Herbst Recounts Dave Odom, 1995 ACC Championship Memories

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The No. 16 ranked Demon Deacons dropped a late-January contest with No. 3 North Carolina, and was facing a quick turnaround — a game against Vanderbilt from the SEC was looming the very next day.

The Deacs had a late-night shootaround, and as they wrapped things up, Coach Dave Odom addressed the 1994-95 squad anchored by Randolph Childress, Tim Duncan, Travis Banks and Ricky Peral.

"How will this Wake Forest team react?" Odom told the team, according to walk-on Kenny Herbst. "We're going through adversity right now, and people are wondering if Wake is going to fold."

It's safe to say the Deacs responded well. Wake Forest won nine of its last 10 regular-season games and then rode a historic performance from Childress to its first ACC Tournament Championship in 33 seasons.

"It was more special because it was the first one in 33 years," Herbst said. "Growing up in Winston and a Wake Forest fan, I sensed the thirst — it had been so long since we won one. I remember it fondly, just like it was yesterday.

"It was a magical ride. We went to Chapel Hill for the return game and we had such a bad taste in our mouth from the way we let that one go in late-January. It was such a celebration and release."

Before falling in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 to Oklahoma State, the Deacs had reeled off 12-consecutive wins.

"We were picked to finish in the middle of the league, and Coach Odom was really angry," Herbst recalled.

"You can call us anything, but don't call us average," Odom told the team, according to Herbst.

In a ceremony earlier this year, the 1995 ACC Championship team was recognized at LJVM Coliseum and Odom's banner was hung in the rafters.

"He belongs there," Herbst said. "He took over a Wake Forest program that was really struggling. He turned it around. He's the reason that the expectations for our program are for us to be in the top-third of the conference.

"That's kind of where we set up residence for a long time, and that's because of Coach Odom and Carl Tacy. Odom got us to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a pair of ACC Tournament Championships."

Herbst played in just three games that championship season, but contributed in many ways, according to guard Tony Rutland.

"He was a great influence on us," he said. "He kept it together. When things were down, he brought us up. He was a great key to us. At any time, if we were down or out, he would cheer us up. That's what a great teammate is, someone who lifts you up when things aren't going right. Kenny was part of our brotherhood."

Now back at Wake Forest as an Associate Professor of Marketing in the school of Business, Herbst is perhaps best known for his courtside persona of "Intense Wake Fan."

"He's just what you see on the side of the court," Peral said. "If you see Kenny Herbst get up to gesticulate and scream, that's him in real life. One of the reasons my kids like to come to Wake Forest basketball games is to watch Kenny Herbst.

"He was there to help the team. He did what was asked of him and did it with a smile on his face. He was happy to be on the team, and we were happy to have him there."

Herbst credits Odom for making dreams a reality for the Wake Forest fan base and for himself.

"I'm 45 years old, and these moments still mean so much to me," he said. "I'm an ACC Basketball fan. I had been watching game after game after game, and now I'm walking in with a Wake Forest team to the Smith Center, LittleJohn Coliseum, Alexander Memorial, Cole Field House and Reynolds Gym. Those places were cathedrals to me. Those specific memories stick out.

"But that 1995 run to the championship remains the most true remembrance. I could write a book about every game. It's incredibly special to me, and all of us."

Wake Forest Athletics

Herbst Recounts Dave Odom, 1995 ACC Championship Memories

Related News

Related Videos