Markell Johnson earns preseason All-ACC nod
Markell Johnson is the first NC State basketball player in three years to earn preseason All-ACC recognition after being named to the league's second in voting among the media at Tuesday's Operation Basketball event.
The 6-foot-1 guard was the sixth-highest vote-getter among the 111 ballots that were cast, barely missing out on a first team that consists of Louisville's Jordan Nwora, Duke's Tre Jones, North Carolina's Cole Anthony, Notre Dame's John Mooney and Virginia's Mamadi Diakite.
Joining Johnson on the second team are Duke freshman Vernon Carey, Miami's Chris Lykes, UNC's Garrison Brooks and Florida State's Trent Forrest.
Like its senior leader, the Wolfpack finished also finished sixth in the voting for the ACC preseason poll.
Duke was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league, picking up 51 first place votes, followed by UNC, Louisville, defending national champion Virginia and Florida State. Interestingly, the Cardinals got 10 more first place votes (29) than did the Tar Heels (19).
Following State in the poll are Notre Dame, Syracuse, Miami, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Johnson said on Tuesday that he didn't put much stock in preseason accolades, saying that it's "just another person's opinion." But he did admit that it would mean a lot to him if he was included on the team that was announced on Thursday.
"At the end of the day, you still have to go out and play," Johnson said. "
The Cleveland, Ohio native is State's top returning scorer (12.6 ppg), assists (4.2 per game) and 3-point field goal percentage (.422) from last season. His 3-point percentage is the highest of any returning player in the ACC this season.
Johnson enters his senior season with 397 career assists to rank 10th all-time in program history. His career 2.11 assist-to-turnover ratio is the sixth best ever.
ACC Preseason Order of Finish (first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Duke (51), 1564
2. North Carolina (19), 1493
3. Louisville (29), 1448
4. Virginia (12), 1405
5. Florida State, 1157
6. NC State, 1038
7. Notre Dame, 915
8. Syracuse, 910
9. Miami, 768
10. Pitt, 577
11. Clemson, 564
12. Georgia Tech, 437
13. Boston College, 382
14. Virginia Tech, 334
15. Wake Forest, 328
Preseason All-ACC Team
First Team
Jordan Nwora, Louisville, 95
Tre Jones, Duke, 89
Cole Anthony, North Carolina, 81
John Mooney, Notre Dame, 51
Mamadi Diakite, Virginia, 49
Second Team
Markell Johnson, NC State, 39
Vernon Carey Jr., Duke, 19
Chris Lykes, Miami, 18
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 11
Trent Forrest, Florida State, 11
Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year
Cole Anthony, North Carolina, 89
Vernon Carey Jr., Duke, 8
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 5
Casey Morsell, Virginia, 3
Cassius Stanley, Duke, 3
Matthew Hurt, Duke, 3
Preseason ACC Player of the Year
Jordan Nwora, Louisville, 55
Cole Anthony, North Carolina, 31
Tre Jones, Duke, 19
John Mooney, Notre Dame, 3
Mamadi Diakite, Virginia, 2
Markell Johnson, NC State, 1