Deacons Will Get Tough Test Saturday At Yale
11/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2003
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Game #3
#18/18 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-0) at Yale Bulldogs (2-1)
Saturday, Nov. 29 1 p.m. Harbor Yards Arena (9,500) Bridgeport, CT
Tip-Off: 1:05 p.m.
Television: Comcast tape delay.
Radio: Deacon Radio Network (ISP). TBA (play-by-play) and Mark Friedinger (color analysis) call the action.
Records: Wake Forest is 2-0 after wins over Memphis (85-76) and Elon (97-55) Yale is 2-1 after beating Eastern Michigan and Coastal Carolina last weekend. The Bulldogs play Bucknell on Wednesday.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 18th in the Associated Press poll and 18th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Yale is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 48-19 in three seasons with the Deacons, 213-97 in 11 seasons overall. Yale coach James Jones (Albany '86) is 54-62 in his fourth year with the Bulldogs, 54-62 in four years overall.
SID Contacts: Wake Forest assistant athletic director/media relations Dean Buchan; Yale basketball SID Tim Bennett.
Websites: Wake Forest -- WakeForestSports.com; Yale -- Yalebulldogs.com.
The Series: Wake Forest leads, 3-1.
Officials: Announced on game day.
On Deck: Wake Forest hosts Indiana Dec. 2 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Yale entertains Sacred Heart Dec. 4.
Deacs Face Tough Road Test Saturday
Wake Forest, 2-0 after whipping Elon 97-55 last Saturday, plays a strong Yale team this Saturday in Bridgeport, CT (1:00 p.m.).
Sophomore center Eric Williams paced a balanced Deacon attack with 16 points against the Phoenix. Wake played without junior forward Vytas Danelius, who sprained his foot and ankle in last Friday's practice.
Yale is 2-1 after beating Eastern Michigan and Coastal Carolina on consecutive days last weekend to win the Marist Classic. The Bulldogs' only loss came in the opener to No. 1-ranked Connecticut and Yale led in that game by three points at halftime.
The game will only be televised in Connecticut.
Noteworthy
- Wake Forest, playing its first true road game of the season, has a three-game winning streak in road games.
- The Deacons have won three out of their last four non-conference road games.
- Wake Forest is 22-1 in its last 23 games played in the month of November.
- The Deacons are looking to begin the season 3-0 for the fifth straight year.
- Vytas Danelius, who sat out last Saturday's game against Elon, did not practice on Monday and is listed as day-to-day.
- The Deacons moved up to No. 18 in both national polls this week.
Deacons Cruise To 42-Point Win Vs. Elon
Wake Forest used a small lineup and a pressing defense to whip Elon, 97-55, Saturday afternoon in the Deacons' home opener.
Sophomore Eric Williams led all scorers with 16 points and Justin Gray and Jamaal Levy scored 13 points each for Wake Forest. The Deacons shot 55.4 percent while limiting the Phoenix to just 30.0 percent shooting.
Wake Forest, playing without injured junior forward Vytas Danelius (sprained ankle and foot), led 40-20 at intermission.
Notes from Saturday's win:
- Wake Forest won its 18th consecutive home game.
- The Deacons' 42-point margin of victory tied for the fourth-largest in Joel Coliseum history.
- Wake Forest's 16 steals were the most in the Skip Prosser era and its 26 assists tied for the most in the Prosser era.
- The Deacons begin the season 2-0 for the fifth straight season.
Wake Suffers Its Share Of Injuries
Two key members of Wake Forest's 2003 ACC regular season championship team -- junior forward Vytas Danelius and sophomore forward Chris Ellis -- sat on the sidelines in dress clothes for last Saturday's win over Elon.
Ellis broke a bone in his right foot during Wake's first practice of the season on Nov. 18. Danelius sprained his left ankle and foot in last Friday's practice.
Earlier this year, junior guard Taron Downey missed nearly a week of practice after undergoing an appendectomy (see story below).
The question now is: when will the Deacons be at full strength? No date has been targeted for Ellis' return, although he should be back in action in two to three weeks. Danelius is day-to-day.
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.
Wake Moves Up To 18th In National Polls
Wake Forest inched up to 18th i(from 19th) in the Associated Press poll and to 18th (from 21st) in the ESPN/USA Today poll this week.
The Deacons have been ranked in the AP poll for 16 consecutive weeks dating back to last season. Wake has been ranked in the AP poll 30 times in 37 weeks under Skip Prosser. Four Wake opponents are in the AP top 25 -- (2) Duke, (9) North Carolina, (11) Texas, (19) Cincinnati and (25) NC State.
Deacons Are A Balanced Bunch So Far
Through two games, four Deacons are averaging scoring in double figures and eight players are averaging at least eight points per game.
In the rebounding category, Jamaal Levy (8.5 rpg.) and Vytas Danelius (8.0 rpg.) lead the way, but four other players are averaging at least four boards per contest.
Six different Deacons have made at least one three-point field goal and 11 different players are averaging at least 10 minutes of action per game.
Homecourt Streak At 18
Wake Forest has not lost a home game since Feb. 21, 2002 -- a streak of 18 consecutive wins. The Deacons went 16-0 at home last season and are 1-0 this year.
The 18-game streak ties for the fifth-longest current streak in Division I.
Wake Forest-Yale Connections
- Yale has two players on its roster -- Dominick Martin (Asheville) and Juan Wheat (Fayetteville) -- who hail from North Carolina.
Deacon-Bulldog Series History
- Wake Forest leads the series, 3-1.
- The Deacons beat the Bulldogs, 73-61, in the 2002-03 season opener in Winston-Salem.
- The two teams met once in the 1950s, once in the 1960s and once in the 1970s, then did not meet between 1971-72 and 2002-03.
- Wake Forest will play Yale in Connecticut for the first time. The last two meetings came in Winston-Salem and previous games were in Philadelphia (1962 NCAA Tournament) and in Raleigh (1958-59 Dixie Classic).
- The Deacons beat the Bulldogs on the way to the 1962 Final Four -- barely. Wake Forest won the first-round game, 92-82, in overtime.
- Wake Forest has played a game in the state of Connecticut just once previously -- an 84-75 loss to UConn in Hartford on Dec. 2, 1991.
- The Deacons are 10-5 all-time against teams from the Ivy League, including the win over Yale last season. Wake Forest will play the Ivy League's Brown Jan. 6. Harvard is the only Ivy League team Wake Forest has never played.
- Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 1-0 all-time versus Yale.
If They Play Like Dad...
On Saturday, Wake Forest will play Yale and Bulldog guard John Shumate. Shumate is the son of the former Notre Dame and NBA standout by the same name. The elder Shumate is now head coach of the WNBA Phoenix Mercury.
On Dec. 2, Wake Forest will host Indiana and Hoosier freshman Patrick Ewing, Jr. Ewing, of course, is the son of the former Georgetown and New York Knicks great. The younger Ewing was a teammate of Wake Forest's Chris Ellis back in Marietta, Ga.
Last season Wake Forest played against Moses Malone, Jr., who scored 18 points for South Carolina State.
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.
- Wake Forest will likely not start a senior this season. The last time the Deacons did not start a senior all season came in 1987-88.
Milestones On The Horizon
- Junior Taron Downey is 17 points away from his 500th career point.
- Downey recorded his 200th career assist last Saturday against Elon.
- Junior Jamaal Levy is 10 rebounds away from his 300th career board.
- Levy recorded his 50th and 51st career steals last Saturday against Elon.
- Junior Vytas Danelius is 19 rebounds away from his 400th career rebound.
- Sophomore Eric Williams is four points shy of his 300th career point.
- Head coach Skip Prosser is two wins shy of his 50th victory at Wake Forest.
It's A Little Early For This
Wale Forest, through Sunday, ranked third in the nation in scoring offense (91.0 ppg.) behind Villanova and Connecticut.
Deacons Add Three Walk-Ons
Wake Forest added three non-scholarship walk-ons to the roster.
Two of the newcomers -- 6-8 sophomore John Buck (Westbury, NY) and 6-6 junior Scott Benken (Cincinnati, OH) -- played on the team last year. The new face is 6-1 junior guard Scott Feather (Maryville, OH). There are now 16 players on the Demon Deacon roster including four non-scholarship players.
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.
Wake Signs One In Early Signing Period
Cameron Stanley, a 6-7 senior at Raleigh Millbrook High School, signed a letter-of-intent to play basketball at Wake Forest, Demon Deacon head coach Skip Prosser confirmed November 19.
Stanley averaged 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game as a junior in 2002-03 while leading Millbrook to a 26-5 record. He was a finalist for North Carolina's Mr. Basketball, he earned a spot on the all-conference team and he emerged as one of the nation's top prospects at the ABCD camp in Teaneck, N.J.. Stanley was also invited to USA Basketball's Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo. As a sophomore, Stanley averaged 19.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
"We are pleased and excited to have Cameron join our family," Prosser said. "He is an outstanding player with a very bright future, he's a good student and he will be a good representative of the University. With just one scholarship available, it was important to sign someone with Cameron's versatility."
The current Wake Forest roster includes no scholarship seniors. Assuming the roster remains intact, Stanley will be one of nine North Carolina natives on the 2004-05 Deacon roster.
Did You Know?
- Yale plays at Bucknell Wednesday night. Mark Prosser, son of Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser, is a Bucknell assistant coach.
- Entering Monday's games, ACC teams are a combined 12-0.
- Saturday's game at Yale will be the first game of a triple-header that day at Harbor Yards Arena. Fairfield, the main tenant of that facility, has a men's and women's game following the Deacon-Bulldog basketball game.
- In Monday's CollegeRPI ratings, Yale is rated fourth nationally.
Miscellaneous
- Four former Deacons -- Tim Duncan (San Antonio), Rodney Rogers (New Jersey), Josh Howard (Dallas) and Darius Songaila (Sacramento) -- are on NBA rosters.
- Sophomore Trent Strickland is wearing jersey No. 33 this year after wearing No. 34 last season.
- Wake Forest is 26-23 all-time against the three teams that will soon join the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Deacons are 24-20 all-time against Virginia Tech and last played the Hokies in 1999. Wake is 2-0 versus Miami with the last meeting in 1991. The Deacs are 0-3 all-time against Boston College with the last meeting coming in 1986.
- Wake Forest will play against nine of the 50 individual preseason candidates for the John Wooden Award: Chris Duhon (Duke), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Julius Hodge (NC State), Jason Maxiell (Cincinnati), Rashad McCants (North Carolina), Brandon Mouton (Texas), J.J. Redick (Duke), James Thomas (Texas) and Bracey Wright (Indiana).
- Deacon head coach Skip Prosser has never lost a season opener in 11 years of coaching. n Wake Forest has won 15 consecutive home openers, including a 97-55 win over Elon on Nov. 22.