Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Home Opener Is Saturday Vs. Elon
11/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2003
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Game #2
#20/21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-0) vs. Elon Phoenix (0-0)
Saturday, Nov. 22 / 2:05 p.m. / Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,665) / Winston-Salem, NC / no TV
Tip-Off: 2:05 p.m.
Television: None.
Radio: Deacon Radio Network (ISP). Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Friedinger (color analysis) call the action.
Records: Wake Forest is 1-0 after an 85-76 win over Memphis Nov. 13 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Elon is 0-0 and will play Monday and Tuesday in the Guardians Classic in Columbia, SC.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today preseason poll and 20th in the Associated Press poll. Elon is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 47-19 in three seasons with the Deacons, 212-97 in 11 seasons overall. Elon coach Ernie Nestor (Alderson-Broaddus '68) is 0-0 in his first season with the Phoenix, 68-81 in five years overall.
SID Contacts: Wake Forest assistant athletic director/media relations Dean Buchan; Elon SID Matt Eviston.
Websites: Wake Forest -- WakeForestSports.com; Elon -- Elon.edu
The Series: Wake Forest leads, 31-6.
Officials: Announced on game day.
On Deck: Wake Forest plays Yale Nov. 29 in Bridgeport, CT. Elon hosts Bluefield Nov. 28.
Deacons Return To Action Saturday
Wake Forest, 1-0 after an 85-76 win over Memphis last Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York, plays its home opener Saturday against Elon (2 p.m./no TV). Junior Taron Downey, not expected to play much after undergoing an emergency appendectomy eight days earlier, came off the bench for a career-high 20 points to lead the Deacons past the Tigers. Sophomore Justin Gray scored all 12 of his points in the first half. Elon, 0-0, opens its 2003-04 season Monday and Tuesday in Columbia, SC in the Guardians Classic. The Phoenix play Idaho Monday and either South Carolina or Gardner-Webb Tuesday.
Noteworthy
- Saturday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for Elon head coach Ernie Nestor, who spent 14 years as a Wake Forest assistant coach.
- Two of Nestor's assistant coaches -- Tim Fuller and Jim Fitzpatrick -- played at Wake Forest.
- Wake Forest has won 14 consecutive home openers.
- The Deacons bring a 17-game homecourt winning streak into Saturday's game.
- Wake and Elon will meet for the third straight year and for the 38th time overall. The two teams did not meet between 1951 and 2001.
- Sophomore Chris Ellis (broken bone in foot) got his cast removed last Friday.
Downey Makes Remarkable Recovery To Lead Deacons To Season-Opening Win
Junior guard Taron Downey was expected to play sparingly -- if at all -- in Wake Forest's season opener Nov. 13 against Memphis in Madison Square Garden.
After all, just eight days earlier, Gray had an emergency appendectomy. He took part in just one practice and avoided all contact drills prior to the team's departure to New York. Freshman Chris Paul started in Downey's spot at point guard.
When sophomore guard Justin Gray got into foul trouble, Downey was inserted into the game. Coach Skip Prosser continually consulted with Downey on his condition and the junior ended up playing 29 minutes.
Downey scored a career-high 20 points, made 4-of-7 three-point field goals and he added five assists, five rebounds and a blocked shot. For his efforts, he was named Coaches vs. Classic game MVP.
A chronological look at Downey's week:
Nov. 4 -- Downey began feeling poorly and had difficulty sleeping.
Nov. 5 -- After consulting with head trainer Greg Collins, Downey's blood was tested. Later that night, an appendectomy was performed.
Nov. 6 -- Downey was released from the hospital.
Nov. 10 -- Downey dressed out for practice but limited only to shooting.
Nov. 11 -- Downey went through a full practice, although he avoided contact drills.
Nov. 12 -- Team takes a turbulent flight to New York.
Nov. 13 -- Downey comes off the bench to play 29 minutes, score a career-high 20 points, make four three-point field goals, dish out five assists, grab five rebounds and block one shot.
More From The Win Over Memphis
- Wake Forest won its 10th straight season opener.
- Freshman Chris Paul made his first career start and responded with 10 points, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
- Three Wake Forest freshmen -- Paul, Kyle Visser and Todd Hendley -- went a combined 12-of-13 from the free throw line.
- Junior forwards Jamaal Levy and Vytas Danelius combined for 17 rebounds.
- Wake Forest shot just 40.0 percent, but held Memphis to 39.7 percent shooting.
- The Deacons were out-rebounded, 49-47.
Ellis Gets Cast Off Broken Foot
Less than one hour into Wake Forest's first practice of the year -- Saturday, Oct. 18 -- sophomore Chris Ellis suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
Ellis, who played in all 31 games as a freshman last season, underwent successful surgery Oct. 20.
Ellis got the cast off the foot Nov. 14. Although no official date has been targeted for his return, Ellis is projected to return to action in four weeks.
Wake Debuts In Top 25 Of Both Polls
Wake Forest is ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press poll and No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today poll heading into the 2003-04 season.
The Deacons are in the AP preseason poll for the first time since 2000-01 when they were ranked 20th. Last season Wake forest was not ranked in the AP preseason poll but finished ranked eighth in the final poll.
Connecticut is ranked No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The Deacons are one of four ACC teams in the preseason poll, joining No. 2 Duke, No. 10 North Carolina and No. 25 Maryland.
Three Captains Named
Juniors Taron Downey and Jamaal Levy and sophomore Justin Gray were named team captains by head coach Skip Prosser.
With no scholarship seniors on the roster, Downey, Levy and junior Vytas Danelius bring the most experience to the team. The trio has helped the Deacons post 46 wins over the last two seasons and have played in four NCAA Tournament games.
Paul, Hendly, Visser Make Debuts
Freshman point guard Chris Paul enjoyed a solid career debut last Thursday against Memphis. He scored 10 points and had a team-high four steals. Kyle Visser (4 points, 1 rebound) and Todd Hendley also made their career debuts. Freshman Jeremy Ingram did not play.
How did some other former Deacons do in their first career game? Tim Duncan went scoreless in a loss at Alaska-Anchorage. Josh Howard had nine points and five rebounds in a win over Campbell. Rodney Rogers poured in 24 points in a victory against Howard.
Some of the notable Deacon career debuts are listed on the bottom of the next page.
Nestor, Fuller, Fitzpatrick Return To Old Stomping Grounds
Former Wake Forest assistant coach Ernie Nestor returns to Winston-Salem Saturday as head coach of Elon. Nestor's total time at Wake Forest lasted 14 seasons over two separate terms (1979-1985, 1993-2001). He spent his last eight campaigns on the Demon Deacons staff under Odom, helping the team to postseason appearances in all eight of his years there.
In Nestor's time from 1993-2001, Wake Forest captured the 1995 and 1996 ACC Championships, advanced to the 1996 NCAA regional final and claimed the 2000 NIT championship.
Nestor also was an assistant coach under Carl Tacy for six years (1979-1985) at Wake Forest, ironically replacing Odom, who had left to take over the helm at East Carolina. Five Wake Forest teams earned postseason bids in those six years, including three NCAA invitations. The Demon Deacons logged over 20 victories in four consecutive seasons, advancing to the championship game of the 1984 NCAA Midwest Regional.
Elon assistant coach Tim Fuller played at Wake Forest from 1997-2000. Fuller participated as a non-scholarship athlete at Wake Forest under then-coach Dave Odom. As a Demon Deacon, he competed on a Wake team, along with Tim Duncan, that was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.
He ended his career as co-captain of the 2000 National Invitational Tournament (NIT) championship team. Odom rewarded Fuller's work ethic, determination and athletic talent by offering him a deserving scholarship his senior season.
Fitzpatrick, a 2000 Wake Forest graduate, was a two-year letterman and a team captain during his playing days for the Demon Deacons. He transferred to Wake after playing two years at Campbell University.
Fuller Worked With Wake's Paul
Prior to working Elon, Tim Fuller served as assistant coach at West Forsyth High School. Current Deacon Chris Paul and Paul's brother, C.J., played under Fuller at West Forsyth.
More Wake Forest-Elon Connections
- Elon assistant coach Mike Preston previously served on the coaching staff at Hargrave Academy, where he coached current Deacon junior Taron Downey. - Downey and Elon freshman Ryan Jones both attended Hargrave.
Homecourt Streak At 17
Wake Forest has not lost a home game since Feb. 21, 2002 -- a streak of 17 consecutive wins. Wake Forest-Elon Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 31-6.
- The Deacons and Phoenix will meet for the third straight season after failing to meet on the hardwood between 1951 and 2001.
- The first 35 meetings came between 1912-13 and 1950-51.
- The Demon Deacons have won the last 19 meetings. The last time Wake lost to Elon came during the 1920-21 season.
- Wake Forest, once a member of the Southern Conference, is 160-40 all-time against teams currently in that league. Eighty-four of those games have come against Davidson.
- Deacon head coach Skip Prosser is 2-0 all-time against Elon.
- Elon head coach Ernie Nestor has never coached against Wake Forest.
Deacs One Of ACC's Youngest Teams
Wake Forest may have lost just one starter from last year's 25-6 team, but youth still rules the Demon Deacons.
- There are no scholarship seniors on the Wake Forest roster and the Deacons have just three juniors. Nine of the 12 scholarship players are either freshmen or sophomores.
- Wake Forest is the only ACC team with no scholarship seniors on the roster.
- The oldest players on the team are 22-year olds Vytas Danelius and Taron Downey.
- No seniors were in the starting lineup for the Nov. 13 season opener against Memphis. The last time Wake Forest did not start at least one senior came on March 30, 2000, in the championship game of the NIT against Notre Dame.
- The last time the Deacons did not start a senior all season came in 1987-88.
Wake Forest In Home Openers
- Wake Forest has won 14 consecutive home openers. The Deacons last lost their first home game of the season back on Nov. 29, 1988 when Bob Staak's team fell to Richmond, 74-61.
- The Deacons are 30-1 in their last 31 home openers.
Milestones On The Horizon
- Junior Taron Downey needs just two assists to reach the career 200-assist mark.
- Downey is 25 points away from his 500th career point.
- Junior Jamaal Levy is 18 rebounds away from his 300th career board.
- Levy is two steals shy of his 50th career steal.
- Junior Vytas Danelius is 19 rebounds away from his 400th career rebound.
- Sophomore Eric Williams is 20 points shy of his 300th career point.
- Head coach Skip Prosser is three wins shy of his 50th victory at Wake Forest.
