Wake Forest Basketball Notes
11/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2004
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Cross-City Schools Meet For First Time Thursday In Twin City Shootout
Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State, two Winston-Salem school separated by about five miles, meet for the first time ever in a sport other than track and field when the Demon Deacons and Rams meet Thursday night in a men's basketball exhibition game at Joel Coliseum (7 pm/no TV). Thursday's game is billed as the Twin City Shootout, which kicked off with a luncheon co-hosted by the two schools last Thursday.
No. 2-ranked Wake Forest cruised to an easy 103-57 win over Division II USC-Upstate in last Thursday's exhibition game. Six Deacons scored in double figures as Wake's Chris Paul got bragging rights over older brother C.J., a senior guard for the Spartans.
Winston-Salem State, a Division II team from the CIAA, has split a pair of exhibition games against Division I teams. The Rams won on the road at Radford, 76-69, Nov. 3, then lost at third-ranked North Carolina, 113-54, Friday night.
Today's Tip-Off - Just nine scholarship players could be available for duty Thursday night. Cameron Stanley, the only freshman on the Deacon roster, is considering a redshirt season. Junior Chris Ellis is on indefinite suspension for violating team rules. Sophomore Jeremy Ingram announced recently that he will transfer at the end of the semester.
- Has any team ever faced a more difficult early November schedule than Winston-Salem State? In a one-week span, the Rams will have played the nation's No. 2- and No. 3-ranked teams in Wake Forest and North Carolina.
- The honors continue to roll in for Deacon sophomore Chris Paul, who is the leading vote-getter on the Associated Press preseason All-American team, which was released on Tuesday. Paul will be on the cover of ESPN Magazine next week.
Another Family Affair On Thursday Last week's Wake Forest-USC-Upstate exhibition game featured a match-up of brothers Chris and C.J. Paul. This week, cousins go head-to-head when Justin Gray and Wake Forest take on Curtis Hines and Winston-Salem State.
Gray and Hines both originally attended West Charlotte High School. Gray, however, finished up his prep career at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. Thursday's Wake Forest-WSSU game may be the first meeting ever between the two schools, but the Demon Deacons and Rams know each other well.
Players from Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State worked together earlier this fall to co-host a basketball clinic for area youths. And recently, players from both teams have gotten together during the summer for pick-up games.
Frank Johnson To Face Deacons
Winston-Salem State has a talented freshman, Frank Johnson, on its roster. The Ram rookie is the namesake of former Deacon All-American Frank Johnson, the "Smiling Deacon."
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.
Deacs Face Difficult Opener In GW
The Atlantic 10 Conference coaches and media voted George Washington -- Wake Forest's season-opening opponent next Monday -- the consensus pick to win the Atlantic 10's West Division in 2004-05. GW received 48 of a possible 54 first-place votes with Xavier garnering the remaining six first-place votes. Saint Joseph's was tabbed to win the A-10's East Division.
The coaches and media also selected GW senior T.J. Thompson as a preseason first-team All-Conference pick with teammates Mike Hall and Pops Mensah-Bonsu as second team selections. Colonials sophomore Carl Elliott was named to the league's All-Defensive team in the same poll.
Deacons First In ACC Preseason Poll
Wake Forest was the top pick in the media's pre-season poll conducted Oct. 31 at the 43rd annual Atlantic Coast Conference Operation Basketball at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center. The Demon 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. The Yellow Jackets received 10 first place votes while the Blue Devils registered three first place votes.
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.
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 last Thursday 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. Richie Stevens scored 11 points to lead USC-Upstate.
Wake Forest shot a sizzling 55.9 percent from the field and out-rebounded the outmanned Spartans, 63-26.
Deacons No. 2 In Both National Polls
Wake Forest will enter the 2004-05 basketball season with its highest Associated Press preseason ranking ever as the Deacons are No. 2 in the poll released Nov. 8.
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.
"I am happy for our players and our fans, but our job as a team is to be the best team in the gym on November 15th."
Georgia Tech and North Carolina were third and fourth in the balloting. It is the second time in three years one conference has had the Nos. 2-4 in the preseason poll. The Big 12's Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas were in that order in 2002. No. 11 Duke, No. 15 Maryland and No. 19 North Carolina State round out the ACC teams in the poll.
Syracuse was sixth, followed by Oklahoma State, defending national champion Connecticut, Kentucky and Arizona. After Duke came Mississippi State, Michigan State, Louisville, Maryland, Texas, Pittsburgh, Alabama, NC State and Notre Dame. The last five teams in the poll were Wisconsin, Washington, Florida, Memphis and Gonzaga.
The Demon 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 in the AP poll matches Wake Forest's highest ranking ever. The Demon Deacons 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. Teams that have been ranked No. 2 the most often without ever being ranked No. 1:
School Weeks at No. 2 Maryland 23 Louisville 16 Wake Forest 11 Purdue 10 Dayton 8 St. Bonaventure 7 Pittsburgh 6 St. Joseph's 5 UTEP 4 Auburn 3 Florida State 3 California 3 Minnesota 3
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." Ingram's departure leaves the Demon Deacons with 11 scholarship players and three walk-ons.
Chris Ellis Suspended
Wake Forest junior forward Chris Ellis has been suspended by Demon Deacon head basketball coach Skip Prosser for violating team rules. Ellis did not play in the Nov. 4 exhibition opener against USC-Upstate.
The 6-9 Ellis has played in 47 career games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He played in only 16 games last season after breaking a bone in his foot on the first day of practice.
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 278 games. Wake Forest has won 67 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.
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.
Junior Richard Joyce scored 11 points and senior Taron Downey 10 points for the Gold. Junior Trent Strickland led the Black with 11 points.
