After winning ACC regular season, North Carolina basketball grabs top league honors

ACC regular-season champion North Carolina produced the league’s top player and coach this men’s basketball season.

UNC’s Hubert Davis was the overwhelming choice for coach of the year, while senior guard RJ Davis is the player of the year, in voting announced Monday.

Hubert Davis led the Tar Heels (25-6, 17-3 ACC) back to the top of the conference one year after UNC began the season ranked No. 1 but finished 20-13 and failed to even make the NCAA Tournament. Davis added transfers Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram to the roster while also seeing freshman guard Elliot Cadeau reclassify to enroll a year ahead of schedule.

RJ Davis averaged 21.1 points per game this season while making 43.2% of his shots. He’s also dished out 3.5 assists per game.

RJ Davis was joined on the all-ACC’s first team by Duke’s Kyle Filipowski, Clemson’s PJ Hall, Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis and Blake Hinson of Pittsburgh.

UNC center Armando Bacot headed up the second team, along with Virginia’s Reece Beekman, Judah Mintz of Syracuse, Boston College’s Quinten Post and Miami’s Norchad Omier.

RJ Davis received 68 first-place votes from the panel, while Duke’s Fililpowski was next with three. In the coach of the year balloting, Hubert Davis had 49 votes to easily outpace the second-place finisher, Pitt’s Jeff Capel with 12. Capel was last year’s coach of the year.

Hubert Davis is the first UNC coach to win the award since Roy Williams in 2011. This is the 13th time a Tar Heels coach has won the award — the most of any ACC school. Dean Smith won it eight times during his Hall of Fame career.

RJ Davis is the 16th Tar Heels player to win ACC player of the year. That’s second-most among any school. Duke’s had 18 ACC players of the year.

The last time UNC produced an ACC player of year was Justin Jackson in 2017.

Other ACC award winners this season are Notre Dame’s Markus Burton (rookie of the year), Virginia’s Beekman (defensive player of the year), Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin (most improved player) and Pitt’s Ishmael Leggett (sixth man of the year).

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).

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 Pittsburgh 12

Adrian Autry Syracuse 6

Micah Shrewsberry Notre Dame 3

Jon Scheyer Duke 2

Damon Stoudamire Georgia Tech 1

Brad Brownell Clemson 1

Tony Bennett Virginia 1

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