March 9, 2010
GREENSBORO, N.C. -
Greivis Vasquez earned the 2010 Player of the Year and Gary Williams was voted the 2010 Coach of the Year as the Atlantic Coast Conference announced its top individual awards on Tuesday.
The voting was done by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.
Vasquez, a senior from Caracas, Venezeula, is the fifth University of Maryland player to earn ACC Player of the Year honors and the first since Juan Dixon earned the award in 2002. Len Bias won twice (1985, 1986), Albert King won in 1980 and Joe Smith won the award in 1995.
Vasquez was also honored by the Sporting News on Tuesday as the publication named Vasquez one of its five first team All-Americans. He was joined on that team by James Anderson of Oklahoma State, Scottie Reynolds of Villanova, Evan Turner of Ohio State and John Wall of Kentucky.
He is the first Terrapin All-American since Lonny Baxter and Juan Dixon earned the honor in 2002.
Vasquez is the only player in the nation currently averaging more than 19 points and six assists per game. He ranks fourth in NCAA Division I in assists per game with 6.3. Vasquez is one of six finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the best collegiate point guard in the nation.
Vasquez earned 39 votes in the balloting by ACSMA, with Duke's Jon Scheyer getting 12 votes and Malcolm Delaney of Virginia Tech getting two.
Williams won the ACC Coach of the Year honor for the second time, having also earned the award in the 2002 national championship season. In his 21st season as head coach at Maryland, Williams is currently fifth among active NCAA Division I coaches with 648 victories overall. The Terrapins tied for first place in the regular-season standings with a 13-3 record despite being picked fifth in preseason balloting at ACC Operation Basketball.
Williams got 42 votes in the Coach of the Year balloting, with Duke's Mike Krzyzewski getting eight, Virginia Tech's Seth Greenberg getting two and Florida State's Leonard Hamilton getting one.
Vasquez and Williams were also honored on Tuesday by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association as the District 3 Player and Coach of the Year. The district covers the states of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
ACSMA also announced that Derrick Favors of Georgia Tech was the ACC Rookie of the Year. Maryland's Jordan Williams finished second in the balloting.
- dd -
