SB Nation - Chas McFarland

Game Preview: Wake Forest vs. UNC-Wilmington

MRickman84 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:46:11 -0000

I'll begin with this: say what you will about Dino Gaudio, but he goes out and plays people. Sure a lot of that is a lot of home and homes and the ACC/Big Ten Challlenge, but going to Zaga, Purdue, BYU, etc... is good for a team that has not had a lot of road success the last few years. Hopefully this year it pays off.

That brings me to everyone's favorite beach bums, UNC-Wilmington. Trask is a very difficult place to play, and there is no question that their fans will be up for this game. They go nuts when George Mason comes to play and I imagine that will only be amped up even more tomorrow.

So what can we expect out of the Seahawks...?

You may remember a few years back when UNC-W was an NCAA team with a 9 seed, fresh off their win in the CAA Championship. They got out to a big lead and collapsed. Flash forward and a new coach, recruits not becoming eligible or falling through and injuries and the Seahawks are just not where they wanted to be.

This team seems to have the pieces to be improving. After last year's 7-25 record, they are currently 4-5 and sit at 109 in KenPom with a solid win over Penn State. They've also dropped a few close games--Miami, George Washington, George Mason and USF, so it is evident that this team can compete.

Last year, the Hawks were running pretty well with Wake and showing some good athleticism before Wake completely ran away with it offensively. And this UNC-W team has really changed their defensive philosophy. They are 62nd in defensive eFG% and 7th against 3 pointers. Wake does not take a lot of threes (and really shouldn't against UNC-W since their biggest starter is 6'9" and no significant contributor is any taller than that).

Chad Tomko is the undisbuted leader of the Seahawks. He is shooting 61% on 2s, but just 32% on 3s. Right behind him is Dominique Lacy, an extremely athletic forward who averaged close to 11 points and 6 rebounds last year. They also get good minutes from Johnny Wolf (13.6 points last year).

The biggest plus for the Seahawks has been the play of junior John Fields. Fields transferred from ECU and sat out last year. He was ECU's second leading scorer and has quickly become a dominant presence for UNC-W. He averages close to 15 points (on 61.4% shooting) and 10 rebounds a game in addition to an astounding 3.3 blocks and is 44th in the country in block%. It will be interesting to see how Wake reacts to Fields on both sides of the floor.

Wake fans will recognize Taron Downey's younger brother Montez on the Seahawks. Downey got hurt last year, but is averaging 15 minutes a game.

Plain and simple, this should be a high tempo game. The Hawks play at the 85th fastest speed, while Wake is at 40. Look for the Deacs to try to get as many fast break opportunities as they can off of blocks and defensive rebounds. Outlet passes by the bigs will be very important, as well as getting the ball inside early and often in half court sets.

Al-Farouq Aminu has not been playing his best basketball as of late and hopefully he can turn that around in Wilmington. CJ Harris and Ari Stewart should get significant minutes and if they can continue their hot shooting, this may be a quick night. The Tomko-Ishmael Smith matchup will be interesting to watch as well.

And of course I have to mention the fact that Ty Walker is from Wilmington. Coming off his arguably th best performance of his career against Elon, the question is how many minutes and what contribution Walker can make in this game.

It is imperative that Tony Woods and Chas McFarland have good games. Chas was extremely efficent last game in limited minutes and Woods showed flashes early on, but Wake needs to work on getting consistency inside. It is something they have struggled with all year.

All in all, this should be an entertaining game and I expect the home crowd to be rowdy during the ESPNU telecast. I don't see Wake taking the Seahawks lightly after what happened against CAA William & Mary. So I think Wilmington will keep it close early, but Wake will pull away.

Wake 75, UNC-W 62

Deacon Dump 12/15: Chas a target for opposing fans, Wake not shooting threes

MRickman84 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:30:15 -0000

It is good to see Wake receiving votes in the polls again. It's a nice fuzzy feeling even though it doesn't really mean anything. Now it's time to have a good week. And what a big week it is--with UNC-W on the road and a big conference game against State on Sunday.

Three ACC players named All-America - ACC Blog - ESPN
The Football Writers Association of America announced its All-America team, and three ACC players made the cut -- Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson specialist C.J. Spiller, and Florida State offensive lineman Rodney Hudson.

Relishing the Bad-Boy Role: WFU's McFarland is often an object of opponents' ire
They absolutely hate me," McFarland said. "Before we had ever started at Gonzaga, they were screaming and yelling at me. I just laughed at it. I think it's funny. "I'm probably glad it is me, because it doesn't get to me anymore. Some of the other guys, it might get to them. I kind of like it now. It's been that way everywhere we go on the road.

TechSideline.com: Around the ACC: December 14, 2009
The Demon Deacons are a very talented basketball team, but they never quite seem to play up to their potential. With a home loss to William & Mary already on their resume, they don't seem to be doing anything to change that perception this year.

Dan Radakovich - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN
"In some places it's really doubling the staff just about," said Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman. "We're labeling them one thing, but their activities certainly suggest they're doing other things. They're non-coaches who are coaching. We've got to find a way to address that issue, otherwise the playing field is not level at all. People are always looking for ways to maneuver and gain advantages and this is one of those loopholes that has been found that hopefully we'll be able to address."

Inside Sunday's box scores - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
3. Entering the season, Wake Forest had not attempted fewer than six 3-pointers in a game this decade. On Sunday, the Demon Deacons attempted only five for the second time this season. In a 90-50 blowout of Elon, Wake Forest was just 2-of-5 from long distance. Those five shots were split between only two players: C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart. Ten different Wake players made multiple field goals. In a microcosm for the game, Elon attempted 24 3s, but only managed to hit one more than the Demon Deacons.

WFU women fend off North Florida
Brooke Thomas made two free throws with four seconds left to help Wake Forest hold off North Florida 60-57 yesterday in a nonconference women's basketball game at Joel Coliseum.

Deacon Dump 12/11: Finally back in action

MRickman84 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:39:12 -0000

It feels good to know that we'll have a game again. With college football on hiatus and this being exam week, it's a bit slow. But at least the Browns won! That's about as rare as an eclipse. So here's some links on your Friday while you try to sneak out for the weekend. The college cup starts tonight and the Deacs' matchup against UVA should be a great game.

True Blue: NBA Stock Up/Stock Down
AL-FAROUQ AMINU, Wake Forest: Aminu was already getting heavy consideration in the Top 5 before the season started and his play thus far has confirmed why. Aminu has had three straight 20-point games and is averaging a double-double this season (16.4 ppg, 10.1 rpg). The only thing that is going to hurt him is that he’s not that great of a shooter so he will have to put on a lot of muscle if he wants to play the 4 in the NBA. Either that or work on his outside shot so he can be converted into a 3 man. Conclusion: Stock Up

Atlanta Hawks 118, Chicago Bulls 83 or sometimes you just get to eat the whole pint of ice cream - Peachtree Hoops
Teague! Teague! Teague!

Akron Zips, North Carolina Tar Heels, Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Virginia Cavaliers face off in men's College Cup - ESPN
"We were a decimated team, very young and inexperienced," Vidovich said. But there's little athletes love more than adversity, and thanks to the senior leadership of Zack Schilawski (leads all ACC scorers with 11 goals, 27 points on season) and the net-stopping dives of Akira Fitzgerald, the Deacs are making their fourth straight College Cup appearance. And for those with some sort of memory loss, they also took home the title in 2007.

The Rapids Undercurrent: College Cup Preview #2
Coach Vidovich has done an outstanding job with this group considering the loss of some great talent plus the absence of Opara in the middle of the season. This team has it all. It is built with great athleticism, experience and is really electric going forward.

Top-seeded Akron plus 3 ACC teams make College Cup - USATODAY.com
"We appreciate the ACC inviting us to their conference tournament this weekend," joked Caleb Porter, the coach of top-seeded Akron, the only non-ACC team among the final four. "No, we're aware that even though we've been ranked No. 1 in the country all year long and we have the record that we have, people are probably putting us as an underdog."

Familiar faces in College Cup | Charlottesville Daily Progress
"Any time you play a team three times — getting a result three times against a good opponent is not the easiest thing in the world," said Virginia coach George Gelnovatch. "But I don’t think there’s anything I lose sleep about or dwell upon with them. Our focus is on us. Certainly, we have respect for Wake, but most of what we’ve been doing is getting ourselves ready."

Texans' Cushing, Seahawks LB Curry rock rookie wall | Houston Texans Football | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
He's an impressive kid," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said about Curry. "He's big, fast, smart and talented. "When he came to our room at the combine, he looked like a defensive end. When he walked out of the room, I looked at (general manager) Rick (Smith) and said something like, ‘Gosh, that kid's impressive.' And Rick said, ‘Don't worry about him. He'll be long gone before we draft.' "

More Postseason Honors for Wake Forest Football | digtriad.com
Steele's publication selected defensive tackle John Russell to its All-ACC second team along with wide receiver Marshall Williams. Quarterback Riley Skinner was named to the All-ACC third team along with freshman cornerback Kenny Okoro.

College Sports | Zags Men's Hoops: Elias Harris, freshman from Germany, feels at home with Bulldogs | Seattle Times Newspaper
Right about then, that's what Harris did to Wake Forest's Chas McFarland. As a three-point shot went up, Harris pivoted and forearmed McFarland in the neck. McFarland tumbled backward, Harris was assessed a flagrant foul and ejected and Wake swung the momentum toward an eventual 77-75 victory. "I just think it's somewhat confusing to him," says Few, who took issue with the ejection. Meanwhile, Harris said afterward, "My feeling is, I did nothing wrong."

Soccer Notebook: Keeper Fitzgerald says Deacs play extremely well as a team
"Obviously last year's team was very special with the talent we had," Fitzgerald said. "But I think this team, everybody plays for each other, and that's big. Last year's team was the same way, but we have all made a difference in each practice this season." The Deacons finished 21-2-1 last season but lost eight starters. "I think obviously when you lose players like Sam Cronin, Marcus Tracy and Mike Lahoud, talent-wise last year's team might have been better. But we always talk about maybe not being the most talented team, but we talk about being the best team."

Suspense, but no Cinderellas, at Final Four - NCAA - ESPN Soccernet
The Demon Deacons boast the best of the best in the ACC, led by the conference's coach of the year (Jay Vidovich), offensive player of the year (Corben Bone), defensive player of the year (Ike Opara) and two more first-team all-conference players (Zack Schilawski and Austin de Luz). Wake Forest clearly has the experience a team needs to be successful in December, but while having been there before is definitely an asset, it's not enough to carry a team.

J.T. Terrell - ESPN Video - ESPN

Bring on the youth movement

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

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

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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

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

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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."

Deacons stun Zags in Spokane

WakeJake — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:09:55 -0000

Wake Forest got huge contributions from its freshmen as the Deacs rallied from a sizable first half deficit to beat Gonzaga 77 to 75. Newcomers C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart made up for a disappointing game by Al-Farouq Aminu by tallying 19 and 17 points, respectively. Stewart nailed all four of his three point attempts, including one to give the Deacs the lead at the end of the first half, while Harris made 13 out of 15 free throws.

The turning point of the game was without a doubt when Elias Harris of Gonzaga forearmed center Chas McFarland in the throat while C.J. Harris was fouled shooting a three. As a result, Wake scored seven points on one possession and Elias Harris was ejected from the game.

This is a huge win for Wake Forest after struggling in losses against William & Mary and in the second half against Purdue. Furthermore, this is only Gonzaga's 4th loss at their home court since it opened in 2004.

The Zags were led by their star Matt Bouldin, who had 22 points, and surprise Bol Kong who made four big threes off the bench. The Deacs were also aided by a great all-around performance by Ish Smith, who led Wake Forest in rebounds (9), assists (8), steals (1) and blocks (1)

Wake Forest has exam week off and will face the Elon Phoenix next Sunday.

Postgame Reaction: Wake Forest defeats Gonzaga in the Kennel

Zach B — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:17:21 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

14 days ago: Gonzaga's Robert Sacre, foreground, tries to drive against Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)

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There is much to be discussed about this game so I don't want to wait to hear some thoughts from you all. Gonzaga lost Wake Forest 77-75 in gut-wrenching, at times embarrassing and just all in all miserable fashion. Here are a few things that stood out for me and are things to take from this game.

-- First, the elephant in the room: Elias Harris made a freshman, bonehead play and did not look like the man he has been in the first part of the season. Chas McFarland gave him a mini-shot to the chin and Elias reacted with a forearm shiver. As we all know, the second guy always gets caught. Chas made a similar play against Kelly Olynyk and got called for it. I understand E's frustration but you can't really classify it as anything but dumb.

-- Wake's two freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart combined for more points than Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray, 36-34. Gray didn't get on the board until 10:50 in the second half and was outplayed by Mangisto Arop. Manny showed hustle and grit while Steven disappeared until the end...and then missed two of three free throws in the clutch.

-- 21-34 from the free throw line at home.

-- Bol Kong was great on offense and brought Gonzaga back to life. Say what you want about defensive issues, Gonzaga is ran out of the gym with Bol. He was 4-5 from the floor (4-4 from three) and finished with 12 points. He also had a beautiful dish to Matt. His Sudanese teammate Mangisto Arop also showed why he needs more minutes. Manny played his ass off and finished with nine points and nine rebounds.

-- The start of the second half lost the game for Gonzaga. The Zags trailed by one at halftime and let the lead get up to eight by the 15 minute mark of the second half. I expected Matt and Steven to come out in half two and set up the game to be played through them but neither did and the Zags faltered early and lost late.

-- Gonzaga was outrebounded by Wake all day long and it just appeared that they wanted it more. This is the second time this week an opponent came into the Kennel and wanted it more than Gonzaga. Against WSU, they were able to pull out the win, tonight they were not so fortunate.

-- Dino Gaudio is an outstanding coach. From their play out of the time out where Ish Smith connected with Al-Farouq-Aminu on the alley-oop to when they fouled Matt Bouldin when they were down three with time running out. Gaudio make the calls in the clutch and showed what it means it be a great in-game coach. I'm not taking any shot at Mark Few but that was an impressive display by Dino.

-- Piggybacking on the coaching, it appears that the word is out on Demetri Goodson and Rob Sacre. Meech is being defended so that he is allowed to shoot and Rob is being doubled and pressured like crazy. Neither has responded well yet as Meech took some horrible three point attempts in this game early and also let his frustration get the best of him late. I'm VERY concerned about these two and whether they have what it takes to adjust and flourish.

I promise to put up a more detailed and hopefully more positive post later. For now, there's some good football on and as far as I know, the sun will come up tomorrow!

What say you?

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!

Game Preview: Wake Forest vs. William & Mary

MRickman84 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:00:16 -0000

The 4-0 Deacs are taking on the 3-2 Tribe in their last chance to tune up before Purdue. That doesn't mean W&M can be overlooked, as they really gave UConn a game on Nov. 13.

Let's take a look at what we're getting into...

William & Mary runs a Princeton-style offense and plays at the 9th slowest tempo in the country, something that has given the Demon Deacons trouble in the past. The Tribe look to be running it well so far, shooting 41.4% from 3PT and keeping the TO at 13.2 per game. David Schneider is the undisputed star of this team and a possible All-CAA player at 17.8 PPG, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He's only shooting 37%, but has the potential to go off at any time.

Their starting 5 clocks in at 6'3", 6'1", 6'5", 6'7" and 6'9", so Wake has a definite size advantage if they want to use it. Problem is, too often the Deacs will form-fit their team to play their opponent. If Wake wants to really take it to W&M, they would be wise to put their best team on the floor, potentially swapping Weaver for Woods because of Weaver's ability to get down the floor. With Aminu on the floor too, this team can muscle inside.

Wake only shot 16 FTs against WSSU and that number should absolutely be higher against the Tribe. This is not a jump-shooting game. If Wake is patient, they can get any look they want. If William & Mary wants to have any shot against the Demon Deacons, they will have to shoot well from beyond the arc. 47.5% of W&M's points have been off 3PTs this season and they shoot the 2nd most 3PA/FGA.

Two W&M players are shooting over 40% from deep--Danny Sumner (15.2 PPG, 4.0 rebounds, .434 FG%, .448 3PT%) and Quinn McDowell (14.6 PPG, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, .511 FG%, .407 3PT%). Wake is holding opponents to a 21.5 3PT %. So someone is going to win out there.

The Tribe are the 7th most efficient offense in the country and with their slow tempo, when they convert, it limits possessions and forces their opponents to hit their shots. The Demon Deacons aren't exactly a terrific half-court team, so they need to force the Tribe to speed up, whether that means pressing or pressuring the ball handler through some double teams or a matchup zone.

Defensively, William & Mary plays some zone, so Wake will have attack the middle as often as possible. That soft spot between the FT line and the hoop will be wide open, as will the sides of the hoop at the baselines. This is a perfect opportunity for Aminu to go nuts, as well as finally getting Chas McFarland some touches. Ish Smith will also have success if he can get some screens so that he can attack with his floater.

All in all, this will be a tricky matchup for the Deacs, but as long as they play their game and stay disciplined, they will be able to take this one at home.

Wake: 76
W&M: 67

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."