Wong named ACC Player of the Year

Isaiah Wong tested the NBA waters last year but opted to return to Coral Gables.

The decision paid off. The Hurricanes guard was named the ACC Player of the Year, which the conference announced Monday. He was also one of three Miami players named to the All-ACC teams.

Wong is the second player in UM history to be named ACC Player of the Year, joining 2013 winner Shane Larkin.

Wong, also a first-team all-conference pick, is averaging 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season. The junior New Jersey native has scored 20 or more points nine times this season, helping the Hurricanes go 24-6 and win a share of the ACC regular-season championship.

Wong finished with 30 votes, seven ahead of Wake Forest’s Tyree Appleby. North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, the preseason pick for Player of the Year, finished in third with nine votes.

Hurricanes guard Jordan Miller was named to the All-ACC second team. Miller is Miami’s No. 2 scorer, averaging 15.1 points this season with 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Miller also tied for second in the voting for the conference’s most improved player award.

Forward Norchad Omier, who transferred from Arkansas State to Miami before this season, was named to the conference’s third team. He has 14.1 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. Omier also received a vote for Defensive Player of the Year.

“I am so proud of all three of our All-ACC honorees,” UM coach Jim Larrañaga said in a press release. “Isaiah, Jordan and Norchad have all had amazing impacts on the court and in the locker room. They are tremendous basketball players who helped lead us to a share of the ACC regular-season title, as well as fantastic representatives of both our program and our university.

“I want to especially commend Isaiah on winning ACC Player of the Year, an award he most certainly deserves. He is one of the hardest-working players I have ever coached and I am overjoyed for him to receive this recognition.”

Larrañaga finished second in the voting for ACC Coach of the Year, receiving eight votes. Pittsburgh’s Jeff Capel won the award with 57 votes.

Miami guard Bensley Joseph finished sixth in the voting for Sixth Man of the Year, and guard Wooga Poplar tied for fifth for Most Improved Player.

REBECCA BLACKWELL/AP Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong, shown playing against Pittsburgh at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables on Saturday, was named the ACC Player of the Year on Monday.