Wake Forest Athletics
#19 Deacons Host Georgia Tech Sunday Night
1/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2003
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#19 Wake Forest (11-1/1-1) vs. Georgia Tech (8-5/2-1)
Game #13 / January 19, 2003 Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,665) Winston-Salem, NC
Tip-Off: 6:47 p.m.
Television: Fox Sports Net. Thom Brennaman (play-by-play) and Mike Gminski (color analysis) call the action. Mike Burks is the producer.
Radio: The Deacon Radio Network, produced and distributed by ISP. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
Websites: WAKE FOREST (wakeforestsports.com). GEORGIA TECH (ramblinwreck.com).
The Records: WAKE FOREST is 11-1 overall and 1-1 in the ACC after an 81-72 win over No. 17 Maryland Wednesday night. GEORGIA TECH is 8-5 and 2-1 following an 81-74 win over visiting Florida State on Tuesday.
The Rankings: WAKE FOREST is ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. GEORGIA TECH is not ranked.
WFU Coach Skip Prosser: Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy ??72) is 32-14 in his second season at Wake Forest, 197-92 in 10 years overall. Prosser coached one season at Loyola (MD) and seven seasons at Xavier before coming to Wake Forest
Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt: Hewitt (St. John Fisher ??85) is 40-34 in three seasons with the Yellow Jackets, 106-61 in six seasons overall.
Series History: Wake Forest leads, 27-25. More series information later in this release.
Trivial Note: The home team has won seven of the last eight in the WFU-Georgia Tech series.
The Officials: Announced on game day.
Wake Forest to host surging Georgia Tech Sunday at The Joel
Wake Forest, coming off an emotional 81-72 win over 17th-ranked Maryland and dealing with an injury to starting guard Justin Gray, hosts streaking Georgia Tech Sunday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (Fox Sports Net/6:47 p.m. tip). The 19th-ranked Demon Deacons, 11-1 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, led defending NCAA champion Maryland by as many as 17 points midway through the second half, then held on to break a seven-game losing skid to the Terrapins. Senior All-American candidate Josh Howard scored 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked four shots and had three steals for the Deacons. Freshman guard Justin Gray, who broke his jaw in the Jan. 12 game at Duke, is out for an undetermined amount of time. Georgia Tech, 8-5 and 2-1, has won three straight games including an 81-74 win over visiting Florida State on Tuesday. Marvin Lewis scored 33 points and freshman Chris Bosh added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets. Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 27-25. The two teams have split the regular season series the past two seasons. More series information later in this release.
Some of Sunday??s storylines: - Both teams need a victory to stay within a game of unbeaten Duke in the ACC standings. - Sunday??s game features two of the top freshmen in the ACC -- Wake Forest??s Eric Williams and Georgia Tech??s Chris Bosh. - The Demon Deacons are looking to stretch their homecourt winning streak to 11 games. - Sunday??s game features two of the ACC??s best-rebounding teams. Wake Forest leads the nation in rebound margin, while the Yellow Jackets are third in the ACC.
A quick look at the Deacons
Fielding one of the nation??s youngest rosters -- two freshmen, two sophomores and senior All-American candidate Josh Howard are the regular starters -- the Deacons are 11-1 with marquee wins against then No. 17 Maryland, at No. 23 Wisconsin, at Richmond, and St. John??s. Statistically, Wake Forest??s biggest strengths have been rebounding and free throw percentage. The Deacons lead the nation in rebound margin (+14.1) and rank eighth nationally in free throw percentage (.761). The Deacons will be without freshman guard Justin Gray (10.5 points and 4.0 assists per game) for an undetermined amount of time. Gray suffered a broken jaw against Duke last Sunday. Howard (16.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game), is one of the most complete players in college basketball. Against Maryland Wednesday night, Howard had a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and three steals. Sophomore forward Vytas Danelius (12.1 ppg. and 7.8 rpg.) is one of the ACC??s leading rebounders and he??s shooting 86.0 percent from the free throw line. Freshman center Eric Williams, 6-9 and 270 pounds, is averaging 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. One of the most underrated rookies, Williams is shooting 58.5 percent from the field. Sophomore Taron Downey (9.8 ppg., 3.0 apg.) leads the team in assists (45) and ranks second in three-point field goals (17). Sophomore Jamaal Levy (6.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg.), who has started the last two games, is coming off his first career double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds vs. Maryland). A pair of freshmen reserves have been key to WFU??s success. Freshman Trent Strickland (6.1 ppg.) leads all non-starters in scoring. Freshman Chris Ellis (5.3 ppg.) is playing nearly 16 minutes per game. Senior guard Steve Lepore, who is recovering from a ruptured patella tendon, is easing back into the rotation, and freshman Richard Joyce is a perimeter threat off the bench. Both could see additional minutes because of Gray??s injury.
A quick look at the Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech bounced back from three consecutive losses to win its last three games in convincing fashion. The Yellow Jackets are perfect at home in Alexander Memorial Coliseum this season, but are looking for their first road win. Sophomore B.J. Elder (16.3 points per game), who has 32 three-pointers, leads the team in scoring. Freshman Chris Bosh averages a double-double (15.5 ppg. and 10.0 rpg.). Junior Marvin Lewis (13.4 ppg.) is coming off a 33-point night against Florida State on Tuesday. Freshman guard Jarrett Jack (7.8 ppg. and 6.2 apg.) has been key to the Jackets?? success this season. Sophomore forward Ed Nelson (7.6 ppg. and 6.2 rpg.) and sophomore Isma??il Muhammad (7.3 ppg.) give Tech seven players averaging at least seven points per contest. Georgia Tech leads the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (.411).
More from WFU??s 81-72 win over No. 17 Maryland Wednesday night
- Sophomore Jamaal Levy grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and earned his first career double-double. - The Deacons ended their seven-game losing streak to Maryland. - Wake Forest stretched its homecourt winning streak to 10 games. - Wake Forest??s three-point field goals (3) and three-point field goal percentage (.158) were season lows. - The Deacons?? 34 free throws and 42 attempts were season-highs. The 34 free throws tied for the most in the Skip Prosser era at WFU. - Wake Forest tied a season-high with six blocked shots.
Gray out with a broken jaw
Freshman Justin Gray suffered a fractured jaw in the Jan. 12 game at Duke and is out for an undetermined amount of time. Gray underwent surgery Jan. 13. ??This is certainly an obstacle for our team,?? head coach Skip Prosser said. ??But this is the hand we??ve been dealt, and we need to find a way to win (without him).?? Gray is averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He leads the team and ranks seventh in the ACC in assists per game. Among ACC freshmen, Gray ranks fifth in scoring.
Skip Prosser approaching 200th career victory
Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser is three wins shy of his 200th career victory. Prosser, in his 10th season as a head coach, has a career record of 197-92. Prosser??s career winning percentage (.682) ranks 20th among all active Division I coaches. Last season Prosser won more games than any first-year Deacon head coach since 1927. In two seasons at Wake Forest, Prosser has compiled a record of 32-14. The 19th coach in WFU history, he has already won more games than 10 of his Deacon predecessors. He reached the 25-win mark at Wake Forest quicker than any coach at the school since Hank Garrity in 1924 and 1925. Last season, Prosser became just the fourth coach in ACC history to win nine games in his rookie year.
WFU-Georgia Tech series history
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 27-25. - The Demon Deacons have won three out of the last four meetings, including a 92-83 win in the quarterfinals of the 2002 ACC Tournament. - The two teams have split regular season meetings in three out of the last four years. The home team has won seven out of the last eight meetings. - Wake Forest leads the series, 17-7 in Winston-Salem, including a 10-3 mark in Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Tech??s last win in Joel came on Feb. 11, 1998. - Georgia Tech won the first meeting ever between the two teams, 64-57, back in 1949-50. Wake Forest then reeled off nine straight wins over the Jackets between 1965 and 1983. - The Yellow Jackets dominated the series from 1985 to 1991, winning 12 consecutive meetings. - WFU??s Skip Prosser is 2-1 all-time against Maryland. Tech??s Paul Hewitt is 2-3 all-time against the Deacons.
Deacon-Yellow Jacket connections
- Wake Forest??s Eric Williams played against Georgia Tech??s Chris Bosh in the 2002 McDonald??s High School All-American team. - Georgia Tech assistant director of communications, Chris Capo, previously worked in a similar position at Wake Forest. Capo has been seen frequently in Forsyth County during the past year. - Kyle Snipes, previously the basketball operations director at Wake Forest, is currently a secretary in the Georgia Tech women??s basketball office. - Jeremy Noel, assistant director of communications at Georgia Tech, is a Wake Forest graduate and worked in the WFU media relations office. - Ed Ellis and Scott Sinclair, Tech??s director and assistant director of player development, previously worked in a similar capacity at Wake Forest. - John Pendergast, the public address announcer at Tech??s Alexander Memorial Coliseum and Bobby Dodd Stadium, is a Wake Forest graduate. His son, Tripp, is a student assistant in the WFU media relations office. - Bobby Moranda, the Georgia Tech pitching coach, previously worked in the same capacity at Wake Forest. - Jon Palmieri, a former Deacon baseball All-American, is a Tech assistant baseball coach.
Statistical comparison
A statistical comparison between Wake Forest and Georgia Tech:
Category WFU GT Record 11-1 8-5 Conference Record 1-1 2-1 Scoring Average 83.8 77.9 Opponent Scoring Average 64.8 69.5 Scoring Margin +19.0 +8.4 Rebound Average 45.2 41.7 Opponent Rebound Average 31.1 35.1 Rebound Margin +14.1 +6.6 Field Goal Percentage 46.4% 45.8% Defensive Field Goal Percentage 39.0% 41.0% Free Throw Percentage 76.1% 63.4% Three-Point Field Goals Per Game 6.5 7.1 Three-Point Field Goal Percentage 35.0% 40.9% Assists Per Game 15.7 17.9 Turnovers Per Game 15.5 16.8 Blocked Shots Per Game 4.4 5.2 Steals Per Game 7.7 8.5
Deacons light up the scoreboard
Since arriving at Wake Forest last season, Skip Prosser has made the Demon Deacons one of the nation??s highest-scoring teams. Wake Forest ranks 10th nationally and second in the ACC in scoring offense (83.8 points per game). Last year, the Deacons finished eighth nationally in scoring. Since Prosser??s arrival, WFU has scored 100 points or more four times. Before his arrival, the Deacons reached 100 points just once in the eight previous seasons. Wake Forest has scored 90 points or more five times this season. The Deacons rank second in the ACC and sixth nationally in scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 19.0 points per game. The Deacons have not played in a game this year decided by five points or less.
On deck: the Cavaliers
WFU travels to Virginia Thursday night at 7 p.m.
Deacons slip to #19 in AP poll, #20 in ESPN/USA Today poll
Wake Forest slipped from 17th to 19th, but remained in the Associated Press poll for the fourth consecutive week. The Deacons fell to 20th in the ESPN/USA Today top 25. The Demon Deacons were not ranked in the preseason poll and did not make an appearance in the top 25 until Dec. 23. WFU has been ranked in 18 of 27 weeks under Skip Prosser. In other polls, Wake Forest is ranked as high as fifth nationally in The Sporting News power poll and fifth in the Sagarin ratings. The Deacons are ranked No. 21 in the CBS Sportsline poll and No. 30 in the RPI ratings. Three Wake Forest opponents are in the AP poll -- No. 1 Duke, No. 17 Maryland and No. 21 Marquette. NC State, Clemson and Virginia -- all WFU opponents -- are receiving votes in the AP poll.
Wake Forest 2-1 vs. ranked teams
- Wake Forest is 2-1 this season against nationally-ranked teams including a victory at No. 23 Wisconsin and at home against No. 17 Maryland. The Deacons lost at No. 1 Duke on Jan. 12. - The win at Wisconsin was WFU??s first victory against a ranked team on the road since 1998-99. - The Deacons are one win shy of tying last year??s total of three wins against ranked teams. WFU went 3-10 last season versus ranked clubs.
WFU Wins Vs. Ranked Teams - Last 3 Seasons
Jan. 15, 2003 vs. #17 Maryland W, 81-72 Dec. 4, 2002 at #23 Wisconsin W, 90-80 Feb. 17, 2002 vs. #15 Virginia W, 92-70 Dec. 19, 2001 vs. #19 Marquette W, 65-59 Nov. 21, 2001 vs. #23 Fresno State W, 62-61 Jan. 2, 2001 vs. #8 Virginia W, 96-73 Dec. 7, 2000 vs. #3 Kansas W, 84-53
Deacs lead nation in rebound margin
With two of its top rebounders off of last year??s team -- Darius Songaila and Antwan Scott -- gone via graduation, rebounding was a big concern for Skip Prosser??s staff heading into 2002-03. So, you might say it??s been a pleasant surprise that Wake Forest leads the nation in rebound margin (+14.1). And while WFU??s rebound margin may decline, it??s interesting to note: - The Deacs are the only ACC team with a double-figure rebound margin. - The Deacons have out-rebounded every opponent by at least seven boards. - WFU??s largest rebound margin in the last 10 seasons was +6.2 in 1997 -- Tim Duncan??s senior year. - The Deacs aren??t exactly a group of giants with no starter taller than 6-9. It helps that 6-2 guards Taron Downey and Justin Gray are both averaging more than three rebounds per game. - WFU??s freshman class is combining to average 16.5 boards per contest. - Three Deacons rank among the top 11 in the ACC in rebounding -- Josh Howard (8.2 rpg./3rd), Vytas Danelius (7.8 rpg./5th) and Eric Williams (6.2 rpg./11th). Remarkably, Danelius, Howard and Williams rank among the top seven in the ACC for offensive rebounds.
Opponent Rebounds Opponent Difference Yale 40 31 +9 Temple 51 36 +15 Wisconsin 37 27 +10 SMU 48 26 +22 SC State 59 31 +28 St. John??s 49 31 +18 N. Carolina A&T 43 33 +10 Bethune-Cookman 44 28 +16 Richmond 38 31 +7 Elon 39 32 +7 Duke 45 31 +14 Maryland 49 36 +13 AVERAGE 45.2 31.1 +14.1
Deacons hot from the charity stripe
It??s still early, but this could be one of the best free-throw shooting teams in school history. Consider: - Wake Forest??s team free throw percentage (.761) leads the ACC and ranks eighth nationally. It is the highest percentage by a Deacon team since 1994-95. - The Deacons?? free throw percentage is the fourth-highest in school history. - Wake Forest hasn??t led the ACC in free throw percentage since 1994-95. - The school record for free throw percentage in a season is 77.1 percent, set in 1968-69. - Three Deacons ranks among the top seven in the ACC in free throw percentage -- Taron Downey (.882/3rd), Vytas Danelius (.860/4th) and Josh Howard (.833/7th).
Sophomore Taron Downey emerges as a vocal leader for the Deacons
With five seniors gone off of last year??s team and just one healthy senior on this year??s roster, sophomore guard Taron Downey has taken over the role as a vocal leader. That??s a big change for a player who rarely talked last season as a rookie. And Downey is letting his play do his talking as well. - With Justin Gray out with an injury, Downey has taken sole responsibility for directing the offense as point guard. - Despite his worst statistical outing of the year on Wednesday, he ranks third in the ACC in free throw percentage (.882), 10th in assists (3.75) and 11th in assist/turnover ratio (1.55). - He ranks second on the team in three-point field goals made (17) and has converted six three-pointers over the last two games.
Versatile Josh Howard vying to become WFU??s 11th All-American
Senior All-American candidate Josh Howard, who missed much of preseason drills because of severe shin splints, is enjoying an outstanding senior year. He??s a legitimate candidate to become the 11th player in Wake Forest history to earn All-American honors and the first since Tim Duncan in 1997. Howard is a candidate for the John R. Wooden and Naismith awards and Oscar Robertson trophy, all of which go to the nation??s top player. Without question, Howard is one of the most versatile players in college basketball. The ACC posts 12 individual statistics. He ranks in the top 15 in nine of them. Consider what Howard has achieved in 2002-03: - He was named ACC Player of the Week Dec. 9. - In WFU??s 90-80 win at 23rd-ranked Wisconsin, Howard carried the team with a career-high 31 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. - He has four double-doubles on the season. Only Virginia??s Travis Watson (7) and Georgia Tech??s Chris Bosh (7) have more among ACC players. - At 6-6, he is one of the best offensive rebounders in the country. He ranks second in the ACC in offensive boards and third in overall rebounding. - He ranks second in the ACC and 22nd nationally in steals (2.67). - He ranks eighth in the ACC in scoring (16.5 ppg.). - Defensively, he is often asked to defend the opponent??s top scorer. SMU??s Quinton Ross entered the Dec. 15 game averaging 27 points per game, but was held to 3-of-15 shooting by Howard. Howard held Richmond??s leading scorer, Mike Skrocki, to 3-of-13 shooting Jan. 4. He limited Elon??s top scorer, Scottie Rice, to 3-of-11 shooting Jan. 7. - Through 12 games, he has 21 three-pointers. Last season he didn??t make his 21st three-point field goal until the 23rd game of the season. - Howard ranks fifth in the ACC in blocked shots. He blocked four shots against St. John??s (Dec. 21) and against Maryland (Jan. 15). - He ranks seventh in the ACC in free throw percentage (.833) and went 8-of-8 from the line against Maryland (Jan. 15). - Howard??s three-point field goal percentage (.412) would rank sixth in the ACC, but he is three treys away from qualifying for the rankings. - He??s shooting 53.1 percent over the last four games and he ranks eighth in the ACC overall in field goal percentage (.470).
Howard??s 2002-03 Honors
- ACC Player of the Week (Dec. 9) - 1st team Preseason All-ACC - 1st team Preseason All-ACC (Athlon) - 1st team Preseason All-ACC (ACC Handbook) - Wooden Award candidate - Naismith Award candidate - CLASS Award candidate - Preseason Honorable mention All-America (Athlon) - Preseason ACC Top Defensive Player (Athlon)
Howard Season-by-Season Season PPG RPG 3FG/G 3PT% FT% Freshman 9.3 4.7 0.3 .286 .583 Sophomore 13.6 5.9 0.6 .391 .685 Junior 13.9 7.7 0.8 .329 .657 Senior 16.5 8.2 1.8 .412 .833
Howard on Defense Player (School) Stats vs. Howard Quinton Ross (SMU) 3-15 FGs, 1-6 3Pt FGs, 4 TO Mike Skrocki (Richmond) 3-13 FGs, 0-6 3Pt FGs Scottie Rice (Elon) 3-11 FGs, 5 TOs
Howard closing in on very elite company in the ACC
Senior Josh Howard, if he can remain healthy, will leave his name etched throughout the Wake Forest record books: - Only three players in ACC history -- Duke??s Shane Battier, Christian Laettner and Grant Hill -- accumulated 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks. Howard is 17 steals away from joining that group (see chart at top of page). - Howard (1,357 points) moved into 19th place on Wake Forest??s all-time scoring list Wednesday. He needs 10 points to pass former Deacon Jerry Schellenberg for 18th place. - Howard (677 rebounds) ranks 16th on Wake Forest??s all-time career rebounds list. He needs six boards to pass Dave Budd for 15th place. WFU??s practice facility, Budd Gymnasium, is named after Budd. - With 113 career blocked shots, he is tied for sixth all-time in the WFU record books with Rod Griffin. - He is on pace to become just the 10th player in school history to make 100 career three-point field goals. He has 77 currently. - Howard??s 183 career steals ranks fifth in WFU history. He needs 12 steals to pass both Danny Young and Skip Brown to take over third place. He is 17 pilfers away from 200 for his career. - He recently recorded his 200th career assist. - Howard (16 career double-doubles) ranks sixth in WFU history for career double-doubles. - Howard has played in 108 career games. - On Wednesday, he became the ninth player in school history to start 100 career games.
Baby Deacs making a huge impact
Time will tell, but the Wake Forest five-man freshman class has a chance to be one of the top overall groups in school history. Combined, the freshman class is averaging 37.7 points per game, making it the second-highest-scoring group in Wake Forest history (see box at top of page). The ??Baby Deacs?? have shown great poise this season, winning on the road at Wisconsin and Richmond and holding off St. John??s and Maryland at home. Center Eric Williams, Wake??s first McDonald??s All-American since Loren Woods, and point guard Justin Gray, are both starters (until Gray??s recent injury). Swingman Trent Strickland and Chris Ellis are key parts of the rotation. And guard Richard Joyce has shown glimpses of his outstanding potential. Next year??s Deacon team will be even younger. There is just one scholarship junior on this year??s roster and four freshmen come on board in 2003-04.
Big E, Gray may be underrated in talented class of freshmen
In ??the year of the freshman?? in college basketball, the ACC has arguably the largest group of talented rookies. Lost in the hype has been Wake Forest??s starting freshman duo of Eric ??Big E?? Williams and Justin Gray. Williams and Gray are quietly putting together outstanding rookie campaigns. Among all ACC freshmen, Williams ranks fourth and Gray fifth in scoring. Williams also ranks second in offensive rebounds among ACC freshmen. Gray ranks third among ACC rookies in assists and in assist/turnover ratio. Williams?? field goal percentage (.585) is the second-best by a freshman in Wake Forest history. Only four freshmen in WFU history -- Tim Duncan, Rodney Rogers, Rod Griffin and Lee Foye -- averaged more rebounds per game than Williams (6.2). Gray already ranks ninth in WFU freshmen history for three-point field goals (12).
ACC Freshmen Leaders Scoring Rebounding Rashad McCants (NC) 18.5 Chris Bosh (GT) 10.0 J.J. Redick (DU) 17.0 ERIC WILLIAMS (WF) 6.2 Chris Bosh (GT) 15.5 Rashad McCants (NC) 5.3 ERIC WILLIAMS (WF) 12.1 JUSTIN GRAY (WF) 10.5
Assists Assist/Turnover Ratio Raymond Felton (NC) 6.8 Raymond Felton (NC) 1.92 Jarrett Jack (GT) 6.2 Jarrett Jack (GT) 1.62 JUSTIN GRAY (WF) 4.0 JUSTIN GRAY (WF) 1.57 Todd Galloway (FSU) 2.7
Danelius relishing blue-collar role
Sophomore forward Vytas Danelius isn??t flashy and he rarely makes SportsCenter highlights on ESPN. But the 6-8 Lithuanian is a big reason that Wake Forest is currently 11-1. Consider: - He is shooting 86.0 percent from the free throw line, ranking fourth in the ACC. - Danelius averages 7.8 rebounds per game on a team that leads the nation in rebound margin. He ranks fifth in the ACC in rebounds per game, seventh in offensive rebounds and fourth in defensive boards. - Last season Danelius produced two double-doubles in 34 games. He??s already matched that total this season through just 12 games. - He is shooting 57.1 percent from the field. - Danelius has added three-point shooting to his game, making him even more difficult to defend. Last season he was 0-for-3 from three-point range. This year he is already 6-of-11 from behind the arc. Twice this season he has made two three-pointers in a game. - Among all ACC sophomores, he ranks first in free throw percentage, rebounding, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds.
Rehabilitation over, Lepore and Schoetz back in action
Senior guard Steve Lepore, who ruptured a patella tendon last March in the ACC Tournament, was finally cleared to play Dec. 15. Lepore played just one minute against SMU and missed his only field goal attempt, but was happy to just be on the court after nearly 10 months of rehabilitating his knee. A former two-year starter at Northwestern, Lepore could provide a huge lift to the Deacons if he can fully recover from the injury. Lepore is on his way to that complete recovery. He was 3-of-3 from three-point range in the Dec. 30 win over Bethune-Cookman. Lepore??s 10 months of sitting out pales in comparison to junior center Dshamal Schoetz. The seven-footer redshirted the 2000-01 season, then suffered a severe knee injury prior to the start of the 2001-02 season and sat out the entire year. Schoetz played in his first regular season game -- his first organized game since high school in 1999-00 -- Dec. 15 against SMU. He played two minutes, grabbed a rebound and recorded a steal. Senior All-American candidate Josh Howard has been plagued throughout the preseason with severe shin splints. Despite playing with pain, he is seeing more than 28 minutes of action per game.
Prosser has two wins vs. No. 1
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 2-3 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams, including this year??s loss at Duke. Prosser??s Xavier teams beat No. 1 Cincinnati in 1999-00 and in 1996-97. Prosser, Duke??s Mike Krzyzewski and Maryland??s Gary Williams are the only current ACC coaches to own more than one victory against a No. 1-ranked team.
Deacons eye 13th consecutive postseason appearance
Wake Forest enters the 2002-03 season having appeared in postseason play 12 consecutive seasons. That??s the longest current streak among all teams in the ACC. Maryland, with nine straight postseason appearances, is second. The Deacons earned NCAA Tournament bids every year from 1991 to 1997, then played three straight years in the NIT. In 2000, WFU won the NIT title. WFU went back to the NCAAs in 2001 and 2002.
In the Christmas spirit
Every member of the Wake Forest basketball team recently took part in a volunteer program called ??Santa??s Helpers.?? The players took donated gifts, wrapped them, then delivered them to needy kids in the community. Sophomore Jamaal Levy and senior Josh Howard were two of the players who dressed up as Santa (Levy is 6-9, 180 pounds).
Wake Forest is ranked No. 5 in the NACDA Director??s Cup standings
Through all fall sports, Stanford, an eight-time champion, leads the NACDA Directors' Cup Division I standings and Wake Forest is ranked fifth. Wake Forest enjoyed a remarkable fall. The Deacons won the field hockey NCAA championship -- WFU??s first national title since the men??s golf team in 1986 and the first by a Deacon women??s team. The men??s soccer team was ranked No. 1 nationally and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. The women??s cross country team won the ACC championship and finished ninth in the NCAA championships. The football team finished 7-6 after beating Oregon, 38-17 in the Seattle Bowl. Wake Forest is one of three ACC schools represented in the Director??s Cup top 10.
Three Hall of Fame inductees to be recognized at halftime Jan. 26
Elmer Barbour, Dickie Davis and Vic Sorrell, three former Wake Forest University standouts, will be inducted into the WFU Sports Hall of Fame at a banquet Jan. 25 and will be recognized against at halftime of the Jan. 26 Florida State game. Barbour is a two-time All-Southern Conference selection in football in 1943 and 1944. A blocking back, Barbour lettered at Wake Forest from 1941-44, serving as co-captain in 1943 and captain in 1944. Davis was a standout on both offense and defense for Wake Forest football teams from 1949-51. He was chosen All-Southern Conference as a quarterback in 1950, and was named all-conference as a safety in 1951, earning the rare honor of being named all-league on both sides of the ball. Sorrell is one of the greatest pitchers in Wake Forest baseball history. He hurled the Deacons to three consecutive state championships from 1924-26. He went on to play 10 seasons for the Detroit Tigers and played on two American League championship teams. Barbour, Davis and Sorrell are the 91st, 92nd and 93rd inductees into the Hall of Fame.
