Deacons Try To Rebound Saturday Against Miami
1/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2005
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Game 19
#5/5 Wake Forest (16-3/4-2) vs. Miami (13-5/4-3)
Jan. 29, 2005 / 4:01 pm / Winston-Salem, NC / Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,665) / Raycom/JP
Television: Raycom/JP. Tim Brant (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (color) call the action. Bev Rumley 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 16-3 overall and 4-2 in the ACC after a 102-101 overtime loss at No. 22 Georgia Tech Thursday night. Miami is 13-5 and 4-3 after beating visiting Clemson, 69-65, Wednesday night.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll and No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Miami is not ranked, but the Hurricanes are receiving votes for the AP poll.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 83-32 (.722) in his fourth season with the Demon Deacons, 248-110 (.693) in his 12th season overall. Miami coach Frank Haith (Elon `88) is 13-5 in his first season with the Hurricanes, 13-5 in one season overall.
Series: Wake Forest leads, 2-0.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons Have Short Turnaround Before Hosting Miami Saturday
Fifth-ranked Wake Forest had little time to rest from Thursday night's heartbreaking 102-101 overtime loss at Georgia Tech. The Demon Deacons host surprising Miami Saturday at 4 pm (4:01 pm/Raycom-JP).
The Demon Deacons, 16-3 overall and 4-2 in the ACC, will try to prevent back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Jarrett Jack hit two free throws with four seconds remaining in overtime and Chris Paul's missed jumper as time expired gave Georgia Tech the win Thursday night.
Wake Forest's Justin Gray (16.7 ppg), Eric Williams (16.3 ppg) and Chris Paul (15.7 ppg) combine to average 48.7 points per game.
Miami, 13-5 and 4-3, is coming off a 69-65 win over visiting Clemson Wednesday night. The Hurricanes are led by a talented trio of guards -- Guillermo Diaz (18.4 ppg), Robert Hite (17.7 ppg) and Anthony Harris (12.4 ppg).
The Hurricanes, one of the real surprises in college basketball this season, have won two of their last three ACC road games.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 2-0. Saturday's game marks the first meeting between the two schools since a 72-66 Deacon victory in Winston-Salem on Jan. 28, 1991.
Today's Tip-Off
- Junior Eric Williams, who scored 29 points last Saturday at Cincinnati and 27 points Thursday at Georgia Tech, leads the ACC and ranks fifth nationally in field goal percentage (.643).
- Wake Forest ranks third nationally in scoring offense (85.7 ppg).
- The Deacons are 0-3 when opponents shoot 50 percent or better.
Deacons Fall At #22 Tech, 102-101 In OT
Jarrett Jack made two free throws with 4.4 seconds left to give Georgia Tech a 102-101 overtime victory over fifth-ranked Wake Forest Thursday night.
The Demon Deacons got the last shot, but Chris Paul missed at the buzzer. He also had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but that attempt fell off the rim, too.
Georgia Tech built a 17-point lead in the first half, but Wake Forest got back in it. Eric Williams led the Demon Deacons with 27 points.
Georgia Tech's student body stormed the court after the final miss, setting off a raucous celebration that lasted several minutes. Weary players from both teams struggled just to make it to their locker rooms.
"We have a lot of big bodies," Jack said. "That's something he (Chris Paul) is not used to. ... Size bothers anybody."
Williams' size bothered the Yellow Jackets. The 6-foot-9, 291-pound junior repeatedly muscled through double- and triple-teams to reach the basket.
But Williams met his match near the end of a game -- a cramp that forced him to the bench.
Justin Gray added 22 points for Wake Forest.
More From Thursday's Loss At Tech
- Wake Forest's 101 points and Georgia Tech's 102 points were the most by each team in the history of the series.
- Wake Forest reached the 100-point mark for the second time this season (also at Clemson on Jan. 8) and for the eighth time overall under Skip Prosser.
- Georgia Tech's 54.4 field goal percentage was the sixth-best by an opponent in the Skip Prosser era.
- Wake Forest made a season-high 11 three-point field goals and shot a season-high 31 three-pointers.
- Wake Forest's 20 defensive rebounds were a season-low.
- Georgia Tech's 31 free throws and 38 free throw attempts were opponent season-highs.
- Junior Eric Williams earned his third double-double of the season and the eighth of his career while pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds.
Similar Pattern In Wake's Three Losses
In Wake Forest's 16 wins this season, the Deacons have been dominant on the boards and stubborn on defense. In three losses, the Deacons have done neither well.
In all three losses -- road losses at Illinois, Florida State and Georgia Tech -- the Deacons have allowed at least 91 points per game. Opponents average 94.7 points in the Deacons' three losses.
In all three, Wake Forest found itself down by double-figures in the first half. At Florida State and Georgia Tech, Wake erased the double-digit deficits and sent those games into overtimes.
The most glaring indicator of Wake Forest's success, however, is field goal percentage defense. Deacon opponents have shot better than 50 percent against Wake three times this season -- all losses. In 16 victories, the Deacons have held foes to less than 50 percent.
Rebounding is another concern. Wake Forest is 14-0 when out-rebounding the opponent and just 1-2 when the Deacons have less boards than the opponent.
Wake Forest took considerably more three-point field goal attempts in the three losses. That statistic is slightly skewed as Wake Forest was trying to erase big deficits and twice the game went into overtime.
Deacons' 16-3 Start Not Too Shabby
- Wake Forest's 16-3 record ties for the sixth-best start in school history -- impressive when considering the Deacons' difficult schedule.
- The Demon Deacons are four wins away from their fourth consecutive 20-win season.
- Wake Forest is one win away from clinching a winning season for the 15th consecutive year.
- The Deacons have won 83 games over the last four seasons combined -- all under coach Skip Prosser -- to average 20.7 wins per season.
- Wake Forest is seven wins away from its 90th victory in a four-year span. That has happened only three times previously in Deacon history.
- Wake is two victories away from giving head coach Skip Prosser his 250th career win.
Deacons 4-1 In The Close Ones
Wake has already played its share of barn-burners:
- Wake Forest has played five games decided by four points or less and the Deacons are 4-1 in those games.
- Wake Forest has won nail-biters at home (89-88 over No. 14 Texas), on the road (67-64 at Temple and 74-70 at Cincinnati) and at neutral sites (63-60 vs. No. 18 Arizona).
- In Skip Prosser's four years, the Deacs are 10-5 in games decided by three points or less, 20-10 in games decided by five points or less and 37-19 in games decided by 10 points or less.
Francis Family Honored At Halftime
Wake Forest will recognize and honor the family of Marvin "Skeeter" Francis at halftime of today's game. Francis, a longtime publicist for the ACC and the Demon Deacons, passed away just over one year ago.
Wake Forest-Miami Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 2-0.
- Saturday's game marks the first meeting between the Demon Deacons and Hurricanes almost 13 years ago to the day -- a 72-66 Wake Forest win in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
- The only previous meeting between the two teams -- a 46-17 Wake Forest victory -- came in the 1939-40 season.
- Wake Forest lost its only game to a Florida school this season -- a 91-83 overtime loss at Florida State.
- Deacon coach Skip Prosser has never coached against the Hurricanes.
- Miami coach Frank Haith has never coached against Wake Forest, although he was an assistant at Texas last season when Longhorns handed the Deacons their first loss of the season.
The Last WFU-Miami Meeting
Wake Forest and Miami last met on the hardwood on Jan. 28, 1991 in Winston-Salem. Randolph Childress scored 23 points and sank two crucial free throws with 0:24 remaining as Wake Forest held off upset-minded Miami, 72-66. Joe Wylie led the Hurricanes with 26 points.
Miscellaneous Stuff
- Wake Forest will face a former Deacon assistant coach for the second time this season. The Deacs beat Elon and coach Ernie Nestor earlier this season.
- How has Wake Forest fared against ACC "expansion" teams? In 1992, the Deacons were swept by newcomer Florida State. In 1980, Wake swept newcomer Georgia Tech.
Frank Haith Returns To Winston-Salem
Had Frank Haith remained as an assistant coach at Texas, he would have returned to Winston-Salem earlier this season when the Longhorns played the Deacons. As it turns out, Haith is back as a head coach in the ACC.
Haith, a 1988 Elon graduate, is in his first season as head coach at Miami. Haith first served as an assistant coach at Wake Forest in 1990 under Dave Odom. He returned to Wake Forest in 1998 as an assistant and served again under Odom for four seasons.
More Deacon-Hurricane Connections
- Wake Forest director of basketball operations Tim Fuller worked briefly in a similar capacity at Miami before returning to his alma mater prior to this season.
- Fuller played at Wake Forest when Miami's Frank Haith was a Deacon assistant coach.
- Miami junior Eric Wilkins and Wake Forest juniors Justin Gray and Richard Joyce all played previously at Oak Hill Academy.
- Miami sophomore Anthony King hails from Durham, NC.
- Deacon senior Jamaal Levy played high school basketball in south Florida at Berkshire Academy.
Deacons Slip To No. 5 In Both Major Polls
Wake Forest fell to No. 5 (from No. 3) in the Associated Press poll and and to No. 5 (from No. 3) in the ESPN/USA Today poll this week.
The Deacons split two games last week -- losing at Florida State in overtime and winning at No. 20 Cincinnati.
The Deacons have been in the AP top 25 for 44 consecutive weeks. The school record for consecutive weeks in the poll is 54, set from the beginning of the 1994-95 season through March 10, 1997. The Deacons have been ranked in the top 10 for 11 consecutive weeks. The school record is 19 weeks, from March of 1996 to March of 1997. Wake has been in the top five for six straight weeks.
Wake Forest was ranked No. 1 earlier this season for the first time in school history.
Wake 5-2 vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams
- Wake Forest is 5-2 this season against nationally-ranked teams with wins over then No. 18 Arizona, No. 14 Texas, No. 25 Virginia, No. 3 North Carolina and No. 20 Cincinnati, and losses on the road at No. 5 Illinois and No. 22 Georgia Tech.
- Wake's wins against ranked teams have come at home (Texas and North Carolina), on the road (Virginia and Cincinnati) and at a neutral site (Arizona).
- Wake Forest also defeated George Washington, which was not ranked at game time, but was later ranked. The Deacons also beat Maryland, which had been ranked all season until the day before playing Wake Forest.
- The Deacons have their most wins against ranked teams since going 6-4 in 1996-97 -- the last season Wake posted a winning record against ranked clubs.
- The Deacons defeated two ranked teams before Christmas for the first time in school history.
Wake Forest Undefeated When...
... (16-0) when holding opponents below 50 percent shooting.
... (16-0) when holding opponents to less than 90 points.
... (15-0) when leading with 5:00 remaining.
... (14-0) when Wake has more rebounds than its opponent.
Arguably Nation's Toughest Schedule
Wake Forest's schedule is proving to be one of the strongest in the nation:
- Wake Forest, according to the Sagarin Ratings, has the nation's toughest schedule in 2004-05.
- Seven of the 25 teams in the Associated Press poll are Wake Forest opponents -- #1 Illinois, #2 Duke, #3 North Carolina, #11 Arizona, #16 Texas, #21 Cincinnati and #22 Georgia Tech. Five other opponents -- George Washington, Maryland, NC State, New Mexico and Miami -- are receiving votes for one of the two polls.
- ACC teams played 14 non-conference games against ranked opponents, including a league-high four by Wake Forest.
- The Deacons have already played seven teams that were ranked at tip-off -- Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Cincinnati and Georgia Tech.
Lighting Up The Scoreboard
- Wake Forest ranks third nationally in scoring (85.7 points per game) -- the Deacons' highest scoring average since 1976 and the third-highest scoring average in school history.
- In ACC games, the Deacons lead the league in scoring at 92.0 points per game.
- The Deacons scored 80 points or more in nine consecutive games at one point and Wake has scored less than 80 points just five times.
- Wake Forest has scored at least 81 points in all six ACC games.
- Wake has scored at least 100 points twice this season and eight times in the Skip Prosser era.
Paul Playing Like An All-American
For Chris Paul, there is no sophomore jinx.
The second-year point guard is putting up All-American-like numbers, disappointing no one who voted him the preseason national and ACC player of the year.
- Over his four three games, Paul has averaged 21.0 points per contest.
- In ACC play, Paul ranks fifth in the league in scoring (18.7 ppg).
- He scored in double figures in 10 straight games from Dec. 15-Jan. 22.
- He made 27 consecutive free throws without a miss from Jan. 11-Jan. 22.
- Paul's free throw percentage (.849) leads the team, ranks sixth in the ACC.
- His career free throw percentage (.845) would be the fourth-highest in school history.
- He leads the team in free throws made (101). Out of the ACC's top 15 free throw shooters, none have made more free throws than Paul.
- Paul shoots a sizzling 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from three-point range, which leads the ACC and ranks sixth nationally. Since Dec. 13, Paul is shooting a remarkable 61.5 percent (24-of-39) from behind the arc.
- He ranks second in the ACC and 20th nationally in assists per game (6.53).
- In ACC games, Paul leads the league in assists (7.0 apg).
- He had a career-high 12 assists Dec. 18 against Texas.
- He has already accumulated 307 career assists, which ranks ninth in Wake Forest history.
- With 124 assists and just 52 turnovers this season, Paul leads the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.38).
- Paul ranks fifth in the ACC in steals per game (2.11).
- He has 124 career steals in just two seasons.
- The 6-footer had nine rebounds Jan. 18 at Florida State and he's averaging 4.6 rebounds per game this season.
- He leads the team and ranks eighth in the ACC in minutes played (32.9 mpg).
Paul In Line For Several Awards
- Chris Paul is a midseason finalist for the John R. Wooden Award.
- He is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, which goes to the nation's top college point guard.
- Paul has been named ACC Player of the Week twice this season.
- He was the ESPN.com National Player of the Week and ESPN's Big Man On Campus Jan. 17.
- Dick Vitale named Paul his mid-season National Player of the Year.
- Paul was named the co-Male Athlete of the Year by USA Basketball, an award he shares with North Carolina's Sean May.
- He was the leading vote-getter for the Associated Press Preseason All-America team.
- Paul edged NC State's Julius Hodge for pre-season ACC Player of the Year honors by a 38-to-35 count. Paul and Hodge joined North Carolina's Rashad McCants and Sean May and Duke's J.J. Redick on the preseason All-ACC team.
Death, Taxes And Paul's 3-Point Shooting
Chris Paul is known for speed in transition, his ability to quarterback the offense, his assists, his steals and more. But is it any wonder why the Deacon coaches wouldn't mind if Paul shot more often from the perimeter?
Paul is shooting 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from three-point range, which leads the ACC and ranks sixth nationally. Since Dec. 13, Paul has shot a remarkable 61.5 percent (24-of-39) from behind the arc. He made seven straight without a miss during one stretch.
This is not just a recent hot streak. For his career, Paul is shooting 49.6 percent (69-of-139) from three-point range, which is the highest percentage in Wake Forest history.
Williams, Downey Close In On 1,000 Pts.
Junior Eric Williams (962 career points) and senior Taron Downey (958) are closing in on becoming the 43rd and 44th players in Wake Forest history to score 1,000 career points.
Junior Justin Gray eclipsed 1,000 career points earlier this season (Dec. 30 against North Carolina A&T). With 1,136 career points currently, Gray needs 30 points to pass Mike Helms for 30th place on Wake's all-time scoring list.
Gray is the first Deacon since Josh Howard to reach 1,000 points and he reached the mark in just 66 career games.
Senior Vytas Danelius has scored 883 career points.
With 42 all-time 1,000-point scorers, Wake Forest ties Notre Dame and Marshall for the seventh-most in Division I.
Next "The Season" Airs Tuesday At 7:30
ESPN's award-winning "The Season" began following the Deacons Jan. 17 and will continue for another week. The second of three Wake Forest shows air Tuesday (2/1) at 7:30 pm on ESPN2.
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 a team-high 16.7 points per game and he scored his 1,000th career point in just his 66th career game.
But it is Gray's toughness that is well-known. 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 came back from a twisted knee to score 17 points. In the ACC opener at Virginia, Gray overcame a stomach virus to score 17 points.
As a freshman, 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 Justin Gray
- Gray has made at least one three-point field goal in 39 consecutive games and he has 45 threes in the last 13 games.
- He ranks second in the ACC in three-point goals per game (3.16) behind Duke's J.J. Redick. In ACC games only, he averages 3.67 three-pointers per game.
- He ranks ninth in the ACC in 3-point percentage (.417).
- Jan. 11 against Maryland, Gray made a season-high six three-pointers on just nine attempts.
- At Clemson Jan. 8, Gray made his first five 3-point attempts and scored 25 points in the first half -- the most points in any half by a Deacon player since Tim Duncan in 1997.
- With 192 career three-point field goals, he ranks fifth in Wake Forest history. When he reaches 211 three-pointers, he will become the 27th player in ACC history to do so.
- Gray has more than 200 career assists and is closing in on 100 career steals.
- He was named The Sporting News National Player of the Week Jan. 8.
- He was named MVP of the Preseason NIT.
- Gray was the ACC Player of the Week Nov. 29.
"E-Rex" A Solid All-ACC Candidate
Junior center Eric Williams, who has battled inconsistency during his career, has been Wake Forest's most consistent player thus far this season while establishing himself as a legitimate All-ACC candidate. More on "E-Rex":
- Williams has scored in double-figures a team-high 17 times in 19 games.
- He has scored 56 points over his last two games combined, including a career-high 29 points last Saturday at Cincinnati.
- He ranks first in the ACC and fifth nationally in field goal percentage at 64.3 percent.
- Williams' field goal percentage would be the highest single-season percentage in Wake Forest history.
- Williams' career field goal percentage (.574) would rank as the fourth-highest in Wake Forest history.
- Over his last four games, Williams has shot 74.4 percent (32-of-43).
- He has shot less than 50 percent in a game just three times this season.
- He ranks ninth in the ACC in scoring (16.3 ppg).
- His 13 field goals at Cincinnati Jan. 22 are the most by a Deacon in the Skip Prosser era.
- His rebound average (6.5 rpg) ranks 14th in the ACC.
- Williams ranks 13th in the ACC in blocks (1.11 bpg).
- Plagued with foul trouble his entire career, Williams has fouled out of just one game this season.
- With 962 career points, Williams is closing in on becoming Wake's 43rd 1,000-point scorer.
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 averages a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game, which ranks seventh in the ACC.
- Levy ranks ninth in the ACC in offensive rebounds (2.74 pg) and ranks ninth in defensive rebounds (4.79).
- He is two steals away from the 100th steal of his career.
- One of two Deacons to start every game this season, Levy ranks third on the team in minutes played (28.3 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 675 career rebounds, Levy ranks 17th in Wake history. With eight more boards, he will pass Dave Budd for 16th place.
- Levy has 78 career blocked shots, which ranks 11th in Wake Forest history.
Downey Plays Best On Biggest Stages
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser calls senior Taron Downey the most unselfish player he has ever coached. Downey may also be one of the best clutch players Prosser has coached.
Downey does not start, but he averages 23.4 minutes per game and is always on the floor at crunch time. More on Downey's clutch performances:
- Thursday at Georgia Tech, Downey hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to erase a 17-point deficit and send the game into overtime.
- Jan. 22 at Cincinnati, Downey sank two free throws with two seconds remaining to secure a 74-70 Deacon victory.
- At Florida State Jan. 18, Downey's three-pointer with 4.6 seconds sent the game into overtime. He finished the game with a career-high 21 points, including 5-of-7 from three-point range.
- Against third-ranked North Carolina Jan. 15, Downey scored 18 points including three 3-point field goals.
- Against 18th-ranked Arizona, Downey recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- On the road at New Mexico, Downey scored 16 points.
- Downey averages more points per game in ACC games (11.5) than in non-league games (7.5).
- Perhaps the most important statistic related to Downey is that the Deacons have won 83 games in his four-year career with 11 regular season games remaining.
- Downey ranks 8th in Wake history with 326 career assists.
Senior Class A Diverse, Successful 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 335 games.
Wake Forest has won 83 games during their careers. Only six senior classes in Deacon history won more games over a four-year period. The Deacons have won 72.2 percent of their games over the last four years -- the eighth-highest percentage over a four-year period in Wake Forest history.
Deacons Rank High In ACC, NCAA Stats
- Scoring -- Wake Forest ranks third nationally, second in the ACC and first in the ACC in league games.
- Field Goal Percentage -- The Deacs rank second in the ACC, second in the ACC in league games and 22nd nationally.
- Three-Point Percentage -- Wake ranks second in the ACC and 18th nationally.
- Free Throw Percentage -- In ACC games, Wake Forest ranks first in the ACC.
- Rebound Margin -- The Deacons rank second in the ACC and second in the ACC in league games.
- Assist-Turnover Ratio -- Wake Forest, in ACC games only, ranks first.
- Three-Point Field Goals -- In ACC games, Wake Forest ranks first in the league.
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 50-6 (.893), including an 9-0 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. WFU's all-time record in Joel Coliseum is 195-42.
Small Enrollment, Big Crowds
Wake Forest has an undergraduate enrollment of just 4,037 (6,444 including graduate students), so one might think there would be plenty of empty seats in the 14,665-seat Lawrence Joel Coliseum for 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.
Out of the 4,037 undergraduate students, nearly 2,500 are members of the Screamin' Demons, Wake's student fan club.
"We hadn't faced a crowd like this all season. Some people don't think a crowd can affect anybody's game but when people are rowdy and jumping around it's hard to focus."
-- North Carolina's Rashad McCants
Deacs: 9 Scholarship Players
Junior Richard Joyce is week-to-week with a stress fracture in his foot. Freshman Cameron Stanley is redshirting this season. And sophomore Jeremy Ingram has transferred to East Carolina. That leaves the Demon Deacons with nine healthy scholarship players this week.
Stanley Redshirting 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.
New Banners On Display
Wake Forest has new banners in Lawrence Joel Coliseum, recognizing all former Demon Deacons who have their jerseys retired. In addition, there are banners for NCAA Tournament participation, ACC championships and ACC regular season titles.
Deacons Set NCAA Free Throw Record
Wake Forest broke an NCAA record Jan. 18 at Florida State by making its 50th consecutive free throw without a miss. The Demon Deacons made an ACC record 32-of-32 free throws against North Carolina Jan. 15, then made their first 18 attempts at Florida State.
The previous record of 49 consecutive free throws made was held by Indiana State in 1991.
With their 32-of-32 performance Jan. 15, the Deacons set a school, ACC and Lawrence Joel Coliseum record. Wake came within two free throws of tying the NCAA single-game record.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Wake Forest began ACC play 4-0 for the first time since 1996-97 -- Tim Duncan's senior season.
- Wake's 89-70 win at Virginia Jan. 2 marked the Deacons' largest margin of victory in Charlottesville since 1962.
- The Deacons' 103-68 win at Clemson Jan. 8 was their largest margin of victory ever in an ACC road game.
- Wake's 81-66 win over Maryland Jan. 11 was its largest margin of victory against the Terrapins in 11 years.
- January 2nd was a good day for the Prosser family. An hour after Wake Forest won its ACC opener at Virginia, Deacon coach Skip Prosser learned of more good news -- Bucknell had registered one of the biggest wins in school history, winning on the road at nationally-ranked Pittsburgh. Prosser's son, Mark, is a second-year assistant coach at Bucknell.
- 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 Memorial Coliseum. That loss came against Richmond, 74-61.
Paul Receives USA Basketball Honor
USA Basketball teammates Sean May of North Carolina and Wake Forest's Chris Paul, 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.
"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."
As the co-USA Basketball Male Athletes of the Year, May and Paul have been nominated to the U.S. Olympic Committee for consideration of its 2004 Male Athlete of the Year Award.
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."
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.
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 are sporting new Nike Elite uniforms with versions in white, gold and black.
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."
