ACC would be the best squad. Heck, you could put together an all-UNC team, an all-Duke team or an all-Wake Forest team, and each could hold their own against some of the other conferences.

The ACC has been the dominant basketball conference for a while now, winning eight National Championships over the last three decades, the most of any conference. It has produced the best player of all-time, Michael Jordan, the best current player, Tim Duncan, and countless All-Stars in between.

There weren't too many tough decisions in putting this squad together, but as I was doing it, I quickly realized that it was going to have to be a halfcourt team. We have a point guard who can run the floor with the best of them, and a small forward that can play either way, but our other three starters can't exactly go end to end in a hurry.

But once we get in a halfcourt set, we will wear you down. Chris Paul has the vision and demeanor to distribute the ball equally to our scorers. We'll go high-low with Duncan and Carlos Boozer, put Vince Carter on the wing, and let Antawn Jamison roam the baseline to find the holes in the defense.

Speaking of holes in the defense, this squad is not exactly filled with lockdown defenders. Paul leads a solid defensive team in New Orleans and Duncan is the best defensive big man in the league, but after that ... well, that's why we have Shane Battier on the bench.

Speaking of the bench, Team ACC's second squad is stacked, especially in the frontcourt with Chris Bosh, Rasheed Wallace and Josh Howard. We've also got some instant offense in Jerry Stackhouse and another young floor general in Raymond Felton. And the inactive list has all the veteran leadership you could ever need.

If you haven't already, check out Dave McMenamin's selections for the Big East team. It's a solid squad, but Team ACC would smoke 'em. Four-game sweep ... five games max, no question.

ACC Starting Five
(with career stats)
PG Chris Paul, Wake Forest -- New Orleans Hornets
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
17.6 4.6 8.7 2.2 0.0 .447 .328 .843
Résumé: Rookie of the Year (2005-06)
Chris Paul is the next best point guard in the NBA, a legit MVP candidate in just his third season, and should be playing his first All-Star Game in a month, on his home floor at New Orleans Arena. He has led the Hornets to a 25-12 start to the season, which has them just one game out of the top spot in the Western Conference. He's an ideal floor general for any team you'd like to put together.

SG Vince Carter, North Carolina -- New Jersey Nets
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
24.0 5.2 4.7 1.3 0.8 .447 .376 .792
Résumé: Rookie of the Year (1998-99), 8-time NBA All-Star, 2000 Slam Dunk Contest Winner
Vince Carter may have lost an inch or two off his vertical since he came into the league, but he's still one of the most talented players in the world. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor, get to the rim when he wants, and (to quote a wise sage) he leads the league in hugs.

SF Antawn Jamison, North Carolina -- Washington Wizards
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
19.5 7.8 1.7 1.0 0.3 .456 .348 .730
Résumé: 2003-04 Sixth Man of the Year, 2005 NBA All-Star
This spot was reserved for Josh Howard until a few weeks ago, but Jamison has put together a terrific seasons so far, averaging a double-double for the first time in his career. He has helped the Wizards stay near the top of the Eastern Conference despite the loss of Gilbert Arenas and could be playing in his second All-Star Game next month.

PF Carlos Boozer, Duke -- Utah Jazz
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
16.6 9.9 2.3 0.9 0.5 .540 .111 .726
Résumé: 2007 NBA All-Star
Carlos Boozer had a terrific career at Duke, but somehow slipped to the 35th pick in the 2002 Draft. Since then, he has been making every team that passed on him regret it. Boozer is one of the best low-post scorers in the league and a double-double machine who led his Jazz to the Conference Finals this past May.

C Tim Duncan, Wake Forest -- San Antonio Spurs
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
21.7 11.8 3.2 0.8 2.4 .509 .195 .681
Résumé: Two-time MVP, Four-time NBA Champion, Three-time Finals MVP, Rookie of the Year (1997-98), 9-time NBA All-Star
Simply put: Tim Duncan is the best player in the league. He's a skilled low-post scorer and passer on the offensive end, and an All-Defense selection year in and year out. He's got all the hardware and he's willing to accept a salary that will allow us to sign all these other stars to Team ACC.

BENCH
Name Pos. School NBA Team
Shane Battier F Duke Houston Rockets
Chris Bosh F Georgia Tech Toronto Raptors
Luol Deng F Duke Chicago Bulls
Raymond Felton G North Carolina Charlotte Bobcats
Josh Howard F Wake Forest Dallas Mavericks
Jerry Stackhouse F-G North Carolina Dallas Mavericks
Rasheed Wallace C-F North Carolina Detroit Pistons

INACTIVE LIST
Name Pos. School NBA Team
Elton Brand F Duke Los Angeles Clippers
Sam Cassell G Florida State Los Angeles Clippers
Grant Hill F-G Duke Phoenix Suns

SELECT SQUAD
Name Pos. School NBA Team
Steve Blake G Maryland Portland Trail Blazers
Javaris Crittenton G Georgia Tech Los Angeles Lakers
Mike Dunleavy G-F Duke Indiana Pacers
Brendan Haywood C North Carolina Washington Wizards
Jarrett Jack G Georgia Tech Portland Trail Blazers
Corey Maggette F Duke Los Angeles Clippers
John Salmons G-F Miami Sacramento Kings
Craig Smith F-C Boston College Minnesota Timberwolves
Al Thornton F Florida State Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Wilcox F Maryland Seattle SuperSonics
Marvin Williams F North Carolina Atlanta Hawks
Sean Williams F-C Boston College New Jersey Nets

Head Coach George Karl, North Carolina -- Denver Nuggets
Career coaching record -- 851-596 (.588)
Résumé: Ranks 11th all-time in coaching wins
Three current NBA head coaches come from ACC schools: Marc Iavaroni, George Karl and Nate McMillan. Iavaroni is just getting started as a head coach and, while McMillan has had a couple of impressive seasons in seven years as a coach, Karl is easily the most accomplished of the three. Karl is in his 20th season as a head coach and he hasn't had a losing season in the last 16. He has one conference championship (Seattle, 1995-96) under his belt and has been the conference finals two other times. Now in his fourth season with the Nuggets, Karl has a 143-97 (.596) record in Denver. As a player at North Carolina, Karl went to Final Four in 1972 and won the NIT in 1971.

ASSISTANT COACHES
Name School NBA Team
Marc Iavaroni Virginia Memphis Grizzlies
Nate McMillan North Carolina State Portland Trail Blazers
Doug Moe North Carolina Denver Nuggets
Mike O'Koren North Carolina Washington Wizards


NOTEWORTHY

In total, there are 12 assistant coaches from the ACC in the NBA.
ACC school(s) with the most NBA players – Duke and North Carolina (12)
ACC school(s) with the least NBA players – Virginia Tech (0)
NBA team(s) with the most ACC players – L.A. Clippers (5), Charlotte, Portland, Washington (4)
NBA team(s) with the least ACC players – Boston, Memphis (0)

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