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9/8/2020 1:26:00 PM | Football, Gold Rush
Carlos “Boogie” Basham Jr. returns for senior season after stellar junior campaign
On Dec. 21, 2019, Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr. posted on Twitter his plans for the 2020 football season. Until that tweet, many wondered if his days playing as a Demon Deacon were over as he had just completed a junior campaign that established himself as a top NFL Draft prospect. A return to Wake Forest meant a proven leader and pass rusher at defensive end, but his departure would be understandable considering his outstanding 2019 campaign.
In his tweet, he first thanked his Lord and Savior, his mother and father (Crystal and Carlos Basham Sr.), and then stated, "Lastly, I'd like to thank the Wake Forest coaching staff for trusting in me and giving a kid from Roanoke, Va., a chance. With that said, I'll be returning to Wake Forest for my senior season…"
In retrospect, it appears not much was left to chance. According to Dave Cohen, assistant head coach for defense and Basham's position coach, perhaps the coaches should thank him for choosing to play for them.
Basham is known for his love of shoes and cars. He says he probably has enough shoes to wear a different pair each day for a month. Basham also loves to work on his Dodge Challenger, detailing it to make it unique and personalized. He relaxes by driving around town and listening to music. "Boogie" was a nickname one of his mother's best friends tagged him with when he was just a toddler because he was always on the move. The name stuck.
His motivation to earn a college scholarship was because of his parents, who always encouraged him. He wanted to make them proud.
"This was something I wanted to do," Basham said. "I took that (their encouragement) as I've got to get into college. I wanted to see my dad happy, smiling, and my mom too once I got everything figured out."
Basham clarified his goals once he received his first football scholarship offer during his sophomore year of high school and, although he loved basketball, it was football that proved to be the better fit for his diverse set of skills. Basham went mostly unnoticed as a high school recruit, and some even discounted his potential to play in a Power Five conference. When it was time to decide, he had narrowed his final list to Wake Forest, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
"I was under-recruited coming out of high school, and a lot of college coaches said I didn't have it, or I would never play at this level," Basham said. "I had a couple of Division I looks and lot of Division II and walk-on offers. In high school, I played running back, receiver, tight end, cornerback, safety and even linebacker on some plays.
So I felt Wake really took a chance on me."
Cohen said that there was no doubt that Basham had a lot to offer.
"You have to understand that Boogie is an athlete, so (in high school) they used him at spread receiver, outside linebacker, and he was a very good basketball player," Cohen said. "He was kind of a hybrid coming out. Then we saw him live at camp, and it's a no-brainer. Until you meet him, you really can't project how big he is or how big he could be. He's large, long, thick, and that combination of size and athleticism is special. Sometimes you can't tell that from watching game film. So here's a 280-pound man running as fast as he does, and that's why he will make money doing this one day."
Basham came to Wake Forest's football camp the summer following his junior year, and after watching him, Cohen said that the coaching staff knew he was an exceptional talent.
"The thing that has taken him to the next level is competitiveness," Cohen said. "We made a (video) cut-up last year of a fourth-quarter play when there was a 10-point or less lead, and teams were trying to throw the ball against us. Now, this is 70 to 80 plays into the game, and it was almost like his part of the film was sped up, and the other 21 players were slowed down. Go back and watch him at the end of the Utah State, UNC and Florida State games, and watch him pursue the quarterback. He sped up when it really mattered with the game on the line. That's really impressive."
Basham said he weighed between 220 and 230 pounds in his senior season of high school. Since arriving at Wake Forest, he has grown to an imposing 6-5 and 280 pounds, totally changing his body to withstand the physical demands of college football.
He earned his first career start his redshirt freshman season against NC State. He completed his sophomore season ranked second in tackles with 64 and tied for the team lead with 11 tackles for loss. He ranked second with 4.5 sacks.
Basham was relentless his junior season with the second most number of sacks in program history (11) and had 18 tackles for loss, both ranking second in the ACC, along with three forced fumbles. Basham also had 61 quarterback pressures, the most by any 2021 draft-eligible player, and earned first-team All-ACC honors.
"My sophomore year, I realized there were many plays where I was missing sacks and tackles, and I was like if I could just capitalize on those plays I could be really good and make money doing this," Basham said. "Then last year, I took another step forward and started making those plays. I understand how our defense works, the scheme, and it has made me an all-around better player."
Basham's name appears on some of the most prestigious 2020 pre-season award watch lists. He is one of just five ACC players to make the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Award watch lists. But for Basham, it's more about winning the award than being named to a watch list.
"The things that make Boogie marketable is he's bright, competitive and athletic, but he can fit into any scheme based on his size and speed," Cohen said. "You can drop him into any spot, and he can play multiple positions in multiple systems. His versatility is outstanding."
In his tweet, he first thanked his Lord and Savior, his mother and father (Crystal and Carlos Basham Sr.), and then stated, "Lastly, I'd like to thank the Wake Forest coaching staff for trusting in me and giving a kid from Roanoke, Va., a chance. With that said, I'll be returning to Wake Forest for my senior season…"
In retrospect, it appears not much was left to chance. According to Dave Cohen, assistant head coach for defense and Basham's position coach, perhaps the coaches should thank him for choosing to play for them.
Basham is known for his love of shoes and cars. He says he probably has enough shoes to wear a different pair each day for a month. Basham also loves to work on his Dodge Challenger, detailing it to make it unique and personalized. He relaxes by driving around town and listening to music. "Boogie" was a nickname one of his mother's best friends tagged him with when he was just a toddler because he was always on the move. The name stuck.
His motivation to earn a college scholarship was because of his parents, who always encouraged him. He wanted to make them proud.
"This was something I wanted to do," Basham said. "I took that (their encouragement) as I've got to get into college. I wanted to see my dad happy, smiling, and my mom too once I got everything figured out."
Basham clarified his goals once he received his first football scholarship offer during his sophomore year of high school and, although he loved basketball, it was football that proved to be the better fit for his diverse set of skills. Basham went mostly unnoticed as a high school recruit, and some even discounted his potential to play in a Power Five conference. When it was time to decide, he had narrowed his final list to Wake Forest, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
"I was under-recruited coming out of high school, and a lot of college coaches said I didn't have it, or I would never play at this level," Basham said. "I had a couple of Division I looks and lot of Division II and walk-on offers. In high school, I played running back, receiver, tight end, cornerback, safety and even linebacker on some plays.
So I felt Wake really took a chance on me."
Cohen said that there was no doubt that Basham had a lot to offer.
"You have to understand that Boogie is an athlete, so (in high school) they used him at spread receiver, outside linebacker, and he was a very good basketball player," Cohen said. "He was kind of a hybrid coming out. Then we saw him live at camp, and it's a no-brainer. Until you meet him, you really can't project how big he is or how big he could be. He's large, long, thick, and that combination of size and athleticism is special. Sometimes you can't tell that from watching game film. So here's a 280-pound man running as fast as he does, and that's why he will make money doing this one day."
Basham came to Wake Forest's football camp the summer following his junior year, and after watching him, Cohen said that the coaching staff knew he was an exceptional talent.
"The thing that has taken him to the next level is competitiveness," Cohen said. "We made a (video) cut-up last year of a fourth-quarter play when there was a 10-point or less lead, and teams were trying to throw the ball against us. Now, this is 70 to 80 plays into the game, and it was almost like his part of the film was sped up, and the other 21 players were slowed down. Go back and watch him at the end of the Utah State, UNC and Florida State games, and watch him pursue the quarterback. He sped up when it really mattered with the game on the line. That's really impressive."
Basham said he weighed between 220 and 230 pounds in his senior season of high school. Since arriving at Wake Forest, he has grown to an imposing 6-5 and 280 pounds, totally changing his body to withstand the physical demands of college football.
He earned his first career start his redshirt freshman season against NC State. He completed his sophomore season ranked second in tackles with 64 and tied for the team lead with 11 tackles for loss. He ranked second with 4.5 sacks.
Basham was relentless his junior season with the second most number of sacks in program history (11) and had 18 tackles for loss, both ranking second in the ACC, along with three forced fumbles. Basham also had 61 quarterback pressures, the most by any 2021 draft-eligible player, and earned first-team All-ACC honors.
"My sophomore year, I realized there were many plays where I was missing sacks and tackles, and I was like if I could just capitalize on those plays I could be really good and make money doing this," Basham said. "Then last year, I took another step forward and started making those plays. I understand how our defense works, the scheme, and it has made me an all-around better player."
Basham's name appears on some of the most prestigious 2020 pre-season award watch lists. He is one of just five ACC players to make the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Award watch lists. But for Basham, it's more about winning the award than being named to a watch list.
"The things that make Boogie marketable is he's bright, competitive and athletic, but he can fit into any scheme based on his size and speed," Cohen said. "You can drop him into any spot, and he can play multiple positions in multiple systems. His versatility is outstanding."
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