ACC Nation was in Greensboro, NC, recently for the ACC’s Operation Basketball. Patrick and Chris got to talk with all 12 men’s basketball coaches, plus select players from each school, and over the next few days we’ll let you know what they found out. ACC Nation will preview each of the 12 men’s basketball programs, going in reverse order of last year’s final regular-season standings, with one preview a day as we approach the start of the season.

Wake Forest – Oct. 31

Georgia Tech
(2005-06 season: 4-12 ACC, 11-17 overall; lost in first round of the ACC Tournament to Maryland 82-64)

Unlike Wake Forest, which has a talented freshmen class coming in this season, but lost most of its experienced players from a year ago, Georgia Tech has added a couple of sensational freshmen to most of its top players off last year’s squad. So while Wake may stay buried in the basement of the ACC this year, big things are expected of Georgia Tech.

Maybe the key returning player is junior Anthony Morrow, who started all 28 games for Georgia Tech last season, leading the team in scoring with 16 points a game. Morrow also hit an ACC-best 42.9 percent of his three-point attempts and was third in the conference with 2.79 threes a game.

According to his coach, his improvement a year ago may have just been the start.

“I thought last year Anthony became comfortable as a college player in that he shot the ball well,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. “We all know … if anybody watched him from high-school on you know he can shoot the basketball. This year I think you’re going to see a jump in his game. I think you’re going to see a guy who can go off the dribble a little bit better than previously what you saw out of Anthony.

He also needs to improve his defense, something the entire team has been practicing after being plagued by lapses on the defensive end at times throughout last season.

“Same as every year – defense,” Morrow said when asked about his coach’s emphasis so far this fall. “Defense wins games and it will help us create the tempo we want to play at, a fast tempo.”

Juniors Ra’Sean Dickey and Jeremis Smith also return, giving Georgia Tech back their top three scorers from a year ago. Point guard Zam Fredrick transferred to South Carolina, but it’s not likely that he’ll be missed with freshman Javaris Crittenton coming to Atlanta. When the NBA changed its rules for players eligible to enter the draft, Crittenton was forced to forgo the pros, at least this season. He should make an instant impact for the Jackets and join a long list of talented point guards at Georgia Tech.

Freshman Thaddeus Young will also likely start, and may be even more talented than Crittenton. The 6-8 Memphis product was the preseason choice of ACC media for rookie of the year.

And if there was any question about how the new would mix with the old, Morrow said it hasn’t been a problem so far in practice.

“It’s been like we’ve been playing together for the longest time,” Morrow said. “Javaris and Thaddeus obviously are highly touted players, All-Americans - they’re great kids, very coachable and easy to get along with. It’s been great playing with them so far.”

Hewitt likes what he’s seen also, though he’s not ready to hand the team over to a couple of newcomers.

“They’re a talented group, they’re a high-energy group, but I also know that if our team is going to be good this year it’s going to be because of the upperclassmen,” Hewitt said. “They have to lead the way because the freshmen have the normal freshmen adjustment. But what I love about them is that they bring an awful lot of energy to practice. They make mistakes, but they continue to play right through the mistakes, and that’s one of the things you always try to teach your players to do is how to play through mistakes. These guys they’ve got that figured out already.”

It remains to be seen just how much else they’ll figure out as the season unfolds.

- Patrick Hite