Deacons Open ACC Play Sunday At Virginia
12/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2004
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Game 13
#5 Wake Forest (11-1/0-0) at #25 Virginia (8-1/0-0)
Jan. 2, 2005 / 5:30 pm / Charlottesville, VA / University Hall (8,392) / Fox Sports Net
Television: Fox Sports Net. Ron Thulin (play-by-play) and Don Bonner (color) call the action. Bob Steinfeld produces.
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.
Radio: XM Satellite Radio (nationally).
Records: Wake Forest is 11-1 after its sixth consecutive victory -- a 98-76 win against North Carolina A&T Thursday. Virginia is 8-1 and has not played since a Dec. 23 79-77 overtime win against visiting Loyola Marymount.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Virginia is ranked 25th in the AP poll and 25th in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 78-30 (.722) in his fourth season with the Demon Deacons, 243-108 (.692) in his 12th season overall. Virginia coach Pete Gillen (Fairfield `68) is 112-79 in seven seasons with the Wahoos, 386-207 in 20 seasons overall.
Series: Wake Forest leads, 61-57.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Nationally-Ranked Deacons, Wahoos Open ACC Play Sunday At UVa
Wake Forest and Virginia, both with just one loss and both nationally-ranked, open Atlantic Coast Conference play Sunday in Charlottesville (5:30 pm/Fox Sports Net).
The fifth-ranked Demon Deacons, 11-1 overall, won their sixth straight game Thursday night, 98-76 over visiting North Carolina A&T. Junior guard Justin Gray scored 21 of his game-high 23 points in the first half as the Deacons led 60-28 at intermission.
Gray (16.1 ppg) leads the Deacons in scoring, followed by junior center Eric Williams (14.9 ppg).
Virginia, 8-1 and ranked 25th in both polls, has played just one game since Dec. 8. The Cavaliers last played on Dec. 23, beating visiting Loyola Marymount in overtime, 79-77.
The Cavaliers have four players averaging in double figures. Senior Devin Smith (17.4 ppg) paces the Wahoos. Senior Elton Brown (16.7 ppg and 9.8 rpg) scored 25 points in the win over Marymount.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 61-57. Virginia won last year's meeting in Charlottesville, 84-82.
Today's Tip-Off
- This marks the third straight season Wake Forest has opened ACC play on the road against a ranked team.
- Wake Forest and Virginia have split their regular season meetings in each of the past seven seasons.
- No current Demon Deacon player or coach has won in Charlottesville.
- Wake Forest and Virginia both defeated Arizona and Richmond earlier this season.
- Since losing at Illinois Dec. 1, Wake Forest has won its last two road games -- at Temple (Dec. 13) and at New Mexico (Dec. 22).
Deacons Win Sixth Straight, 98-76
Justin Gray scored 21 of his 23 points in the first half for Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons cruised to a 98-76 win over North Carolina A&T Thursday night in Winston-Salem.
The Demon Deacons spent much of the game shooting around 60 percent and led by 32 at halftime. Eric Williams added 19 points to help Wake win its sixth straight.
It was a stress-free way to prepare for what will likely be a brutal ACC race, which the Demon Deacons were picked to win in the preseason. Seven league teams are ranked in The Associated Press top 25, including Wake Forest's next opponent: No. 25 Virginia.
"Me personally, I really couldn't wait for this to happen," Williams said of the ACC season. "The ACC is such an intense conference. I really enjoy playing in it. ... It's just like opening a Christmas gift. You can't wait to get things started."
Sean Booker scored 18 points for the overmatched Aggies (1-11), who suffered a lopsided loss at Wake Forest for the third straight season.
The Demon Deacons showed little sign of rust from a weeklong layoff since an 81-64 win at New Mexico, shooting 64 percent in the first half. They finished with a 50-32 rebounding advantage and had 22 assists on 32 baskets.
Gray went 6-for-9 from the floor in the first half, including 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc, in just 14 minutes. He didn't take a shot in the second half, hitting just two free throws.
More From The 98-76 Win Over A&T
- Justin Gray's 21 points were the most in any half by a Deacon player since Feb. 24, 2002 when Craig Dawson scored 22 in the first half at Maryland.
- Wake's 60 first-half points were the most in any half by a Deacon team in the Skip Prosser era.
- Wake's 32-point halftime lead tied for the largest margin at the half by the Deacons since leading SC State 56-24 on Dec. 7, 2001.
- Wake's field goal percentage in the first half (.636) was its best in any half this season and marked the fourth time this season the Deacons have shot 60 percent or better in a half.
- WFU's 22 assists were a season-high, but so were its 23 turnovers.
- Wake's 50 rebounds were a season-best.
- Wake's 98 points were a season-high.
- Senior Jamaal Levy had a career-high seven assists.
- Junior Eric Williams blocked a career-high five shots.
Wake Forest In ACC Openers
- Wake Forest is 22-29 all-time in ACC openers, including a win at fourth-ranked North Carolina last season.
- This marks the third straight year WFU will open the ACC season against a ranked opponent on the road. Last season the Deacons opened with a triple-overtime win at North Carolina. The previous season -- 2002-03 -- Wake lost at No. 1 Duke in the opener, but went on to win the ACC regular season title.
- The Demon Deacons are 11-16 all-time when opening ACC play on the road.
- Wake Forest is 3-15 when opening the ACC season against a ranked opponent.
- The Deacs are just 2-8 when opening ACC play against Virginia.
- This marks the first time since the 2000-01 season that Wake Forest has opened with Virginia. The Deacons won that game, 96-73 over 8th-ranked Virginia in Winston-Salem.
- The last time Wake Forest opened the ACC season on the road against Virginia came on Jan. 4, 1998. That game -- a 73-64 Virginia win in overtime -- was played in Richmond.
- The last time the Deacons opened ACC play in Charlottesville came on Jan. 2, 1980 when 13th-ranked Virginia beat the Deacons, 64-59. Wake Forest-Virginia Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 61-57 (complete series history on page 9).
- The Demon Deacons and Cavaliers have split the regular season series each of the past seven seasons. The last time a team swept the regular season series was by Wake Forest in 1996-97.
- Virginia won the most recent meeting, 84-82, on March 2, 2004 in Charlottesville. The Deacons beat the Wahoos earlier in the season in Winston-Salem, 91-78.
- Wake Forest has not won on the road against Virginia since March 2, 2000, 80-75. Virginia has won four straight against the Deacons in Charlottesville. This means no current Deacon player or coach has won in Charlottesville.
- Virginia is 35-19 all-time against Wake Forest in Charlottesville.
- Virginia is the third of five teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia on Wake Forest's schedule. The Deacons have already defeated Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond and will play Virginia Tech and Longwood later.
- Deacon head coach Skip Prosser is 3-3 all-time against the Cavaliers.
- Virginia coach Pete Gillen is 6-6 all-time against Wake Forest, including a 5-1 record in games played in Charlottesville.
The Last Wake Forest-Virginia Meeting
Devin Smith converted a three-point play against two defenders with 5.8 seconds remaining to lift surging Virginia to an 84-82 victory against No. 11 Wake Forest on March 2, 2004 in Charlottesville.
Smith said a half-second may have been the difference on the play since by the time the defender knew Smith had the ball in the left corner, the 3-point specialist was on the baseline moving toward the basket.
With the Demon Deacons determined not to let Todd Billet make another buzzer-beater, Smith took a pass in the left corner and lifted Virginia himself. Smith and Derrick Byars led Virginia with 15 points each, Billet had 13 and Elton Brown 12. Virginia shot nearly 61 percent after halftime.
Deacon-Cavalier Connections
- Wake Forest's coaching staff, especially Skip Prosser, has many ties with Virginia coach Pete Gillen. Prosser was Gillen's assistant coach at Xavier for eight seasons, from 1986 to 1993. After the 1993-94 season, Gillen left Xavier for Providence and Prosser replaced him as the head coach at Xavier.
- Wake assistant coach Dino Gaudio was also on Gillen's staff, from 1988-93. He returned to Xavier in 2000-01 to work as an assistant coach under Prosser.
- Deacon junior Taron Downey attended prep school in Virginia at Fork Union Military Academy. Virginia's Donte Minter, a Salisbury (NC) native, also attended Fork Union.
- Wake sophomore Trent Strickland also attended prep school in Virginia at Hargrave Military Academy.
- Wake Forest sophomores Justin Gray and Richard Joyce both played their finals seasons of high school basketball in Virginia at Oak Hill Academy.
- Prosser made his college head coaching debut in the Commonwealth of Virginia when his Loyola (MD) team won at William & Mary on Nov. 29, 1993.
- Four foreign countries will be represented when WFU meets UVA -- Lithuania (Vytas Danelius), Panama (Jamaal Levy), Adrian Joseph (Trinidad) and Tunji Soroye (Nigeria).
- Virginia radio play-by-play man Mac McDonald previously worked in a similar capacity for the Demon Deacons (back when Mac was young).
- Wake Forest's fifth head coach was J.L. White, a 1917 Virginia graduate.
- Wake Forest has not only played Providence this season, but the Deacons also play against two former Friar head coaches -- Rick Barnes and Pete Gillen.
- Virginia's J.R. Reynolds is not to be confused with R.J. Reynolds, the tobacco company which makes its corporate home in Winston-Salem.
Wake 2-1 vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams
- Wake Forest is 2-1 this season against nationally-ranked teams with wins over then No. 18 Arizona and No. 14 Texas and a loss on the road to No. 5 Illinois.
- Wake's games against ranked teams have come at home (Texas), on the road (Illinois) and at a neutral site (Arizona).
- Last season Wake Forest beat two ranked ACC teams on the road -- North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
- The Deacons played three nationally-ranked teams before Christmas for just the fourth time in school history. The previous occasions came in 2001-02, 1988-89 and in 1953-54.
- Wake Forest defeated two ranked teams before Christmas for the first time in school history.
- With seven ACC teams ranked in the top 25, Wake Forest could break a school record for games played against ranked teams (13 in 1994-95).
Wake Forest Undefeated When...
... (11-0) when holding opponents to less than 50 percent shooting.
... (10-0) when holding opponents to less than 90 points.
... (10-0) when leading with 5:00 remaining.
... (9-0) when Wake has more rebounds than its opponent.
... (6-0) when Wake has less turnovers than its opponent.
Deacs Remain 5th, 4th In National Polls
Wake Forest stood its ground in the national polls this week, remaining at No. 5 in the Associated Press poll and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. In the AP poll, the Deacons have been ranked in the top five in five of seven weeks this season.
Wake Forest has been in the AP top 25 for 40 consecutive weeks and in the top 10 for seven straight weeks. Earlier this season the Deacons rose to No. 1 for the first time ever.
Deacons Winning The Close Ones
Wake has already played its share of barn-burners:
- Wake Forest has played three games decided by three points or less -- all on ESPN or ESPN2 -- and the Deacons have walked away winners each time.
- Wake Forest has won nail-biters at home (89-88 over No. 14 Texas), on the road (67-64 at Temple) and at neutral sites (63-60 vs. No. 18 Arizona).
- In Skip Prosser's four years, the Deacs are 10-4 in games decided by three points or less, 19-9 in games decided by five points or less and 36-17 in games decided by 10 points or less.
Good Shooting Usually Equals Win
It sounds obvious, but Wake Forest is hard to beat when the Deacons shoot well -- and they've shot very well so far this season:
- Wake Forest has shot 50 percent or better in seven of 12 games this season.
- The Deacs' field goal percentage (49.6) ranks second in the ACC and 22nd in the nation.
- Throw out the Illinois game -- where the Deacons shot just 39.7 percent -- and the Deacons are shooting 50.7 percent for the season. n Wake is 10-0 when it shoots a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
- The Deacons are 11-0 when holding opponents to less than 50 percent shooting (only Illinois shot better than 50 percent against Wake Forest).
Eleven Deacon Opponents In Top 25
Could this be the most difficult schedule in Wake Forest history? Yes, if you consider this week's national polls:
- Eleven of the 25 teams in both national polls are Wake Forest opponents -- (AP ranking) #1 Illinois, #4 North Carolina, #6 Duke, #9 Georgia Tech, #14 Arizona, #15 Texas, #17 NC State, #20 George Washington, #22 Cincinnati, #24 Maryland and #25 Virginia.
- Seven ACC teams, including Wake Forest, are ranked in both polls.
- Two other Deacon opponents -- New Mexico and Miami -- are receiving votes in one of the polls.
- Wake Forest has 18 regular season games remaining. Thirteen of those will come against teams either ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes for one of the polls.
- According to Collegerpi.com, six Wake Forest opponents are ranked in the top 12.
- Wake Forest has had the nation's fifth-toughest schedule thus far, according to CollegeRPI.com.
- Four of Wake's final 12 regular season games come against two 2004 Final Four teams -- Duke and Georgia Tech.
Chris Paul Hopes To Continue Hot Streak
Since mid-December, Wake Forest sophomore guard Chris Paul has been one of college basketball's hottest players. Consider Paul's statistics over the last four games:
- He has averaged 17.5 points per game, including 23-point efforts against both Texas and New Mexico.
- Paul has dished out 8.0 assists per game, including a career-best 12 assists against Texas.
- He has 13 steals over the last four games including six Dec. 15 against Elon.
- Paul has made 11 three-point field goals over the last four games, compared to seven three-pointers in the first eight games.
- He is 11-of-17 (.647) from three-point range, upping his career percentage to 48.3 percent.
Paul Receives USA Basketball Honor
USA Basketball teammates Sean May (North Carolina / Bloomington, Ind.) and Chris Paul (Wake Forest / Lewisville, N.C.), who helped lead the 2004 USA World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team to a gold medal, were selected USA Basketball co-Male Athletes of the Year by the USA Basketball Executive Committee. The announcement was made Dec. 28.
"The USA Basketball Executive Committee identified two very deserving athletes for this award," said USA Basketball Executive Director Jim Tooley. "Sean May and Chris Paul share honors as their outstanding performances at the U21 World Championship Qualification Tournament propelled the team to its undefeated record and gold medal."
"I'm still trying to figure out how this happened," said a stunned Paul. "This is such an honor. Sean is so deserving of this, he had a great summer. He was huge for our team. But I know that neither Sean nor I could have done this without our teammates. Everything we did over the summer, we did together. My teammates made it a lot easier on me and this wouldn't have happened without them."
As the co-USA Basketball Male Athletes of the Year, May and Paul have been nominated to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) for consideration of its 2004 Male Athlete of the Year Award, which will be announced at a later date.
Gray Scores 1,000th Point
Junior Justin Gray eclipsed 1,000 career points Dec. 30 against North Carolina A&T, becoming the 42nd player in Wake Forest history to reach 1,000 points.
Gray is the first Deacon since Josh Howard to reach 1,000 points and he reached the mark in just 66 career games (he has missed nine career games because of injury).
With 42 all-time 1,000-point scorers, Wake Forest ties Notre Dame and Marshall for the seventh-most in Division I.
Three Deacons are closing in on 1,000 points: Taron Downey (887), Eric Williams (832) and Vytas Danelius (829).
Deacs Play With 10 Scholarship Players
With sophomore Jeremy Ingram transferring to East Carolina and freshman Cameron Stanley redshirting, Wake Forest is left with 10 scholarship players and five walk-ons.
No Gray Area: Justin Is Tough
Two things that are certain about junior guard Justin Gray -- he's tough and he can score.
Gray averages 16.1 points per game and he recently scored his 1,000th career point.
But it is Gray's toughness that is becoming well-known. On Nov. 24 against Providence, Gray took an elbow to the head, opening up a gash just below the eyebrow. He received five stitches and returned to the game to make 5-of-8 three-point field goals en route to 21 points. Two nights later against Arizona, he took an elbow to the same spot above his eye, but bounced back to score 21 points. Dec. 22 at New Mexico, he bounced back from a twisted knee to score 17 points.
In his freshman season, an elbow from Duke's Dahntay Jones broke Gray's jaw. He sat out a month, had his jaw wired shut and lost 19 pounds on a diet of soup and milkshakes. When he returned to action 30 days later wearing a protective mask, he scored 18 points in a win over 8th-ranked Duke in a gutty performance. More on Gray:
- He has made at least one three-point field goal in 32 consecutive games and he has 21 three-pointers over the last six games.
- With 168 career three-point field goals, he ranks fifth in Wake Forest history.
- Gray is one of the most prolific three-point shooters in the country. He ranks fourth in the ACC in three-point field goals per game (3.00).
- He ranks 11th in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (.424).
- Gray is three assists shy of his 200th career assist.
- He was named MVP of the Preseason NIT.
- Gray was the ACC Player of the Week Nov. 29.
"E-Rex" Consistently Good So Far
Junior center Eric Williams, who has battled inconsistency during his career, has been Wake Forest's most consistent player thus far this season. More on "E-Rex":
- Williams has scored in double-figures in 11 of 12 games -- the most by any Deacon.
- Williams is second in the ACC in field goal percentage at 64.0 percent (71-of111). He made 9-of-10 field goal attempts Thursday against North Carolina A&T.
- He ranks second on the team and 15th in the ACC in scoring (14.9 ppg).
- His rebound average (5.7 rpg) ranks 16th in the ACC.
- Plagued with foul trouble his entire career, Williams has not fouled out of a game this season and is averaging just 2.7 fouls per game.
- Williams' career field goal percentage (.565) would rank as the fourth-highest in Wake Forest history.
- He has scored 832 career points.
Levy: One Of Nation's Best Defenders
Senior forward Jamaal Levy will not lead the team in scoring and he will not grab the majority of headlines. But the 6-9 Panama native is vital to Wake Forest's success.
- Levy is averaging a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game, which ranks sixth in the ACC.
- Levy ranks third in the ACC in offensive rebounds (3.25 pg) and ranks 10th in defensive rebounds (4.50).
- He ranks second on the team and 14th in the ACC in steals per game (1.67). Levy is six steals away from the 100th of his career.
- One of two Deacons to start every game this season, Levy ranks second on the team in minutes played (29.8 mpg).
- Levy, who earned a spot on the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team, is widely considered one of the nation's best defenders and one of the ACC's top rebounders.
- On Dec. 4, Levy tied a school record with 10 offensive rebounds against Richmond.
- With 625 career rebounds, Levy ranks 20th in Wake Forest history.
- Levy is two blocked shots away from his 75th career rejection, which will rank him 11th in school history.
Ellis Shooting Like Ol' Dad... Sort Of
At 6-9, 261 pounds, Chris Ellis may not look like a three-point shooter, but he is shooting 71.4 percent from behind the arc. OK, so Ellis is just 5-of-7 from three-point range, but he was 0-for-2 entering his third season.
To match the number of three-point field goals Ellis' dad, Dale Ellis, made in the NBA, Chris only needs to make 1,713 more three-pointers.
On a more serious note, Ellis has been a solid performer off the bench for the Deacons. Over his last five games he has averaged 6.3 points per game while shooting a perfect 11-of-15 from the field, including a stretch where he made nine straight.
Ellis is one of at least six famous father-son combinations where the son is a current player on the college level:
Father (College) Son (College) Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) Patrick Ewing Jr. (Indiana) John Lucas (Maryland) John Lucas III (Oklahoma State) Scott May (Indiana) Sean May (North Carolina) Ernie Grunfeld (Tennessee) Dan Grunfeld (Stanford) Dale Ellis (Tennessee) Chris Ellis (Wake Forest) Ron Brewer (Arkansas) Ronnie Brewer (Arkansas)
All Big Four Teams Ranked In Top 20
The Big Four -- #4 North Carolina, #5 Wake Forest, #6 Duke and #17 NC State -- are all ranked in the Associated Press top 25 this week. Seeing all four North Carolina-based ACC schools in the poll at the same time is not entirely new.
This is the 21st week in the history of the poll that all four teams have been in the top 25. This also marks the 23rd time that three of the Big Four teams have been in the top 10 simultaneously.
Seven ACC teams are ranked in the AP top 25 this week -- #4 North Carolina, #5 Wake Forest, #6 Duke, #9 Georgia Tech, #17 NC State, #24 Maryland and #25 Virginia - for the fourth straight week.
Wake Forest In The National Statistics
- Wake Forest ranks 17th nationally in scoring offense (83.5 ppg). The Deacons averaged an identical 83.5 points per game last season.
- The Deacons rank 22nd nationally in field goal percentage (49.6 percent). Their field goal percentage is their highest since 1984.
- Eric Williams ranks 20th nationally in field goal percentage (.640). Among players making at least five field goals per game, he ranks 14th.
- New Mexico ranks 17th nationally in scoring (83.9 ppg) and seventh in field goal percentage (52.0 percent), but the Lobos were held to 64 points and 32.8 percent shooting by the Deacons on Dec. 22.
Deacs' 11-Start Ranks Right Up There
Wake Forest begins the season 11-1 for the third consecutive season. The Deacons last started better than 11-1 in 2000-01 when they were 12-0. A win Sunday at Virginia would match Wake's 12-1 start in 2002-03.
Deacons Tough At The Joel
Wake Forest has always enjoyed success within the friendly confines of Lawrence Joel Coliseum, winning at an 82.0 percent clip. In recent years, that percentage is even higher. In Skip Prosser's four seasons with the Deacons, Wake is 48-6 (.889), including a 7-0 record so far this season.
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 season with the Deacons. Under Prosser, Wake is 29-1 at home against non-ACC competition.
Wake Forest has won 45 of its last 46 home games against non-conference opponents.
WFU's all-time record in Joel Coliseum is 193-42.
Small Enrollment, Huge Crowds
Wake Forest has an undergraduate enrollment of just 4,037 (6,444 when graduate students are added to the mix), so one might think there would be plenty of empty seats in the 14,665-seat Lawrence Joel Coliseum for Deacon home games.
However, near-capacity crowds are the norm at home games. Last year an average of 13,197 fans attended Deacon home games and that number should be even higher this year. Based on last year's numbers, Wake Forest's attendance was 204.8 percent of its total enrollment last year. No other ACC school had a percentage higher than 80.1 percent last year.
Two Walk-Ons Added To Deacon Roster
Wake Forest officially added two non-scholarship players -- Graeme Keith III and Brian Jessen -- to the 2004-05 basketball roster on Dec. 15.
Keith (Graeme is pronounced as if spelled Graham), 6-2, 170 pounds, is a Charlotte (NC) native and attended high school at McCallie High School in Chattanooga (TN). The freshman will wear No. 20.
Jessen, 6-2, 190 pounds, is a junior from Kenilworth (IL), where he attended North Shore Country Day School. The Communication major will wear jersey No. 43.
Graeme and Jessen join Scott Feather, John Buck and Michael Drum to give the Deacons five walk-ons. Drum is not eligible to play this season.
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.
Senior Class 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 314 games. Wake Forest has won 78 games during their careers.
Stanley Will Redshirt In 2004-05
Cameron Stanley, the only freshman on the Demon Deacon roster, is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last December and will redshirt this season. Stanley has practiced with the team all season, but is still trying to get completely comfortable with the knee.
Ingram Transfers
Jeremy Ingram, a sophomore guard, transferred to East Carolina at the end of the fall semester.
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."
Miscellaneous Notes
- Wake Forest is facing three coaches this season who have won more than 700 career games -- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Arizona's Lute Olson and Temple's John Chaney.
- Wake Forest, after capturing the Preseason NIT title in November, is 7-1 all-time in that tournament.
- The Deacons are 28-1 in their last 29 games played in the month of November, including a streak of 10 straight wins.
- 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.
Paul Has Record Night vs. The Longhorns
Wake Forest sophomore guard Chris Paul scored 23 points and dished out a career-high 12 assists in the Deacons' 89-88 win over 14th-ranked Texas Dec. 18. It was a record-breaking, milestone-reaching night for Paul:
- Paul's 12 assists were the most by a Deacon player in 17 years, since Muggsy Bogues had 14 assists against Charlotte on Feb. 14, 1987.
- His 12 assists, a career-high, tie for the ninth-most single-game assists in Wake Forest history.
- His 12 assists, which came four days after dishing out 11 assists against Elon, broke the Lawrence Joel Coliseum record. The old Joel Coliseum record was 11 assists, shared by North Carolina's Derrick Phelps and Richmond's Eugene Burroughs.
- Paul is the first Deacon to have 20 points and 10 assists in a game since Randolph Childress on March 12, 1994 against North Carolina.
Levy Ties Record For Offensive Rebounds
Wake Forest senior Jamaal Levy tied a Wake Forest school record Dec. 4 against Richmond by grabbing 10 offensive rebounds.
Offensive rebounds have been a part of game statistics since 1986-87. Loren Woods, who grabbed 10 offensive boards against Richmond on Nov. 29, 1997, is the only other Deacon to reach double digits.
One unusual thing about Levy's performance is that while he had 10 offensive rebounds, he had zero boards on the defensive end.
