ACC honors BC's Dudley

Boston College senior forward Jared Dudley, who for much of the season led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring, rebounding, and minutes and was generally considered the heart and soul of the Eagles, yesterday was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year.

"Something like this is bigger in the ACC than in any other conference," said Dudley, a 6-foot-7-inch, 225-pounder from San Diego. "Living in San Diego, I didn't grow up watching the Pac-10. I grew up watching the ACC. I had huge ties in North Carolina. My dad was born and raised in Wilmington, and his brother went to high school with Michael Jordan. Every game I played in North Carolina, I had at least eight or nine people go.

"So, to come to BC and play in the Big East, and then go to the ACC and win Player of the Year in the ACC, with all these schools like Duke and Carolina, man, it's a dream come true."

Dudley, who also was one of three players unanimously voted an All-ACC first-team selection, garnered 45 of 106 first-place votes for Player of the Year, 15 more than runner-up Al Thornton of Florida State. Voting was done by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Despite a stress fracture in his left foot that forced him to sit for three games, Dudley guided the Eagles to a 19-10 record (10-6 ACC), good for a three-way tie for third place, plus the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament. BC will begin tournament play Friday afternoon in Tampa, against the winner of tomorrow's first-round matchup between fifth-seeded Maryland and 12th-seeded Miami.

Dudley, attempting to become the first player since North Carolina's Antwan Jamison in 1997-98 to lead the ACC in scoring and rebounding, ranked first in both categories until last weekend when Thornton scored a career-high 45 points in a 98-80 overtime win at Miami to hike his scoring average to 20.1 points.

Although he became the sixth player in BC history to score 2,000 career points, Dudley's average dipped from 19.7 to 19.3 after he was held to 10 points in a 74-60 loss at Georgia Tech Sunday. He finished second in scoring, first in rebounding (8.5), and first in minutes (38.3).

"Al Thornton is probably the best overall talent in the ACC," said Dudley, who averaged 23 points and 8 rebounds in a pair of regular-season victories over the Seminoles. "He scored 45 at Miami, and that's huge, and it looks good and that's big, but I feel like I have to do more for my team than any other player.

"But with this Player of the Year, it's not about one or two games, it's about overall consistency and helping your team to win, so it's more than just about the numbers."

ACC quarterfinal
Who: BC vs. Miami-Maryland winner
When: Friday, 2 p.m.
Where: Tampa
TV/radio: ESPN2, WEEI (850)