Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacon Center Has That Battered Feeling
2/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2000
By Sam Walker
This season has been nothing short of disabling for Rafael Vidaurreta. He has worn a shiner the caliber of which most boxers would be proud. The 6-10 center has been battered and bruised, scraped and scratched to the point that when only one new wound is acquired in a game it's considered a "good night." Vidaurreta has taken the brunt of so many hits that he became literally speechless for much of the season.
The first week of December, Vidaurreta and forward Niki Arinze went up for a rebound during practice and Arinze's elbow caught Vidaurreta squarely in the throat. It was more than discomforting. The blow was downright painful, but Vidaurreta was able to tell everyone he would be all right, could speak just fine at that moment and went on about business as usual.
The rugged Spaniard has taken quite a few blows over his first two seasons as a Demon Deacon, but soon after the elbow blow to Vidaurreta's throat, his voice disappeared, leaving him with little more than a whisper.
"I was able to speak right after it happened, but then I lost it, and after two weeks I started getting concerned," Vidaurreta said. "I wasn't feeling sick. What made it even worse was that we were on the same (practice) team. But they (Wake Forest sports medicine staff) checked into it, and some of the nerves had gotten damaged. They gave me all kinds of pills, and now it's almost back to where it was. When you can't talk . I mean I couldn't talk to my family back home."
Sunday morning calls from his father, Faustino Vidaurreta, back in Zaragoza, Spain, are something to which Rafael looks forward to. And on the basketball court a strong voice is invaluable, especially with the switching and help defenses like the ones utilized by the Demon Deacons.
Playing that style of defense is also something Vidaurreta has become known for around the ACC. Statistically, Vidaurreta is a proven defender. The junior is holding opposing starting centers to 7.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He is Wake Forest's leading rebounder and one of the top 10 rebounders in the league. But communication is critical and Vidaurreta found the game all the more difficult to play while virtually voiceless.
"Defense is something I take very personally," Vidaurreta said. "The first thing I look at is my man's stats after a game. Every time he scores, I feel like it's my fault. I remember the last (first) Clemson game I tried to whisper switch to Darius (Songaila). He couldn't hear it and my man scored."
Even without the damaged nerves and whisper-tone voice, this season has been frustrating not just for Vidaurreta, but for the entire Wake Forest basketball program. After toiling two seasons in the tough ACC to try to earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, the Deacons were bumped off the bubble and played in the post-season National Invitational Tournament. This season was supposed to be the season where the Deacons left no doubts in the tournament committee's minds and perhaps challenge for the ACC title. The team won eight of its first nine games and captured quality victories over the likes of Wisconsin, Temple and Arkansas. However, Wake Forest has struggled to a 13-10 overall mark and 4-6 league record entering its game at North Carolina, leaving just six more contests in the regular season.
A loss at Davidson and league defeats in five of their last six ACC games have probably put the Deacons in a situation where they will be back on the bubble at best. During the stretch, it has seemed as if the Deacons have forgotten how to win the very games on which they have built their reputation - the close, grind it out and win it at the foul line in the waning minutes type of games.
"I wish I could come up with a solution," Vidaurreta said. "We were playing tough, playing hard, and putting pressure on the ball. It's almost like we're two different teams. We've tried different things, and none of the things we've done have worked for us. We've made a lot of mistakes lately."
Vidaurreta has no answers for the dilemma Wake Forest is now facing.
"Like I've said so many times, you just have to put it behind you," Vidaurreta said. "You have to forget games in the past. Now, every game we play will be the most important game for us. Coach Odom has told us don't worry about winning - just play like we were at the beginning of the year and the rest will come. But something good is going to come out of this."
Vidaurreta is confident that Wake Forest's fortunes will change. He has remained positive during all of this season's adversity and tried to be a calming force when he has seen others on his team frustrated. The Deacons did earn a spirited 79-63 victory over Clemson that did help the team's outlook, and Vidaurreta hinted that fans shouldn't count out the Deacons.
"We haven't quit," Vidaurreta said. "The FSU game I thought everybody tried hard. We did have a meeting with just the players and no coaches. We mostly talked about keeping all the frustrations behind. Nobody's going to quit, and we can make he best out of it. We talked about working for yourself and that right now we should all do our best. I think the confidence is there, but it just has to come out (during the game). People look at records, and it doesn't tell the whole story. We're just a team right now that it doesn't matter who we play against, we have to play well to win."
