March 8, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame seniors Jerian Grant (Bowie, Md.) and Pat Connaughton (Arlington, Mass.), who have helped the Fighting Irish to a 26-5 record and 14-4 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference, each earned All-ACC honors as voted upon by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). Grant became the first Notre Dame player to earn first team all-ACC honors as a unanimous selection, while Connaughton grabbed third-team accolades.
Grant and Connaughton have led the Irish to the most regular-season wins since the 1908-09 squad won 33 en route to a 33-7 record. The 14-4 record also matches the top conference record for a Notre Dame team. While a member of the BIG EAST Conference, the Irish finished with a 14-4 mark during both the 2007-08 and 2010-11 campaigns.
Grant was a unanimous first-team selection along with Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor who grabbed ACC player-of-the-year honors. They were joined on the first team by Syracuse forward Rakeem Christmas, Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon and Boston College guard Olivier Hanlan.
Grant leads the ACC in assists (6.7 per game) and in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.23:1) and ranks fifth in scoring at 16.8 points per game. The 6-5, 203-pound guard earned ACC player-of-the week accolades twice during the 2014-15 campaign. He scored in double figures in 28 contests, netted 20-plus points on 10 occasions, dished off 10-plus assists four times and registered four double-doubles.
Grant averaged 16.4 points and 6.9 assists in Notre Dame’s 18 conference outings. He scored in double figures on 15 occasions, dished off eight or more assists eight times and recorded four double-doubles. His finest outing of the season came in Notre Dame’s 77-73 victory over Duke as he scored 23 points and dished off a career-best 12 assists. Grant has dished off eight or more assists in each of the last five games.
Connaughton leads the Irish in rebounding at 7.8 rebounds per game and ranks second in scoring at 12.6 points per game. In 18 conference games this season, he averaged 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds. Connaughton reached double figures in 12 ACC conference outings. He netted 10-plus points in 23 games overall, grabbed 10-plus rebounds nine times and registered a team-leading eight double-doubles. In a five-point loss to Syracuse (65-60), he finished with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds The all-ACC second team was comprised of junior Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), senior Quinn Cook (Duke), sophomore Terry Rozier (Louisville), junior Trevor Lacey Jr. (North Carolina State) and junior Justin Anderson (Virginia).
Joining Connaughton on the third team were junior Marcus Page (North Carolina), freshman Tyus Jones (Duke), junior Anthony Gill (Virginia) and junior Brice Johnson (North Carolina).
The 10 member of the honorable mention team were sophomore Jamel Artis (Pittsburgh), junior Tonye Jekiri (Miami), sophomore London Perrantes (Virginia), junior Sheldon McClellan (Miami), freshman Justise Winslow (Duke), freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Florida State), sophomore Michael Young (Pittsburgh), junior Angel Rodriguez (Miami), junior Codi Miller-McIntyre (Wake Forest) and sophomore Kennedy Meeks (North Carolina).
2014-15 ACSMA All-ACC Teams (First place votes in parenthesis, followed by total points)
First Team All-ACC
Jahlil Okafor, Fr., Duke (64) 320
Jerian Grant, Sr., Notre Dame (64) 320
Rakeem Christmas, Sr. Syracuse (51) 294
Malcolm Brogdon, Jr., Virginia (53) 293
Olivier Hanlan, Jr., Boston College (29) 246
Second Team All-ACC
Montrezl Harrell, Jr., Louisville (21) 220
Quinn Cook, Sr., Duke (23) 219
Terry Rozier, So., Louisville (2) 154
Trevor Lacey, Jr., NC State (2) 123
Justin Anderson, Jr., Virginia (5) 106
Third Team All-ACC
Marcus Paige, Jr., North Carolina (4) 97
Tyus Jones, Fr., Duke (2) 89
Pat Connaughton, Sr., Notre Dame 45
Anthony Gill, Jr., Virginia 42
Brice Johnson, Jr., North Carolina 40
All-ACC Freshman Team
Jahlil Okafor, Duke 304
Tyus Jones, Duke 222
Justise Winslow, Duke 182
Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Florida State 140
Justin Jackson, North Carolina 33
All-ACC Defensive Team
Malcolm Brogdon, Jr., Virginia 194
Rakeem Christmas, Sr., Syracuse 174
Darion Atkins, Sr., Virginia 140
Tonye Jekiri, Jr., Miami 125
BeeJay Anya, So., NC State 86
ACC Player of the Year
Jahlil Okafor, Fr., Duke 44
ACC Freshman of the Year
Jahlil Okafor, Duke 64
ACC Coach of the Year
Tony Bennett, Virginia 52
Defensive Player of the Year
Darion Atkins, Sr., Virginia 26
Most Improved
Rakeem Christmas, Sr., Syracuse 24
Sixth Man of the Year
BeeJay Anya, So., NC State 26