Deacons Face Another Road Test Saturday At Clemson
1/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2005
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Game 14
#4 Wake Forest (12-1/1-0) at Clemson (9-4/0-1)
Jan. 8, 2005 / 4:00 pm / Clemson, SC / Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000) / Raycom/JP Sports
Television: Raycom/JP Sports. Steve Martin (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (color) call the action. Rob Reichley 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 12-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC after its seventh consecutive victory -- an 89-70 win at 25th-ranked Virginia on Sunday. Clemson is 9-4 and 0-1 following a 62-54 loss at 6th-ranked Duke on Sunday.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Clemson is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 79-30 (.725) in his fourth season with the Demon Deacons, 244-108 (.693) in his 12th season overall. Clemson coach Oliver Purnell (Old Dominion `75) is 19-22 in two seasons with the Tigers, 275-213 in 17 seasons overall.
Series: Wake Forest leads, 92-50.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons Take Momentum Into Saturday's Game At Clemson
Fourth-ranked Wake Forest, coming off its seventh straight victory -- an impressive 89-70 win at 25th-ranked Virginia Sunday -- faces another ACC road test Saturday at Clemson (4 pm/Raycom-JP Sports TV).
This marks the first season since 1945-46 that the Demon Deacons and Tigers will meet just once during the regular season.
The Demon Deacons, 12-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC, earned their largest margin of victory in Charlottesville since 1962 on Sunday. Six different WFU players scored in double figures against the Cavaliers, the Deacons shot 50.9 percent and out-rebounded the Wahoos, 45-28.
Clemson, 9-4 and 0-1, lost its ACC opener Sunday at 6th-ranked Duke, 62-54. Sharrod Ford scored 20 points to lead the Tigers, who held a 38-35 lead over the Blue Devils midway through the second half.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 92-50. The Demon Deacons have won the last four and 11 of the last 12 meetings with the Tigers.
Today's Tip-Off
- Rebounding has been a key to Wake Forest's recent success. Over the last three games, the Deacons have out-rebounded opponents by an average of 16 boards per game.
- Wake Forest has won its last three road games, each coming at difficult venues -- at Temple, New Mexico and Virginia.
- The Deacs are hoping to start ACC play 2-0 for the second straight year and for the third time in four years.
- Over his last four games, sophomore Chris Paul has averaged 19.3 points, 7.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game and has made 11-of-16 three-point field goal attempts.
Deacons Win At No. 25 Virginia, 89-70
Chris Paul scored six of his 21 points during a 13-0 run early in the second half and No. 5 Wake Forest won its seventh straight game, 89-70 over No. 25 Virginia on Sunday.
The Deacons led 44-39 before Jamaal Levy's putback sparked the big run in the second half. Gray had a three-point play and a 3-pointer and Eric Williams finished it with a free throw, giving Wake Forest a 57-39 lead with 15:22 remaining.
The Cavaliers immediately scored nine straight points to close to 61-54 with 11:37 left, but Paul scored seven points in a 14-5 response by Wake Forest and it cruised to the bruising victory.
The loss, which came in just the Cavaliers' second game since Dec. 8, was the 10th straight for Virginia in its conference opener. It also ended a string of eight straight victories by the home team in the series.
Justin Gray added 17 points for the Deacons, all but three in the second half, and Williams had 15.
The Demon Deacons shot 50.9 percent and out-rebounded Virginia 45-28.
More From Sunday's Win At Virginia
- Wake Forest's three-point field goal percentage of .563 (9-16) was a season-high.
- Virginia's three-point field goal percentage of .500 (8-16) was the highest by a Wake Forest opponent this season.
- Wake out-rebounded its opponent for the 10th time in 13 games this season (Wake has been out-rebounded just once this season).
- The Deacons shot 50 percent or better for the eighth time in 13 games this season.
- Wake placed six players in double figures for the first time since Dec. 20, 2003 at North Carolina.
- The 19-point victory Wake's largest over Virginia in Charlottesville since the 1961-62 season.
- Wake's 89 points were its most against Virginia in Charlottesville since the 1969-70 season when WFU totaled 90.
- Junior Eric Williams had a season-high 10 rebounds and recorded his sixth career double-double.
Clemson Series WFU's First ACC Casualty
Wake Forest will play Clemson just one time this season -- Wake's first rivalry shortened because of ACC expansion.
The Demon Deacons and Tigers have met at least twice every season since the 1946-47 season -- seven years before the start of the ACC.
Wake Forest will also play North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia Tech just once this season.
Wake Forest has played North Carolina at least twice every season since 1944 -- the year the Deacons did not field a team because of the war. Other than 1944, the Deacons and Tar Heels have met at least twice every year since 1921.
Maryland and Wake Forest have played at least twice every season since the ACC originated in 1953-54.
Wake Forest-Clemson Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 92-50 (complete series history on page 9).
- The Demon Deacons have won four straight and 11 out of the last 12 meetings with the Tigers.
- The Deacons have won two straight and five of the last six meetings in Littlejohn Coliseum.
- All-time, the series is 33-33 in games played at Clemson.
- Wake Forest's only loss to the Tigers since the 1998 ACC Tournament came on Feb. 13, 2002 -- a 118-115 double-overtime win by Clemson.
- The Deacons and Tigers first met on the hardwood in 1925-26.
- Demon Deacon head coach Skip Prosser is 5-2 all-time against the Tigers, including an 0-1 record while coaching at Xavier.
A Statistical Look At WFU-Clemson
- Wake Forest ranks 17th nationally in scoring offense (83.5 ppg), while Clemson is holding opponents to just 61.7 points per game.
- The Demon Deacons rank second in the ACC in field goal percentage (.497), while the Tigers are limiting opponents to just 39.0 percent shooting.
- Clemson ranks second in the ACC in steals (11.62 spg). Wake Forest ranks last in the ACC in turnover margin.
- Wake's Jamaal Levy and Clemson's Sharrod Ford are tied for fifth in the ACC in rebounding (7.8 rpg).
The Last Wake Forest-Clemson Meeting
Justin Gray had a career-high 29 points as No. 20 Wake Forest defeated Clemson 82-67, Feb. 12, 2004 at Clemson.
Wake Forest was coming off a rough few weeks, losing six of their past eight coming into Littlejohn Coliseum after rising to No. 4 with an 11-0 start. Gray's outside shooting, though, got Wake Forest back on track.
"We had forgotten how to win," Prosser said. "We forgot how fun it is to win."
Gray had 16 points in the first half, 12 of them coming in the last 10 minutes as the Deacons built a 32-25 lead. Then when the Tigers cut a 12-point deficit to 51-48 with 10:31 to go, Gray struck for back-to-back 3-pointers to make things a bit more comfortable for Wake Forest.
Clemson could not recover. By the time Gray stole a pass and got an uncontested layup less than four minutes later, Wake Forest was ahead 67-50 and well in control.
Freshman Chris Paul had 16 points and Jamaal Levy 12 for the Deacons.
Olu Babalola led Clemson with a career-high 22 points. Sharrod Ford, the Tigers' leading scorer at 12 points a game coming in, was never a factor after picking up his third and fourth fouls less than a minute into the second half. He fouled out of the game with five points.
Deacon-Tiger Connections
- Clemson has three players on its roster -- Troy Mathis (Raleigh), James Mays (Garner) and Shawan Robinson (Raleigh) -- from North Carolina.
- Mathis, Robinson and Wake Forest freshman Cameron Stanley all call Raleigh home.
- Both head coaches -- Wake Forest's Skip Prosser (Xavier) and Clemson's Oliver Purnell (Dayton) -- previously coached in the Atlantic 10.
- Both teams have two foreign players on the roster -- Wake Forest's Jamaal Levy (Panama) and Vytas Danelius (Lithuania) and Clemson's Akin Akingbala (Nigeria) and Olua Babalola (London).
- Clemson's Sam Perry is a freshman forward. Wake Forest's Sam Perry is an assistant in the media relations office.
A Good Night For The Prossers
An hour after Wake Forest won its ACC opener Jan. 2 at Virginia, Deacon head 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 3-1 vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams
- Wake Forest is 3-1 this season against nationally-ranked teams with wins over then No. 18 Arizona, No. 14 Texas and No. 25 Virginia, and a loss on the road to No. 5 Illinois.
- Wake's wins against ranked teams have come at home (Texas), on the road (Virginia) and at a neutral site (Arizona).
- Wake Forest also defeated George Washington, which was not ranked at game time, but is currently ranked.
- Last season the Deacons beat four ranked teams. Prior to last season, Wake had not defeated four or more ranked teams in one season since 1996-97. The Deacons have not earned a winning record against ranked teams since going 6-4 in 1996-97.
- 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 six ACC teams ranked in the top 25, Wake Forest could break a school record for games played against ranked teams (13 in 1994-95).
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.
Wake Forest Undefeated When...
... (12-0) when holding opponents to less than 50 percent shooting.
... (11-0) when holding opponents to less than 90 points.
... (11-0) when leading with 5:00 remaining.
... (10-0) when Wake has more rebounds than its opponent.
... (10-0) when scoring more than 73 points.
... (9-0) when scoring the game's first points.
... (6-0) when Wake has less turnovers than its opponent.
Deacs Move Up A Spot In National Polls
Wake Forest moved up to No. 4 (from No. 3) in the Associated Press poll and to No. 3 (from No. 4) in the ESPN/USA Today poll this week.
The Deacons own their highest ranking since Nov. 29, when they were ranked No. 1 in both polls for the second straight week.
Wake Forest has been in the AP top 25 for 41 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 eight consecutive weeks. The school record is 19 weeks, from March of 1996 to March of 1997.
Wake's 12-1 Start Ranks Right Up There
Wake Forest's 12-1 start is one of the best in school history, although the Deacons have enjoyed similar success in recent years. Wake started 12-1 as recently as the 2002-03 season. Should the Deacons win Saturday, their 13-1 start would match their best start since going 13-1 in 2000-01.
Schedule One Of Nation's Most Difficult
The Wake Forest schedule is proving to be one of the strongest in the nation and one of the most difficult in school history:
- Eleven of the 25 teams in the ESPN/USA Today poll are Wake Forest opponents -- #1 Illinois, #4 North Carolina, #5 Duke, #10 Georgia Tech, #11 Texas, #13 Arizona, #20 Cincinnati, #21 Maryland, #24 NC State and #25 George Washington. Three other Deacon opponents -- Virginia, New Mexico and Providence -- are receiving votes for that poll.
- What may make Wake Forest's schedule uniquely difficult is that the Deacons play four "true" road games (on the actual home court of the opponent) against four good teams -- Temple, New Mexico, Illinois and Cincinnati.
- The Deacons have already played four teams that were ranked at tip-off -- Illinois, Arizona, Texas and Virginia. George Washington was not ranked when it played Wake Forest, but the Colonials are currently ranked.
- Wake Forest will play yet another ranked non-conference opponent, on the road at Cincinnati Jan. 22.
- Twelve of Wake's 17 remaining regular season games come against teams that are either ranked in the top 25, or are receiving votes for the top 25.
- Following the Clemson game, four of Wake's next six games come against teams currently in the top 25.
- Wake Forest has had the nation's sixth-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.
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 eight of 13 games this season.
- The Deacs' field goal percentage (49.7) ranks second in the ACC and 22nd in the nation.
- Wake's field goal percentage is its highest since 1984.
- Throw out the Illinois game -- where the Deacons shot just 39.7 percent -- and the Deacons are shooting 50.7 percent for the season.
- Wake is 11-0 when it shoots a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
- The Deacons are 12-0 when holding opponents to less than 50 percent shooting (only Illinois shot better than 50 percent against Wake Forest).
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 five games:
- He has averaged 18.2 points per game, including 20-plus points against Texas, New Mexico and Virginia.
- Paul has dished out 8.2 assists per game, including a career-best 12 assists against Texas.
- He has 14 steals over the last five games including six Dec. 15 against Elon.
- Paul has made 13 three-point field goals over the last five games, compared to seven three-pointers in the first eight games.
Paul Takes Over ACC Leader In 3Pt. FG%
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 55.6 percent from three-point range, which leads the ACC. Over his last five games, Paul has shot a remarkable 68.4 percent (13-of-19) from behind the arc. He hasn't missed a three-point attempt since Dec. 22 at New Mexico.
This is not just a recent hot streak. For his career, Paul is shooting 49.2 percent (60-of-122) from three-point range.
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. 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.
Gray now has 1,028 career points, ranking him 40th in Wake Forest history. Three other Deacons are closing in on 1,000 points: Taron Downey (898), Eric Williams (847) and Vytas Danelius (839).
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 16.2 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 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.
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 33 consecutive games and he has 24 three-pointers over the last seven games.
- Gray ranks third in the ACC in three-point field goals per game (3.0) behind Miami's Robert Hite and Dukes J.J. Redick.
- He ranks sixth in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (.433).
- With 171 career three-point field goals, he ranks fifth in Wake Forest history.
- 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 12 of 13 games -- the most by any Deacon.
- Williams is second in the ACC in field goal percentage at 63.6 percent (75-of-118).
- He made 9-of-10 field goal attempts Dec. 30 against North Carolina A&T and he has shot less than 50 percent in a game just twice this season.
- He ranks second on the team and 15th in the ACC in scoring (14.9 ppg). - His rebound average (6.0 rpg) ranks 15th 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 847 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 fifth in the ACC.
- Levy ranks fourth in the ACC in offensive rebounds (3.23 pg) and ranks ninth in defensive rebounds (4.62).
- He ranks second on the team with 20 steals and is six steals away from the 100th of his career.
- One of two Deacons to start every game this season, Levy ranks third on the team in minutes played (29.2 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 634 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.
Downey At His Best When Heat Is On
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 minutes per game and is always on the floor at crunch time.
Dan Collins of the Winston-Salem Journal pointed out this note, which is a good indicator of how Downey plays better the bigger the stage. Last season Downey averaged more points per game in ACC games (11.1) than he did in non-conference games (9.2). And his numbers were even better in ACC road games -- 12.0 points per game and 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from three-point range.
Perhaps the most important statistic related to Downey is that the Deacons have won 79 games in his four-year career with 17 regular season games remaining.
Wake Forest In The National Statistics
(Note: national statistics last updated Dec. 30)
- 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). Wake's percentage is its 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.
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 six games he has averaged 5.5 points per game while shooting 12-of-17 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)
Three Big 4 Teams In Top 5 For 1st Time
Monday's Associated Press poll marked the first time ever that three of the "Big Four" schools (Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest) have been ranked in the top five simultaneously.
North Carolina is ranked third, Wake Forest fourth and Duke fifth in this week's AP poll. The closest three Big Four schools have come to being ranked in the top five previously came one week in the 1978-79 season when Duke, North Carolina and NC State were ranked in the top six.
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.
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.
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 317 games. Wake Forest has won 79 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's 89-70 win at Virginia Jan. 2 -- the Deacons third straight ACC opener on the road against a ranked team -- was WFU's largest margin of victory in Charlottesville since 1962.
- 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 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.
