SB Nation - Jeff Teague

Deacon Dump 12/22: Slow down Farouq!

MRickman84 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:00:45 -0000

It's a hodgepodge today--that's what Christmas break will do to links. But we've still got some here (and Jake beat me to a lot of them last night). So beat the winter blues with some news on the Deacs.

The Player Hater's Ball: Al-Farouq!
Some of his decisions can be maddening (you're not a point guard with range, so stop playing like it), but when Al-Farouq Aminu does stuff like this, it's worth it:

Calm Influence: Gaudio's halftime chat paid big dividends for Aminu in victory against N.C. State
"Coach is telling me I'm playing too fast," Aminu said. "I'm going to try over the break to work on just slowing down because he said, ‘You can beat people off the dribble. Just take your time. It's not like going any quicker is going to help you out or anything like that.' "Naturally I'm pretty quick. So I'm going to slow down and make sure I do every move and follow through on everything."

Jabarie Hinds on the Radar | The Journal News
Jabarie Hinds, Mount Vernon: The 6-foot junior point guard averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 assists last season and was a Journal News first-team all-star. A monster summer has earned him offers from Wake Forest, Louisville, and many others.

NewsObserver.com | Photo Galleries
More photos from the State game, including some good shots from Weaver's dunk!

My Take on Wake - Grass Not Always Greener | JournalNow.com
Most players who have transferred from Wake Forest over the past few years may have been missed for who they are, but not for what they could have done to help the Deacons win basketball games.

NBA: Who's Hot? Who's Not? - Basketball News & NBA Rumors -
Who's Cold? Eastern Conference Rookie: Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks – After Teague showed signs of life a week ago, the former Wake Forest star shot just four of 15 from the field and was 0 for three from behind the three-point line this week, culminating with a scoreless game in just six minutes in the Hawks loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

Bulldogs unleash attack - BostonHerald.com
Central Catholic has made four straight trips to the Div. 1 North final and having Wake Forest-bound center Carson Desrosiers back makes the Raiders a good bet to get there again. Joining the 6-foot-11 Desrosiers in the frontcourt is underrated 6-7 junior Jimmy Zenevitch, while Luis Puello and Michael Alvarez are the most experienced guards.

Deacs 67 NC State 59 - Photos by Bob Hebert- powered by SmugMug
Great photos from Bob, as always

North Carolina State Wolfpack's Tracy Smith banned 1 game for comments on officiating - ESPN
After Sunday night's 67-59 loss in Winston-Salem, Smith told reporters that the officiating crew called too many "touch fouls" and "favored Wake Forest all the way."

Deacon Dump 12/9: Bring on the College Cup

MRickman84 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:05:49 -0000

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Strange group of links today--a lot on Wake's matchup with UVA. It's snowing a lot right now, so I wouldn't be upset if I was back down in the Dash. It was great to see inspired games from James Johnson and Jeff Teague as they played each other last night. If they play like that, they will get more minutes. James easily had the best game he's had all year and it looked like Vinny Del Negro was trying out some things in the 4th quarter to test out Johnson's skill set. It worked.

Season wrap-up: Wake Forest - ACC Blog - ESPN
Much of this year’s struggles had to do with the rebuilding effort on defense, where coordinator Brad Lambert had to replace seven starters. The most noticeable difference was in the turnover category, where the Deacs led the nation with 37 takeaways in 2008. This year they had 15. They also dropped from the No. 1 punt return unit in the nation to No. 56. Skinner had another record-setting season, but he was inconsistent at times and finished with 12 interceptions, compared to seven last year.

Landon: MU search turns to names other than Jones - The Herald Dispatch
It's looking more and more like former Marshall assistant Brad Lambert is emerging as the most viable option in the Herd's head football coaching sweepstakes.

Previewing the College Cup - RootZoo Sports
Predictions: Akron 1-0 UNC: Akron stays undefeated Wake Forest 2-1 UVA: Hard to beat someone three times

FayObserver.com - Player who committed in eighth grade reconsiders
According to Tomcats coach Wendell Jeffries, in the past few months, coaches from Kentucky, Wake Forest, Miami, Baylor, DePaul, George Mason and Kansas State have all stopped by to evaluate Boatright's skills.

Deacons' soccer team will try to break through against Cavs
"I don't think there's anything we do in particular that's different against any other team," he said. Senior Austin da Luz of Wake Forest acknowledges that both teams are very familiar with each other. "It's always a tough game with them, and there's some bad blood, but we think this time we are going to try and forget the other games against them," da Luz said, "and just go into it as a tournament game, because if you lose you go home."

‘Hoos face Wake Forest in College Cup | Augusta Free Press
The teams have met twice this year, once during the regular season and once in the 2009 ACC Tournament. On Sept. 18, 2009 at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Cavaliers came away with a 1-0 victory on a goal by Mike Volk. At the ACC Tournament in the semifinal round, fifth-seeded Virginia advanced past the top-seeded Demon Deacons, 5-4 on penalty kicks, after the teams played to a double overtime scoreless draw.

Fun with Wake Basketball Stats: 12.9

MRickman84 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:45:09 -0000

Just messing around on this Wednesday afternoon before I try to drive through 60 mph winds to get home and I decided to take a look at some stats from the start of this season. I know, I know, it's early, but I found a couple interesting things.

Last year, Wake Forest shot 32% from 3pt as a team and had one player over 33% from deep (Teague).
This year, they are shooting 34.5% and have 3 players over 33% (Ari, Al-Farouq and CJ).
In the William & Mary game, Wake shot 36 threes. In the other 6 games combined, they took just over double that (74).
Everyone in the world was wondering how Wake would replace the loss of James Johnson and Jeff Teague. The two losses are two more than Wake had through the first 16 games last year, but statistically, the Deacs are not as far off as you'd think:

2009-10: Aminu+Harris+Stewart+Ish= 49.7 PTS, 20.1 REB, 9.3 AST, 8.9 TO

2008-09: Johnson+Teague+Aminu+Ish= 52.9 PTS, 22.7 REB, 10.4 AST, 10.4 TO

Thought that was a little interesting. Seven games does not a year make, especially when it comes to the contributions of freshmen, but it is of note that the youngsters are close to keeping pace thus far.

And if you look at freshman campaign comparisons:

2009-10

C.J. Harris: 25.7 MIN, 13.1 PTS, 1.7 REB, 1.6 AST, 1.6 TO

Ari Stewart: 15.6 MIN, 8.6 PTS, 3.3 REB, .3 AST, 1.4 TO

2007-08

Jeff Teague: 29.7 MIN, 13.9 PTS, 2.7 REB, 2.5 AST, 2.5 TO

James Johnson: 29.2 MIN, 14.6 PTS, 8.1 REB, 1.2 AST, 2.6 TO

It is not nearly as far off as I thought it would be. The main disparity is rebounds, but everything else is relatively close numbers-wise.

So, it really is a testament to just how well our freshmen have played so far this season. With the loss of two first-round NBAers, there was going to be a dropoff (and the disappointing loss to W&M and the tough loss on the road to Purdue show this), but it is nice to know that we have players who look like they are up to the challenge.

Bring on the youth movement

MRickman84 — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:00:22 -0000

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We're 7 games into the season, so we have enough of a sample size to see some trends in the basketball season. Of course, adjustments get made and everything changes in ACC play, but we have various impressions of the Demon Deacons. And one such impression is the play of freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart...

Ari Stewart
15.6 Min, 8.6 Points, 3.3 rebounds
.48 FG%, .5 FT%, .476 3PT%
.611 effective FG%, 108.3 offensive rating

Stewart's explosion in the Gonzaga game was eye-opening. There was no doubt that Ari would light it up, but it was just a question of when. He was expected to make a big impact and we thought all along that he'd be starting by the end of the year. His combination of ball-handling, shooting and size makes him an ideal SF and although Al-Farouq Aminu wants to play the 3, if he shifts down to the 4, he can use his quickness to provide a mismatch and also get him down where he can grab rebounds and get garbage buckets.

Even if Aminu sticks at the 3, Wake can play a smaller lineup and put Ari at the 4 but play a similar game to what the Orlando Magic do with Rashard Lewis. Lewis is not a prototypical PF at all, but he spreads the perimeter and creates space for Dwight Howard. If Wake decided to do this, it would free up the middle, allowing the bigs--McFarland, Weaver and Woods--to get touches down in the post. They have not had consistent post opportunities because the middle has been clogged, but if the congestion is cut down, whomever of the three is in will be able to post up and get scoring opportunities.

Regardless of where Ari plays, the 3 or the 4, his increased minutes will hopefully be a source of scoring for the Deacs. If Stewart is able to focus on defense instead of playing as loose as he has, it will only help the Demon Deacons more. With his length and quickness, Stewart should be able to guard anybody as long as he shows a commitment to D in practice.

C.J. Harris
25.7 min, 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists
.542 FG%, .829 FT%, .524 3PT%
.727 effective FG%, 134.8 offensive rating

Easily the biggest surprise of the early season has been the breakout play by Mount Tabor's C.J. Harris. Harris, an unheralded player coming in, has shown a complete game, both offensively and defensively. On offense, Harris has shown that he can slash to the hoop, finish and get to the foul line. He is easily the Deacs best FT shooter this year and made clutch foul shots at the end of the Gonzaga game.

Plain and simple, Harris does not play like a freshman. He wants the ball in his hands and is not gunshy in the slightest. His outside shot has been a welcome addition as there were questions about just how good a shooter C.J. was coming in. Obviously, those numbers will probably come down as the season wears on and Harris may hit the freshman wall, but he has earned a starting spot. He is 38th in the country in offensive efficiency, 11th in effective FG% and first in true shooting% (From John Hollinger: TS%=True Shooting Percentage calculates what a team’s shooting percentage would be if we accounted for free throws and 3-pointers. True Shooting Percentage = (Total points x 50) divided by [(FGA + (FTA x 0.44)])

Harris's ability to play the point effectively should give Ishmael Smith a breather, keeping him from staying on the floor the entire game. When he shifts over, the Deacs have a number of different options. Although it is not likely to happen, Wake could play big and move Ari over to the 2, keeping Aminu at the 3 and still maintaining the two big men that Dino Gaudio used early in the season. Or Harris could be complimented by LD Williams in the backcourt giving the Deacs an explosive 6th man who is known for his defense. Another option is using the recently healthy Gary Clark at SG, giving the Demon Deacons extra firepower on the perimeter.

Regardless of where he is playing, Harris has shown that he is a focal point of this offense and has taken some of the sting away from the loss of Jeff Teague. He may not be as quick as Jeff, but Harris gets to the rack and can shoot, two things this team definitely needs. If he keeps his PPG around 10, the Deacs should have a lot of success.

Deacon Dump 12/7: Recapping the weekend

MRickman84 — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:33:46 -0000

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What a sports weekend, eh? Championship games were all we could have hoped for, we got some great basketball games and oh, did anyone happen to see what the Deacs did on Saturday? I had a rough Thursday and Friday, but I'm getting back on my feet, so you should see some good stuff this week. Enjoy.

Bonus: Deacs' trip came with parting gifts
And as for those who predicted doom and gloom based on the Deacons' first six games of the season? "I'll bet they're not saying that anymore," freshman C.J. Harris said.

NBA Draft Guru: 2010 NBA Mock Draft (Both Rounds)
6. Golden State - Al-Farouq Aminu (6’9’’, SF, Wake Forest, Soph.)

BallerBlogger.com " The Fundamentals
"Jeff Teague remembered it as a summons. The Hawks rookie was back in the locker room, sans sneakers after this particular training camp practice. He had done his extra shooting work and had called it a day. Mike Bibby had other ideas. ‘He shoots a lot, that’s his thing — he shoots a lot of jump shots,’ Teague said of the veteran who shares his position. ‘I had taken off my shoes, I was ready to go home and take a shower. One of our guys came back in there and said, ‘Mike wants you to come out there and shoot with him. It’s not time for you to leave. You don’t leave until Mike leaves.’‘ Teague hasn’t had to be told again. With his 11 years of point guard experience, Bibby has taken the 19th pick out of Wake Forest under his wing. … Teague has adopted Bibby’s post-practice shooting routine. Working with assistant Jim Todd, Teague has to nail 100 mid-range jumpers — 10 spots and 10 shots. He also has to make three straight 3-pointers from five different points around the arc. The latter has proven the most challenging, but Teague sees the results. ‘This is my craft and I want to be the best at it,’ said Teague, a third-team All-American last season in his second and final year with the Demon Deacons."

Spokesman.com | Blogs | SportsLink | Day after Wake Forest
"They beat us to a lot of balls," Few said. "They ended up with 16 offensive rebounds. That’s way too many. We talked about it all week. We didn’t do a good job of knocking them back and they were just quicker to the ball. Eventually that was what got them extra possessions down the stretch."

My Take on Wake - Dino Makes All the Right Moves | JournalNow.com
"If it was a little more time, we wouldn’t have fouled,’’ Gaudio said. "But it was so close, I said `Foul at midcourt,’ so they wouldn’t have a chance to do something crazy and throw it in.’’ "With the time the way it was, around five seconds, I thought it would be good to foul because there wasn’t much time. Even if they did foul us, like they did, there’s no more time for them to really get a shot off. "If there’s 10 or 12 seconds left, I’m not going to.‘’

Wake Beats UCLA, Advances To NCAA Soccer Final Four | digtriad.com
Video of Wake's goals in the soccer Elite Eight

College basketball: Demon Deacons hold off Gonzaga" The Commercial Appeal
"My feeling is I did nothing wrong," said Harris, who came in averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds a game. Harris said he and Wake Forest's Chas McFarland were struggling for rebound position on C.J. Harris' missed 3-pointer. "I put one hand on his chest and went for the rebound and he fell," Elias Harris said. "I didn't know what happened."

Spokesman.com | Blogs | SportsLink | Zags lose Harris, game
"We don’t want to shoot too many 3s," said coach Dino Gaudio, whose club launched 36 3s in a loss to William & Mary. "I don’t even know if I’m comfortable with us shooting 15 3s, but we had the right guys shooting them."

Wake Forest nips No. 17 Gonzaga
Coach Dino Gaudio called timeout to set up the play, which surprised even Smith, a senior point guard who overcame his 4-for-12 accuracy from the floor by pulling down a team-high nine rebounds and dishing out eight assists. Smith received the inbound pass from L.D. Williams and laid the ball up for Aminu breaking down the left side of the lane. "That was a huge play," Smith said. "We've been working on that play. We call it New Orleans. We executed it to the T. "Coach called a great timeout. I thought we were going to go flat and just let me create something. Coach pulled it out and got us a good bucket, and that ended up being a huge bucket."

Learning more about the Demon Deacons: A few good questions with Blogger So Dear

Zach B — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:41:48 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Wake Forest forward Al-Farouq Aminu (top left) has had a nice start to his year but the Demon Deacons are still struggling the mesh. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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Early season nonconference games are typically very unpredictable. No matter how many previews are written, you are never really sure how good a college basketball team is going to be until they put it all on the court. As we look toward tomorrow's opponent, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, they are one of the more unpredictable teams in the nation because they lost two first draft picks from a season ago but still return plenty of talent. Playing in the ACC, it's obvious that Wake has little room for error so they are hoping to get quality wins early that can boost them through to conference play. Tomorrow's game against Gonzaga has become increasingly important for Wake because they are on a mini-slide, having lost two straight games. To help us understand their team a bit more, we decided to do a little Q&A with one of our partners at SB Nation, Blogger So Dear, a website dedicated to Wake Forest athletics. They have provided us with some remarkably insightful answers to our questions. Enjoy!

The Slipper Still Fits: Jeff Teague and James Johnson leaving early for the NBA was obviously a huge loss for Wake on a number of different levels. How has Dino Gaudio adapted to make up for the loss of those two stars?

Blogger So Dear: It's obviously going to be difficult and the biggest thing to adapt to is the loss of scoring. With two go-to guys last year, Gaudio needs to find who will at least mask that loss. One way to alleviate some of that is with the growth of Aminu as he sees his role increase on the team. He has to learn how to become a leader and that is going to take a bit of time.

He is also toying around with different lineups. CJ Harris has been a pleasant surprise, so he is starting to get extra minutes and Gaudio is trying to see if he wants to go extra big (with Woods and McFarland at the 4 and 5) or with a three guard lineup, shifting Aminu to the 4.

the interview with BSD continues after the jump...

TSSF: Our blog was initially founded to cover different recruiting angles at Gonzaga. I think a class that will go down in our memories as one of the most special was the Wake Forest class of 2008. Obviously, on the surface the class was loaded with three five-star players all in the front court. It was also very special because all three stayed committed to the program following Skip Prosser's passing. Al-Farouq has been a player but I expected Tony Woods and Ty Walker to have more of an impact. Can you talk about their development and what is being expected of them?

BSD: This is a hot topic right now on our end of things too. Keeping AFA was a huge boost after losing Skip and the future looked really bright with those three and sophomores Johnson and Teague. Aminu has been what we hoped--he made great strides throughout the year and him coming back was huge for this team.

As to Woods and Walker, those two were very high in potential but were not polished. Woods needed bulk and post moves, and that is still in development. He worked very hard over the summer, but it still looks as though his brain is a step or two ahead of his body in terms of what he is trying to do.

Walker needed to gain a ton of weight too and has done some of that, but he is really a work in progress. In high school, he just needed to roam the middle and block shots and his height allowed him to get to the hoop easily against smaller high school defenders. But he has a lot to learn on both sides of the court and it is going to continue to take time. The potential is still there, but it is slow going.

TSSF: I wanted to get a bit more in depth regarding Al-Farouq Aminu. He seems like a dynamic character that is just oozing basketball skill and athleticism. Has he been asked to increase his leadership on this inexperienced team and has he made the jump you were hoping to see?

BSD: This isn't easy to answer in a few words. Aminu had it pretty easy last year because he was not asked to be the go-to guy on a team that had two stars, so he could develop and play without a whole lot of pressure on him. He got better every game, most notably by playing within himself and more under control. He was so used to dominating in high school that the nuances of the game did not exactly take center stage.

Over the summer, Aminu knew there were various things he needed to get better at, a big part of that being the reason that he came back for his sophomore season. He is working on his ball-handling and shooting a lot. The shooting looks better so far, the ball-handling still needs help. He is a very gifted passer and his athleticism allows him to make unbelievable plays. The one thing that he needs to do a better job of is to get into the takeover role that you see out of the elite players. He has shown spurts, but has not made himself "the" guy yet.

TSSF: We're big fans of freshmen making a big impact at Gonzaga. At Wake, you have two freshmen that have already made their way into the rotation and are producing. Talk about what our fans should expect from C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart and how they fit what Wake is trying to do.

BSD: CJ Harris has been an incredible surprise for the Demon Deacons. We knew he'd be a solid player this year but did not exactly know what his role would be. He has shown a ton of maturity, is shooting the basketball well and is playing decent defense. He does a good job of getting to the hoop on drives as well. He needs to get better at reducing his turnovers and not fouling as much, but those are really chaulked up to being a freshman.

Stewart has shown flashes, but is not quite used to the speed of the college game yet. He is an incredible athlete and a complete player and it is only going to be a matter of time before he becomes a big contributor.

Konner Tucker is our third newcomer. The Kentucky recruit played a year of JuCo ball at the point and has shown to be a good shooter with some size on the wing. He hasn't been healthy so we haven't been able to get an accurate read yet on what his impact will be.

TSSF: We feel like great teams always have four or five players that can toss a team on their back and take them to victory. I love what Ish Smith does for this team and obviously Aminu is a budding star. Is Dino Gaudio still waiting to see if any other players on this team take that step up and become consistently solid contributors?

BSD: He is. And that's why we are where we are right now. Ish is what he is, Aminu is there, but outside of that we need a couple more players to do more than what is expected of them. LD Williams is a tremendous defender, but tries to do too much sometimes on the offense side of the ball. When he settles down, he has a great game (see the Purdue game for example), but he needs to stick to what he does best--rebound, defend, get garbage buckets and use his athleticism.

CJ Harris is looking like he could be a big cog in all of this if he continues to play like he has been. If he keeps shooting well and can spell Ish at the point as well as playing with him at SG, this will really give the team better minutes and some more scoring.

So that leaves another player or two. And that's where our biggest problem and what could also be our biggest strength comes in. We have all these bigs but none of them are consistent. Chas McFarland is our most polished center, but he does not get enough touches to be effective, tends to have a bit of a temper and is really slow when he rotates on defense.

David Weaver is extremely athletic and quick, but has a tendency to try and do too much and is not a real scorer offensively. Woods has trouble catching the ball and has a propensity to travel, so he takes himself out offensively. And Walker does not get a ton of minutes (and did not even make it on the plane against Purdue). So for all this talent, someone really needs to step up for this team to be a "great" team.

I wish I could be in the stands tomorrow when Wake takes the court. After following their recruiting for the past few years, I would wager that this team will be the largest and most physically imposing team that has ever graced the McCarthey Athletic Center not wearing blue, white, and red. Wake has an abundance of height at each position and definitely pass the eye test.

It's still hard for me to believe that Coach Few and the staff got Dino Gaudio the Demon Deacons to agree to play at the MAC. It should be an outstanding match up between two teams that are obviously riding different waves but will bring plenty of emotion into the game. Tip off is at 2:30 PST, our game thread will be up at 2. Look forward to seeing you here! Go Zags!

Deacon Dump 11/25: Prepping for Duke, Ish Smith swag surfing

MRickman84 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:00:21 -0000

Happy early Turkey Day. Even though the football games tomorrow look horrible, I'm still stoked to stuff my face and get a few days off. We've got a few good links so enjoy while you coast through work today. JT Buckets had 32 on his birthday, so nice work son.

Demon Deacons outrun intra-city foe Winston-Salem State | outrun, city, salem - Sports - Burlington Times News
"This is the last year we’re going to play them and we’re trying to send them out," Smith said.

Change is always good? Part 2, Jeff Teague's minutes - Peachtree Hoops
Jeff Teague has not been good this year. The likelihood of him being good this season was always low. Rookie point guards drafted outside the lottery rarely contribute at a high level in their first year. Still, it is not that Teague has shown no signs of life. He has been an annoyance with on the ball defense outside the three point line, can get into the lane at will, and is at least average at finding teammates off that penetration. Teague's downfall has been his inability to hit open shots, failure to adjust to athletic shot blockers, and cheap/bad fouls after getting beat on defense. Basically his down fall has been being a rookie.

Q. & A. With Jack Swarbrick - The Quad Blog - NYTimes.com
Two of my old contemporaries, who came through more traditional sports channels in Bob Bowlsby and Ron Wellman. Guys that I think are among the very best in our business. The basics of the business are still reflected in the way that those guys ran it.

Seniors Have Final Shot to Defeat Wake Forest - Duke University Blue Devils | Official Athletics Site - GoDuke.com
"We are just two similar teams," Leon Wright said. "Both coming from smaller private schools, similar athletes... It is very even and that is how it plays out."

Gonzaga dominates Wisconsin, advances to Maui finals - The Slipper Still Fits -Keeping an eye on our future opponent...
We mentioned in our game preview that Gonzaga might really benefit from their tight contest with Colorado yesterday. After sleepwalking through the first twenty minutes of play a day ago, the Zags played a great second half to squash the Buffaloes upset bid. Tonight, the Zags were able to carry that momentum over and delivered a rousing performance in Maui against the Badgers of Wisconsin.

Lions put pieces together during 4th-quarter surge - CharlotteObserver.com
The Lions (2-0) ran whenever possible and put four players in double figures, led by guard J.T. Terrell with 32 points. "One of our ultimate goals is to run and try to get them tired and going at our pace," he said. "That was the strategy we used. That's how we like to play."

Deacs' secondary of concern to Grobe
So now that Bush is under medical care, Grobe's concern is how to cobble together a secondary capable of controlling Thaddeus Lewis, Duke's senior quarterback who, along with Wake Forest's Riley Skinner, is one of only three ACC quarterbacks to pass for at least 2,000 yards four straight seasons. The first to accomplish the feat was Philip Rivers, N.C. State's quarterback from 2000 through 2003. "You really don't want to have injuries anywhere on defense when you've got to go against Thad Lewis and this offense," Grobe said. "They're pretty special."

Deacs take finale
"It's funny because it's kind of new now," Smith said. "I did it my freshman year and as a sophomore I did it. My junior year you kind of forget when you're not in that position. I kind of played more of a reserve role, more of the sparkplug last year. "But now this year I had to get adjusted to it." But if the critics were hard on him, he never knew it. He maintains he's played far too much college basketball to worry about what people are saying about him. "One thing I had to learn when I was young was I used to listen to that and let it get to me," Smith said. "Now that's not the case anymore. I think I'm kind of the old guy now. I just relax and just play and do something I've been doing since I was young...."

Demon Deacons hope for something good to end on
The victory totals have declined in each year since the 11-win season and that means the senior class will go out without a bowl invitation after three consecutive years in the postseason. "It would seem that way," Russell said Tuesday when asked if he sensed a downward spiral. "… But I think we’ve built something here. I think there’s a lot of young guys in the program who want to get back to that level."

Wake Forest dominates cross-town rival Winston-Salem again
Wake Forest's top four scorers combined to outscore Winston-Salem, leading the Demon Deacons to an easy 76-52 victory over the Rams at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Tuesday.

Wake Forest too strong for WSSU
"They were just coming out from all over the place," Alcius said about the Deacons frontcourt players of David Weaver, Chas McFarland and Tony Woods. "I got by one of them, then there's another one right there and then there's another big guy on the back side so I had no where to go. They were blocking a lot of shots."

Scouting Report: F Al-Farouq Aminu

MRickman84 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:45:25 -0000

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Our draft profiles went pretty well over the summer, so I thought I'd start to institute a similar style over the course of the year. They aren't draft profiles, but they'll give the deets on players for the Deacs. So, let me know what you guys think and give me your scouting reports as well.

The first thing that stands out about Aminu is his length. The guy has an incredible wingspan and he uses those arms to poke balls up out of the reach of defenders and tip it back to himself. He can also create separation down low, allowing him to get in closer to the hoop as well as keeping him from being blocked. His length, coupled with his size in general, also makes it incredibly easy for Farouq to shoot over the top of his defender.

Now, none of that matters if a player can't use that to his advantage. Luckily for Aminu, that is not a problem. Al-Farouq knew his strengths early on. Although it took him a few games to get comfortable, he is very good at establishing position down low and reading where the ball will come off the hoop. This has led to a ton of easy garbage buckets and putback dunks.

The biggest knock on Aminu coming into his freshman season was his outside shooting. And that was warranted--he shot 18% from beyond the arc last year. But, it is well-documented that Farouq worked tirelessly at his shooting during the season and during the summer. When I talked to him last year, he said he was constantly shooting in the gym with former coach Mike Muse.

The improvement has shown already. Now it is a bit naive to think he'll keep it up, but he is shooting 57% from 3 through the first two games. If he can consistently knock down the spot up jumper as well as some pullups, he will be impossible to guard.

Another thing Al-Farouq needed to work on last year was tightening his handles. He was far too sloppy with the ball and too often tried to do too much when he should have given the ball to a guard. For 6'9", it is tough to complain about how well he does use the dribble, but it is still something that he needs to do a better job of this season as he does play on the perimeter a lot. His 2.5 TO/game should be down near the 2.0 range.

For all of his athletic gifts, the biggest advantage to Aminu's game is his work ethic. One quote I tell everyone is that after the game when he had his first double-double, I mentioned to Farouq that he had said all season that he wanted to get 10 rebounds. So I asked, what's next? He just looked at me and said, "11."

The fact that he came back to school alone shows this commitment. He knew there were things he needed to work on and he wasn't content leaving school without making those changes. Plus, he really does want to win. You could see that in the Cleveland State game. When most of the guys were hanging their heads, a switch seemed to click in Aminu. He did not want to leave that arena embarrassed. And his monster dunk and full-court chase down block really seemed to indicated that.

The only real thing he needs to make sure that he does this season is to start to take control more. In the ORU game, he had a stretch where he just went off, hitting threes and a sick drive down the lane finishing in a finger roll. He needs to bring that mentality into every game. He is the #1 scoring option on this team and although he is incredibly unselfish, he needs to demand the ball. As a freshman, it was easy to be third fiddle to James Johnson and Jeff Teague, but this could be his team, along with other veterans Ishmael Smith, L.D. Williams and Chas McFarland.

Plain and simple, Aminu is one of the best players in the ACC and can easily win Player of the Year in the conference. He has a good shot at All-American too. It is not inconceviable to think that Farouq can average 20 and 10 this year. If the Deacs are headed to the Big Dance, he will be leading the way.

Deacon Dump 11/17: College basketball is awesome.

MRickman84 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:04:00 -0000

I just want to be able to sneak out of work and watch hoops all day. Instead, I'll focus on gametrackers. I've been doing gameday staffing for the Browns and there are definitely a lot of cool things involved in that--talking to sportswriters, meeting TV and radio guys, seeing people like John Lynch and Eddie George, pressbox view of the games and locker room access. But I'll be damned if this Browns team is not the most painful and eye-gouge-inducing one I've ever seen. Needless to say, coupled with my marathon weekend, a 3 a.m. bedtime won't help my productivity.

But, who cares about me, let's link it up peeps.

Weekly Wrap: Arkansas' Clarke shows off stroke - CBK News - FOX Sports on MSN
IMPRESSIVE OBSERVATIONS: Two of the nation's top players showed marked improvement in their weaknesses. Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu, who shot 18 percent from long range last season, was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc in his first two games.

Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu, Miami's Durand Scott win ACC weekly men's basketball honors - WTKR
The Atlantic Coast Conference has honored Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu and Miami's Durand Scott. The ACC on Monday named Aminu its player of the week while Scott is its top rookie. Aminu averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 64 percent in the Demon Deacons' two season-opening wins.

Atlanta Hawks Roster Report 2009-11-16 News Atlanta Hawks
G Jeff Teague finally saw his minutes creep up closer to where he'd normally want them. While he didn't shoot the ball particularly well (2-for-7, four points), he did plenty of other things to keep himself in the team's good graces.

Rivals.com College Football - Monday with Mike: BCS spots opening up
Wake Forest has been to a school-record three bowls in a row, but that streak will end this season because the Demon Deacons can finish no better than 5-7. The three-year streak is remarkable for Wake, which never had gone to back-to-back bowls in its history before this three-season run started. As good a coach as Jim Grobe is, you wonder if Wake is going to go back to having to overachieve to become bowl eligible. Two of this season's wins have come over ACC bottom-feeders Maryland and N.C. State. Another was over FCS member Elon. While there's an impressive victory over Stanford, there also are close losses to Navy, Boston College, Miami and Georgia Tech -- and that was with an experienced senior quarterback in Riley Skinner. Wake needs to be able to effectively run the ball to contend in the ACC, and improving the rushing attack needs to be an offseason priority for Grobe and his staff.

Bobcats acquire Warriors' Jackson - Sports - NewsObserver.com
Wake Forest football coach Jim Grobe will be the guest speaker Wednesday at the Raleigh Sports Club's weekly lunch meeting, and Panther Creek volleyball player Jill Edwards will be honored as the high school athlete of the week. The meeting begins at noon at Highland United Methodist Church at 1901 Ridge Road. The cost is $14 for members and $20 for nonmembers.

A Musketeer family man with a plan | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com
These are busy times for Pat Kelsey.

Atlantic Coast Conference's first weekly women's honors go to Miami's Williams, Wake's Garcia - WGHP
Miami's Riquna Williams and Wake Forest's Sandra Garcia have received the season's first weekly women's basketball honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Garcia scored a game-high 19 points in her first collegiate debut, a 64-47 victory over Jacksonville. She also had 10 rebounds and five blocks, the best single-game block performance from any Wake Forest player since December 2007.

Scout.com: Community Captain: Colin Summers
"(Colin) exemplifies the true meaning of a student-athlete. He was offered many scholarships but he chose Wake Forest University. He chose a university that will make him excell both in the classroom and on the field," said Head Football Coach, Christopher Martin.

Monday Look Back: Hogs' Clarke hits on all cylinders in opener - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com
Why I'm smarter than you think: I went the unconventional route this preseason and named Al-Farouq Aminu a CBSSports.com First Team All-American along with John Wall, Willie Warren, Luke Harangody and Cole Aldrich. I wasn't criticized, per se, but I was questioned. Which is why I'd like to highlight that Aminu is averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds (while shooting 64 percent from the field) after leading Wake Forest to a Friday win over Oral Roberts and a Sunday win over East Carolina. In other words, so far, so good. But I'm still afraid I'm going to regret not having Ohio State's Evan Turner on that First Team, somewhere.

WFU soccer gets No. 3 seed
The Deacons were one of 16 teams that received byes in the first round of the 48-team tournament. The Deacons will play the winner of the UNC Wilmington at UNC Charlotte first-round game. The Deacons are the No. 3 seed with unbeaten Akron (20-0) the No. 1 seed. Getting the second seed was Virginia, the ACC Tournament champion, with Ohio State the fourth seed.

My Take on Wake - The Great Expectations for Ty Walker | JournalNow.com
"A lot of things with Ty, it was between the shoulders,‘’ senior L.D. Williams said. "It didn’t have anything to do with not being good enough to play because he could have gone anywhere in the country to play. It was just about how he developed as a player mentally.‘’

Heels, Deacs add to classes
"Tony is a typical Philly point guard--he's incredibly competitive, a very good leader and simply put, a winner," said Gaudio. "Tony has a chance to add to the long line of great point guards at Wake Forest."

High School Gameday - CharlotteObserver.com
East Meck boys basketball (0-0) at No. 8 West Charlotte, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: New-look Lions debut with Wake Forest commit J.T. Terrell and former Vance star Jacoby Davis.

Mecklenburg's got talent - CharlotteObserver.com
High school basketball season tips off Monday, and talent-wise, it looks like one of Mecklenburg County's best in years. There are five players ranked among the nation's top 100 players, in the various recruiting services, playing locally. They are: Butler girls guard Cierra Burdick, East Meck girls forward Monet Tellier, United Faith guard Ian Miller, West Charlotte guard J.T. Terrell and Vance guard Marquis Rankin.

Early Impressions: Wake basketball newcomers

MRickman84 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:41 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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I'm not the type to get hyped in the first week of the season, but one thing I wanted to make sure and keep an eye on was the early play of CJ Harris, Konner Tucker and Ari Stewart. Two games does not a season make, but it seems pretty clear that the young ones will have a real impact this year.

Ari Stewart
11/13 vs. Oral Roberts: 11 points, 4/8 FG, 1/2 FT, 2/5 3PT, 3 Rebounds, 0 TO
11/15 vs. ECU: 9 points, 4/6 FG, 1/2 3PT, 2 Rebounds, 4 TO

Ari has shown already that he can shoot the basketball. 8/14 is a great start to the season as is 3/7 beyond the arc. The Deacs have been looking for a good three point shooter for years now and if Ari can provide that, he will be a big time part of the puzzle. His size makes it easy for him to get his shot off.

He has pretty decent handles but needs to make sure that he takes care of the basketball and does not fall into the same sort of traps that James Johnson did and that Aminu did at times his freshman season.

Ari can afford to play near the basket more and the lack of rebounds and assists might raise a bit of a flag, but it is clear that both he and Dino Gaudio are still trying to figure out what Stewart's role will be this year and where he is going to play.

At the very least, the hype surrounding Stewart has merit and it is pretty easy to see why everyone was so high on him over the summer.

CJ Harris
11/13 vs. Oral Roberts: 8 points, 3/3 FG, 2/3 FT, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 TO, 1 steal
11/15 vs. ECU: 6 points, 1/3 FG, 4/4 FT, 1 assist, 1 TO

CJ has been the biggest surprise so far among the newcomers. We weren't exactly sure what to expect out of Harris early on. When BSD took our field trip to see him with Mount Tabor in the state playoffs, he impressed us with his control, smarts, defense and ability to make plays when he needed to.

It was clear to us that Harris was a.) an ACC player and b.) eventually going to be a good one. But we thought that it might take him a little while to get established and earn minutes.

But the things Harris did well are the kinds of things that can help to get a guy on the floor and stay there. He plays within himself and takes the shots that are given to him without doing too much. This team has enough playmakers, so it is perfect that Harris can be the kind of guy to give it to those players.

I don't see Harris scoring over double digits a ton, but if he stays around the 6-8 point, 3+ assist range, he will be a big part of the Deacs success.

Konner Tucker

11/13 vs. Oral Roberts: 0 points, 0/1 FG, 0/1 3PT

11/15 vs. ECU: 7 points, 2/3 FG, 1/2 FT, 2/3 3PT, 1 rebound

This was another guy who had a couple question marks as to what his role will be. Konner was recruited for his shooting ability and the fact that he can play the point a little bit. At 6'4", Tucker has good size, and the fact that he has a year of experience in JUCO helps as well.

In the ORU game, Tucker did not get a whole lot of playing time and did not have any plays designed around him, so it looked like he was standing in the corner a bit, but against ECU he showed his shooting touch. Tucker is another kid that will not try to do too much. He is here to shoot and manage the game and I don't see anything that will prove to me otherwise.

If, between Tucker and Clark, there will be some outside shooting consistency, again, this will be a nice piece to the puzzle.

I still have to see more of the three newcomers, but it is easy to get excited when you see positive minutes out of guys early on. The fact that the Demon Deacons won their first two games by 25.5 points doesn't hurt either.