Deacon Sports Xtra: Deacs Begin 2022-23 Season
10/3/2022 11:03:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Les Johns
After seeing four different Demon Deacons splash 3-pointers early in the first five-on-five full-court scrimmage segment of practice, Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes threw a proverbial curve ball at his players — he attached an actual bubbled lid on top of both goals.
"I put those bubbles up for a reason," Forbes explained after practice. "I love those bubbles because you get exposed. With those, the ball doesn't go in the net, obviously. So, you have to block out, be physical and go get the ball. You'll see that all year long."
Thursday marked the first official Wake Forest team practice of the 2022-23 season, which is a strange way of counting it. With the ever-changing NCAA rules regarding live instruction coupled with the Europe trip, this group of Demon Deacons have now practiced together 52 times.
"It was very average," Forbes said about their two-hour workout Thursday. "With that being said, I threw a lot at them. We try to make practice harder than the game. They have to learn to play through fatigue. They did well early in practice, but then when it got tough and they got tired, they started to make a lot of mistakes.
"We have to clean that up. The main concerns with this team will be rebounding and taking care of the basketball. And then keeping the ball out of the paint defensively. We're working really hard at that and will continue to work hard on those things."
It's the focus on rebounding that led to the bubble lids on the baskets.
"That was a new drill right there," Wake Forest grad student guard Daivien Williamson said. "I've never been a part of anything like that. We're a little bit of a small team, so we all have to get in there and rebound, including myself and all the guards. That drill really put an emphasis on rebounding the basketball."
With a bevy of experienced and talented guards on the roster, the Deacs could play a bit smaller than they did a season ago, so team rebounding will be vital.
"It's a good way to learn to block out," Forbes said. "Everybody has to block out. It's not just big guys. It's got to be team rebounding, guards included. A lot of times, those are the guys not blocking out. It's not the big guys. I think the bubble is a great teaching tool, and we're going to continue to use it."
The Deacs have added four transfers and two freshmen to the roster, coming off a 25-10 campaign last season that saw the biggest one-year turnaround in program history.
Before practice Thursday, it was announced that Williamson, Florida transfer guard Tyree Appleby, Delaware transfer forward Andrew Carr and Marist transfer guard Jao Ituka would be team captains this season.
"I think they have for the most part done everything we ask a player to do on and off the court," Forbes said. "They lead by example both on and off the court to our core identity and values. I thought they did a poor job of leading today when things got hard. You have to get outside of yourself, not worry about yourself and help somebody else pick it up.
"They're really good guys. But it's hard. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. And I'm putting a lot of heat on them to lead the team. They earned it but have to continue to earn it. And it's going to get a lot harder."
Of the four, just Williamson has been at Wake Forest prior to this spring, but the entire group is blending well, especially after the summer trip overseas.
"We have good chemistry and I think you can see that," Forbes said. "I don't think chemistry has ever been a problem, but now it's just holding folks accountable when things get hard. It's good when it's not me doing it all the time, even though I have no problem doing it. We need them to hold themselves accountable.
"It's been pretty flawless with that, and I think a lot of it has to do with the way we do things, and the way we do things off the court. The trip to Europe for chemistry was great."
The Deacs will scrimmage against Ohio State prior to the exhibition game against Winston-Salem State at Joel Coliseum at 7 p.m. November 1. The regular season opens at the Joel against Fairfield on Monday, Nov. 7.
"I know we're tired of playing against each other, because we've been doing it since June," Williamson said. "Once we see some other faces on the schedule, we'll be ready to go."
"I put those bubbles up for a reason," Forbes explained after practice. "I love those bubbles because you get exposed. With those, the ball doesn't go in the net, obviously. So, you have to block out, be physical and go get the ball. You'll see that all year long."
Thursday marked the first official Wake Forest team practice of the 2022-23 season, which is a strange way of counting it. With the ever-changing NCAA rules regarding live instruction coupled with the Europe trip, this group of Demon Deacons have now practiced together 52 times.
"It was very average," Forbes said about their two-hour workout Thursday. "With that being said, I threw a lot at them. We try to make practice harder than the game. They have to learn to play through fatigue. They did well early in practice, but then when it got tough and they got tired, they started to make a lot of mistakes.
"We have to clean that up. The main concerns with this team will be rebounding and taking care of the basketball. And then keeping the ball out of the paint defensively. We're working really hard at that and will continue to work hard on those things."
It's the focus on rebounding that led to the bubble lids on the baskets.
"That was a new drill right there," Wake Forest grad student guard Daivien Williamson said. "I've never been a part of anything like that. We're a little bit of a small team, so we all have to get in there and rebound, including myself and all the guards. That drill really put an emphasis on rebounding the basketball."
With a bevy of experienced and talented guards on the roster, the Deacs could play a bit smaller than they did a season ago, so team rebounding will be vital.
"It's a good way to learn to block out," Forbes said. "Everybody has to block out. It's not just big guys. It's got to be team rebounding, guards included. A lot of times, those are the guys not blocking out. It's not the big guys. I think the bubble is a great teaching tool, and we're going to continue to use it."
The Deacs have added four transfers and two freshmen to the roster, coming off a 25-10 campaign last season that saw the biggest one-year turnaround in program history.
Before practice Thursday, it was announced that Williamson, Florida transfer guard Tyree Appleby, Delaware transfer forward Andrew Carr and Marist transfer guard Jao Ituka would be team captains this season.
"I think they have for the most part done everything we ask a player to do on and off the court," Forbes said. "They lead by example both on and off the court to our core identity and values. I thought they did a poor job of leading today when things got hard. You have to get outside of yourself, not worry about yourself and help somebody else pick it up.
"They're really good guys. But it's hard. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. And I'm putting a lot of heat on them to lead the team. They earned it but have to continue to earn it. And it's going to get a lot harder."
Of the four, just Williamson has been at Wake Forest prior to this spring, but the entire group is blending well, especially after the summer trip overseas.
"We have good chemistry and I think you can see that," Forbes said. "I don't think chemistry has ever been a problem, but now it's just holding folks accountable when things get hard. It's good when it's not me doing it all the time, even though I have no problem doing it. We need them to hold themselves accountable.
"It's been pretty flawless with that, and I think a lot of it has to do with the way we do things, and the way we do things off the court. The trip to Europe for chemistry was great."
The Deacs will scrimmage against Ohio State prior to the exhibition game against Winston-Salem State at Joel Coliseum at 7 p.m. November 1. The regular season opens at the Joel against Fairfield on Monday, Nov. 7.
"I know we're tired of playing against each other, because we've been doing it since June," Williamson said. "Once we see some other faces on the schedule, we'll be ready to go."
Players Mentioned
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