Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Host Yale Monday Before Heading To The Big Apple
11/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2004
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Game 3
Nov. 22, 2004 n 7:05 p.m. / Winston-Salem, NC / Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,665)
Television: None.
Radio: Wake Forest/ISP Radio Network. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action. Chris Ferris is the producer/engineer.
Records: Wake Forest is 2-0 after beating visiting Virginia Commonwealth Thursday night, 81-67. Yale is 0-1 with a game Saturday against either Hartford or William & Mary.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll and No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Yale is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy) is 69-29 (.704) in his fourth season with the Demon Deacons, 234-107 (.686) in his 12th season overall. Yale coach James Jones (Albany `86) is 64-77 in his sixth season with the Bulldogs, 64-77 in six seasons overall.
Series: Wake Forest leads, 4-1.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons Host Yale Monday Before Heading To The Big Apple
No. 2-ranked Wake Forest, 2-0 after beating George Washington and Virginia Commonwealth in Preseason NIT games this week, hosts Yale Monday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (7:05 pm/no TV).
Monday's game against the Bulldogs marks the start of a busy week for the Demon Deacons, who will play Wednesday and Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York in the semifinals and finals of the Preseason NIT. Wake Forest plays Providence in Wednesday's semifinal and Arizona takes on Michigan in the other semifinal.
Wake Forest beat George Washington (97-76) Monday night and Virginia Commonwealth (81-67) Thursday night. Sophomore All-American candidate Chris Paul scored 41 points in the two games combined to lead the Deacons.
Yale, expected to challenge for the Ivy League crown this season, lost to Radford, 72-71, in the opening round of the Williams & Mary Tip-Off Classic Friday night. The Bulldogs, 12-15 last season, plays either William & Mary or Hartford on Saturday.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series 4-1 including wins over the Bulldogs in each of the last two seasons.
Today's Tip-Off
- Wake Forest will try avoid losing to an Ivy League school for the first time since a 88-66 loss at Penn on Dec. 20, 1978.
- The Demon Deacons have a busy week ahead -- Monday vs. Yale; Wednesday vs. Providence in New York and Friday in the Preseason NIT finals (or consolation), also in New York.
- Wake Forest has won 40 of its last 41 non-conference home games. The Deacons haven't lost a home game to an unranked team in the Skip Prosser era.
- The Deacons have shot 50 percent or better in both games and have out-rebounded their opponents in both games.
Deacons Topple VCU, 81-67
Chris Paul scored 16 points despite taking just three shots from the field Thursday night to help the No. 2 Demon Deacons beat Virginia Commonwealth 81-67 in the Preseason NIT.
Paul hit 14 of 15 free throws and had five assists for the Demon Deacons (2-0). Justin Gray added 14 points and was one of five Wake Forest players in double figures. Alexander Harper had 17 points to lead the Rams (1-1).
As in their season opener against George Washington, the Demon Deacons shot 50 percent and had some brilliant offensive spurts.
They opened the game with eight straight points and led by double figures after just five minutes. They also had an 18-0 first-half run that put them ahead to stay despite Paul being on the bench with two fouls.
But they also had stretches full of turnovers, missed free throws and shaky defense that helped the Rams hang around in a game that threatened to get away from them in the opening minutes.
The game was a rematch of last season's first-round NCAA tournament game, won by Wake Forest 79-78.
Paul Has Huge Night From The Line
Sophomore Chris Paul led Wake Forest in scoring Thursday night against VCU with 16 points on just one field goal. Paul scored 14 of his points at the free throw line, going 14-of-15 from the stripe. More on Paul's effort Thursday:
- Paul's 14 free throws were the most by a Deacon player in the Skip Prosser era -- the most since Darius Songaila made 14 against Virginia on March 2, 2000.
- The 14 free throws tie for the 13th-most in Wake Forest history.
- Paul came within one free throw made of tying for the most free throws by a Wake Forest player in Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Tim Duncan made 15 free throws against Florida State on Feb. 7, 1996.
- The 15 free throw attempts tied for the most by a Deacon in the Prosser era. Ironically, the last time a WFU player attempted 15 free throws was by Paul against the very same VCU team on March 18, 2004, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Last Season: WFU 86, Yale 61
Jamaal Levy led four Wake Forest players in double figures with 19 points as the No. 18 Demon Deacons rolled to a 86-61 victory over Yale on Nov. 29, 2003 before 4,031 at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Levy also had a game-high seven rebounds for Wake Forest, which had 11 team steals and forced 20 turnovers. Justin Gray added 15 points, Eric Williams 12 and Vytas Danelius 10 for the Demon Deacons, who shot 33-for-66 from the field.
Wake Forest took a 41-27 lead into the break when Justin Gray made a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer. The Demon Deacons forced 13 Yale turnovers in the first half and had eight steals.
Wake Forest-Yale Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 4-1.
- The Deacons and Bulldogs will meet for the third consecutive season.
- Wake Forest has won the last two meetings -- 86-61 last season in Bridgeport, CT and 73-61 in Joel Coliseum on Nov. 27, 2002 to open the 2002-03 season.
- Yale's only victory in the series came in Winston-Salem in Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 21, 1971 -- an 85-75 Bulldog win.
- Yale nearly ended Wake Forest's first and only Final Four run. In 1962, Wake needed overtime to beat the Bulldogs, 92-82, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia.
- The first meeting between the two schools came on New Year's Eve, 1958 in the -- uggh -- seventh-place game of the Dixie Classic in Raleigh. Wake Forest avoided finishing last in the eight-team tournament by beating the Bulldogs, 85-76.
- Wake Forest is 12-5 all-time against Ivy League teams. The Deacons have played every Ivy League squad with the exception of Harvard.
- WFU coach Skip Prosser is 2-0 all-time against Yale.
Bulldogs Have Two Players From NC
Yale juniors Dominick Martin and Juan Wheat, both from North Carolina, will have a homecoming of sorts on Monday. Martin hails from Asheville and attended A.C. Reynolds High School. Wheat is from Fayetteville and went to Seventy-First High School.
Deacs 25-1 In Last 26 November Games
Wake Forest is 25-1 in games played in November since 1999. The Demon Deacons have won seven straight November games with their last loss coming in the finals of the 2001 Preseason NIT against Syracuse on Nov. 23, 2001.
Deacons Tough At The Joel
Wake Forest has always enjoyed success within the friendly confines of Lawrence Joel Coliseum, winning at an 81.8 percent clip. In recent years, that percentage is even higher. In Skip Prosser's four seasons with the Deacons, Wake is 43-6 (.878), including a perfect 16-0 mark in 2002-03.
The Deacons have not lost a home non-conference game since Feb. 9, 2002 -- a 103-94 loss to sixth-ranked Cincinnati in Prosser's first seasons with the Deacons. Under Prosser, Wake is 24-1 at home against non-ACC competition.
Wake Forest has won 40 of its last 41 home games against non-conference opponents.
WFU's all-time record in Joel Coliseum is 188-42.
Deacs Head To NYC For Preseason NIT
Wake Forest joins Providence, Arizona and Michigan next week in the Preseason NIT semifinals at New York's Madison Square Garden.
The Demon Deacons play Providence Wednesday in the first semifinal at 7 pm (ESPN2). Arizona and Michigan play in the nightcap at approximately 9:30 pm. The two winners advance to Friday's championship game at 7 pm. Wednesday's losers play in a consolation game on Friday at 4:30 pm.
Wake's Preseason NIT History
Wake Forest is 5-1 in two Preseason NIT appearances.
Wake Forest has played in the Preseason NIT just once before -- the 2001-02 season, which was Skip Prosser's first year in Winston-Salem. The Demon Deacons barely made it out of the first round that year. A last-second Darius Songaila field goal gave Wake Forest a 79-78 win over visiting UNC-Wilmington, which was threatening to spoil Prosser's debut.
Following the win over UNCW, Wake Forest won on the road at Arkansas, 76-71. In the semifinals at Madison Square Garden, the Deacons held on for a 62-61 win over 23rd-ranked Fresno State, then lost in the championship game two nights later to Syracuse, 74-67.
Wake Forest is 2-0 in this year's edition of the Preseason NIT with a 97-76 win over George Washington (Nov. 15) and a 81-67 victory against VCU (Nov. 18).
Wake Forest Familiar With The Big Apple
Wednesday's game will mark Wake Forest's ninth game in Madison Square Garden over the last seven seasons. A quick look at Wake's history in the Garden:
2003-04 -- Wake Forest opened the season with a 85-76 win over Memphis in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Taron Downey, one week removed from an emergency appendectomy, scored a career-high 20 points. Downey's illness allowed Chris Paul to start the opener and the Deacon guard has been in the starting five since.
2001-02 -- Playing in the Preseason NIT, the Deacons edged 23rd-ranked Fresno State 62-61 in the semifinals, then lost to 18th-ranked Syracuse 74-67 in the finals. Later that season (Dec. 22), Wake Forest lost in the Garden to St. John's, 70-62.
1999-00 -- Wake Forest captured the Postseason NIT championship in New York by beating ACC rival NC State in an overtime semifinal, then topped Matt Doherty's Notre Dame team, 71-61, in the championship game.
1998-99 -- The Deacs opened the season by splitting a pair of games in the Garden as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Wake beat Illinois, 75-73, in the opener, then fell to 7th-ranked Temple, 59-48, one night later.
More on the Deacons in the Garden:
- Prior to 1998, Wake Forest went more than 15 years without a trip to MSG.
- In 1982-83, the Deacons played three games in the Garden, beating St. Joseph's and losing to St. John's in the Holiday Festival, then falling to Fresno State later that season in the semifinals of the postseason NIT.
- During the 1960-61 season, Wake lost to NYU (70-61) in a regular season game at the Garden, then came back in March to beat St. John's (97-74) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Buck Stops There
One Wake Forest player -- junior walk-on John Buck -- will be close to home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Buck is from Westbury, NY, and attended Long Island Lutheran High School. Deacons No. 2 In Both National Polls
Wake Forest, at No. 2, owns its highest Associated Press preseason ranking ever.
Kansas earned the AP's No. 1 ranking with 25 first-place votes and 1,697 points from the national media panel, edging Wake Forest, which had 22 first-place votes and 1,680 points. The Demon Deacons were the first of three straight Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the poll, and six teams from the league were in the Top 25.
"I think you could put several ACC teams in a bushel, shake them around and one team would be No. 2," Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said. "That's how strong the ACC is."
Georgia Tech and North Carolina were third and fourth in the balloting. No. 11 Duke, No. 15 Maryland and No. 19 North Carolina State round out the ACC teams in the poll.
The Deacons are preseason top five in the AP poll for just the third time in school history. The Tim Duncan-led Deacons of 1996-97 carried a No. 4 preseason ranking and the 1961-62 Wake Forest team, which ultimately made it to the Final Four, was preseason No. 3.
The No. 2 ranking matches Wake Forest's highest ranking ever. The Deacs were ranked No. 2 for 10 weeks (non-consecutive) in 1996-97. Only Maryland (23 times) and Louisville (16) have been ranked No. 2 more often without ever reaching No. 1.
Wake Forest is also No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Could This Be The Year? Wake Forest has been ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll 11 times, but the Deacons have never claimed the No. 1 spot.
Deacs Play With 10 Scholarship Players
Sophomore Jeremy Ingram will transfer at the end of the semester and Cameron Stanley, Wake Forest's only freshman, will likely redshirt this season. That leaves the Deacons with 10 scholarship players and three walk-ons.
Experimental Rules In Play
Wake Forest and its opponents will be using experimental rules in every game throughout the Preseason NIT.
There will be three experimental rules in place:
- Moving the three-point line nine inches behind the current three-point line to create a distance of 20 feet, six inches.
- Widening the free throw lane by 1 1/2 feet on each side.
- Placing a restricted area arc which is two feet from the center of the basket ring.
Closing In On A Grand
Seniors Taron Downey (800 career points), Vytas Danelius (779) and Jamaal Levy (640) are all within reach of 1,000 career points. But a junior -- Justin Gray (850 points) -- may beat them to the punch. With 41 1,000-point scorers in its history, Wake Forest ranks ninth among all Division I schools.
Chris Paul Preseason All-America
Wake Forest sophomore Chris Paul was the leading vote-getter for the Associated Press preseason All-American Team announced Nov. 9. Paul was joined on the first team by Kansas' Wayne Simien, NC State's Julius Hodge, Syracuse's Hakim Warrick and Mississippi State's Lawrence Roberts.
Chris Paul ACC Preseason Player Of Year
Wake Forest sophomore Chris Paul edged out NC State's Julius Hodge for pre-season ACC Player of the Year honors by a 38-to-35 count. North Carolina's Marvin Williams was the media's clear cut choice as the preseason ACC Rookie of the Year, receiving 60 of 87 ballots cast. Paul and Hodge joined North Carolina's Rashad McCants and Sean May and Duke's J.J. Redick on the preseason All-ACC team.
Deacons First In ACC Preseason Poll
Wake Forest was the top pick in the media's preseason poll conducted Oct. 31 at the 43rd annual Atlantic Coast Conference Operation Basketball. The Deacons received 65 of a possible 91 votes for 965 points. North Carolina was second with 13 first place votes and 866 points, followed by Georgia Tech with 836 points and Duke with 746.
Ingram Says He Will Transfer
Jeremy Ingram, a sophomore guard on the Wake Forest basketball team, will transfer to another school at the end of the fall semester, head coach Skip Prosser announced Nov. 2.
Ingram, a 6-3 Kinston (NC) native, played in eight games last season. He averaged 1.6 points and 0.8 rebounds per game.
"Jeremy Ingram is a very good basketball player and more importantly, an outstanding young man," Prosser said. "He will be an asset to whatever school he chooses and we wish him the very best."
Ingram will remain in school until the end of the fall semester. He has not indicated where he will transfer.
"I appreciate the opportunity given to me by Coach Prosser and his staff," Ingram said. "I have nothing but great things to say about Wake Forest and the basketball program. I also appreciate my teammates and will miss them very much."
Chris Ellis Back From Suspension
Chris Ellis played just two minutes in Thursday's win over VCU, but the junior forward received one of the loudest ovations of the night. For Ellis, 6-9, Thursday's game marked his first action of the season after being suspended for both exhibition games and the season opener for a violation of team rules.
Senior Class Is A Diverse Group
Wake Forest's three seniors hail from three different countries. Vytas Danelius (Lithuania), Jamaal Levy (Panama) and Taron Downey (Oxford, NC) form a diverse trio that probably doesn't receive the recognition it deserves.
All three were recruited by then-coach Dave Odom, and re-recruited by current head coach Skip Prosser. Danelius, Downey and Levy have combined to play in 284 games. Wake Forest has won 69 games during their careers.
Only Danelius, a second team All-ACC selection in 2003, has earned all-league honors. That could change this year. After an injury-plagued junior season, Danelius appears ready for his best year yet. Levy is one of the top defensive players in college basketball and one of the ACC's leading returning rebounders. Downey ranks among Wake's all-time leaders in assists and three-point field goals.
Stanley May Redshirt In 2004-05
Cameron Stanley, the only freshman on the Demon Deacon roster, is recovering from a torn ACL just fine. Stanley suffered the injury last December in the seventh game of his senior year at Raleigh Millbrook High School. He was cleared to participate in practice just before drills began Oct. 16. Stanley has participated in drills with no problems so far. Stanley, however, may elect to redshirt this season. He has not played in a competitive game since early December of 2003.
Three Sign National Letters Of Intent
Three talented high school seniors - two from North Carolina and one from New Mexico - signed letters of intent to play basketball at Wake Forest beginning next season, head coach Skip Prosser announced.
Harvey Hale (Albuquerque, NM/Rio Grande HS), Kevin Swinton (Greensboro, NC/Dudley HS) and David Weaver (Black Mountain, NC/Owen HS) will make up the Deacon freshman class. The three signees, all highly-rated nationally, will give Wake Forest help in at least three positions.
"We really think this is a solid class that will help us compete at the highest level," Prosser said. "Every school in the ACC has outstanding recruiting classes almost every season and again, this class will help us compete within the league. All three young men are potentially terrific basketball players, they are outstanding students, good people and come from quality high school programs."
Hale, 6-3 and 190 pounds, is considered the top prep prospect in New Mexico and is rated in the top 150 nationally by Rivals.com. He averaged 19.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game as a junior. Hale, who also plays for the Arizona/New Mexico Pump n' Run AAU team, chose the Deacons over Arkansas, Arizona State, DePaul, SMU and Stanford. He is coached at Rio Grande High School by Ron Garcia.
"Harvey (Hale) is a combo guard who we feel will help fill the void created by the impending loss of Taron Downey," Prosser said. "Harvey is not the pure shooter that Taron is, but he is longer and is potentially an even better defender. He has a knack for scoring and he leads one of the best high school teams in New Mexico.
Swinton, 6-7 and 230 pounds, is one of the top forwards in the nation. He averaged 22.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as a junior at Dudley. Swinton is ranked as the 20th-best power forward nationally by Rivals and the 47th-best prospect overall by Hoopmasters. A member of the 2004 USA South Team at the Olympic sports festival, Swinton also plays for the North Carolina Gaters AAU team. Swinton plays for coach David Price at Dudley.
"Kevin is a product of one of the most prestigious high school programs in North Carolina," Prosser said. "He is strong, very athletic and he is a winner."
Weaver, 6-10 and 210 pounds, is ranked No. 27 among power forwards nationally by Rivals and in the top 85 overall by Hoopmasters. Hoop Scoop ranked Weaver as the fifth-best post player at the Nike camp. Weaver averaged 12.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. He also produced a lofty grade-point-average of 3.93. Weaver, who also runs track at Owen, is teammates with Swinton on the North Carolina Gaters AAU team. Weaver played for coach Roger Schnepp at Owen.
"David Weaver has great length and good ball skills for a young man of his size," Prosser said. "We feel that he has a bright, bright future at Wake Forest."
Brutal Schedule
Notes on the 2004-05 Demon Deacon schedule:
- Eight Wake Forest opponents are ranked in the Associated Press top 25 -- (3) Georgia Tech, (4) North Carolina, (5) Illinois, (11) Duke, (15) Maryland, (16) Texas and (19) NC State. Cincinnati and George Washington, also Wake opponents, are receiving votes. That means that 12 of WFU's regular season games come against teams that are at least receiving votes in the AP poll.
- Eleven of Wake's regular season games come against teams that were ranked in the final 2004 Associated Press top 25: (13) Illinois, (12) Texas, (19) Maryland, (18) North Carolina, (11) Cincinnati and two games against (6) Duke, (14) Georgia Tech and (15) NC State.
- Wake Forest will play at least nine different teams that participated in the 2004 NCAA Tournament for a total of 12 games: Illinois, Richmond, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, Cincinnati, and two games against Duke, Georgia Tech and NC State. That number could go up if the Deacons advance in the Preseason NIT to face VCU and others.
- Four other Deacon opponents -- George Washington, Temple, Florida State and Virginia -- played in the 2004 Postseason NIT for a total of 13 different opponents to participate in postseason action last season.
- Four of Wake Forest's final 12 regular season games come against two 2004 Final Four teams -- Duke and Georgia Tech.
New Floor, New Uniforms
Lawrence Joel Coliseum, the home of Demon Deacon basketball, has a new playing floor this season. The new floor replaces the original surface, which had been in place since the facility opened in 1989.
Also new this year are the Wake Forest uniforms. The Deacons will sport new Nike Elite uniforms with versions in white, gold and black.
The First And The Last
Wake Forest played the first game this season involving an ACC school -- Nov. 15 vs. George Washington -- and will play in the last game of the ACC regular season -- March 6 at 8 p.m. at NC State.
A New Era In The ACC
Miami and Virginia Tech join the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004-05, giving the league 11 teams. The regular season ACC schedule will still consist of 16 games. The Deacons are 2-0 all-time against Miami with the last meeting coming in 1990-91. Wake Forest is 24-20 all-time against Virginia Tech with the last meeting coming in 1998-99.
Bringing Home The Gold
Junior Justin Gray and sophomore Chris Paul were two of 12 college all-stars who led the United States to a gold medal this summer at the World U-20 Championship Qualifying Tournament in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The two Deacons started every game and helped the USA to a perfect 5-0 record. If not for a case of extreme dehydration, which sent Wake's Eric Williams to the hospital during the trials, the USA team would have likely included three Demon Deacons.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Wake Forest has won 11 straight season openers and the Deacons are 71-28 all-time in season openers.
- The Deacons have won 16 consecutive home openers. The last time the Deacons lost their first home game of the season came on Nov. 28, 1988 -- the last season WFU played in old Memorial Coliseum. That loss came against Richmond, 74-61.
Deacons Rally For 97-76 Win In Opener
Wake Forest outscored George Washington 22-6 down the stretch to win its opener, 97-76, Monday at Joel Coliseum. Sophomore Chris Paul scored 25 points and six assists to lead the Demon Deacons. Justin Gray had 18 points and seven steals and Vytas Danelius chipped in with 17 points.
George Washington tried several halfcourt and fullcourt trapping defenses, hoping to force Paul - the leading vote-getter on The AP preseason All-America team - to give the ball up. When they failed, Paul made them pay by spinning through double teams, penetrating into the lane and finding open teammates.
Deacs Post Big Numbers In Exhibitions
Wake Forest put up big numbers in two exhibition victories, averaging 96.0 points per game and winning by an average of 37 points.
The Deacons also shot well overall with a field goal percentage of .553. Wake Forest out-rebounded its two Division II opponents by an average of 29 boards per game.
However, Wake Forest averaged 24 turnovers per game and the Deacons shot poorly from three-point range (.226) and from the free throw line (.619).
Deacons Sloppy But Win Exhibition By 28
Wake Forest sophomore guard Chris Paul led six players in double figures with 15 points as the Demon Deacons closed the exhibition season with a 89-61 victory over inter-city rival Winston-Salem State Nov. 11.
Paul went 6-for-10 from the floor and added four rebounds, five assists and seven steals. Junior Eric Williams added a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Williams went 5-for-7 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Jamaal Levy added 14 points, while Trent Strickland and Kyle Visser each chipped in 13 points off the Demon Deacon bench. Levy was an efficient 6-for-8 from the field with five rebounds and two steals. Visser and Strickland went 5-for-7 and 5-for-8 from the floor, respectively. Visser also collected eight rebounds.
Wake Trounces USC-Upstate, 103-57
Wake Forest sophomore Chris Paul earned bragging rights from older brother C.J., a senior guard at USC-Upstate, as the Demon Deacons whipped the Division II Spartans 103-57 lNov. 4 in Wake's first exhibition game.
The elder Paul got into early foul trouble, limiting the amount of time the two brothers actually guarded one another. Chris Paul finished with 11 points, 9 assists and 6 steals. C.J. scored seven points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
Six Deacons scored in double figures, paced by junior Justin Gray's 20 points. Gray was 4-of-7 from three-point range. Sophomore Kyle Visser added 17 points and nine boards and junior Trent Strickland recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Wake Forest shot a sizzling 55.9 percent from the field and out-rebounded the outmanned Spartans, 63-26.
Veterans Shine In Black/Gold Game
Senior forward Vytas Danelius scored a game-high 12 points to lead the Gold past the Black, 45-26, in the 20-minute Oct. 23 Black/Gold Game at Joel Coliseum.
A crowd of 5,500 was on hand to watch Wake's first public scrimmage of the season. Sophomore All-American candidate Chris Paul did not play because of a strained groin.
