Wake Forest Athletics
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Deacon Sports Xtra: Williamson Excited for Change in Demon Deacon Basketball
2/4/2022 12:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Les Johns
After missing two games due to COVID, senior guard Daivien Williamson is hitting his stride at the right time.
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After missing a pair of games because of Covid protocols, senior guard Daivien Williamson has gotten back in the groove. He's playing great defense and hitting shots behind the arc, connecting for double-digit points in back-to-back road wins at Virginia and Georgia Tech and tying his career high of 27 points at Syracuse.
It was the first road win for the Deacs at UVA since 2010 and the first road victory at Georgia Tech since 2004. In the month of January, Wake Forest won six ACC games, the most in the month of January since the 2004-05 season. The Deacs are also 13-1 inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the best home record since 2008-09 when they went 15-1 at LJVM.
"We came in to make our own streaks," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said after the victory in Charlottesville. "We just swept Virginia and Virginia Tech on the road, and that's something to be proud of. We don't play either one of those again unless it's the ACC Tournament or NCAA Tournament.
"They're excited and they should be. It's a great crowd and a great win. Great coach and good players, they've been playing well at home. It's a great road win for us."
Williamson was 3-for-5 behind the arc against the Cavaliers, scoring 12 points with four rebounds and an assist.
"It felt really good," he said. "I cleared Covid protocols right before the Syracuse game. To get back felt really good. I'd been doing some in-home workouts that Mike Starke had sent me while I was out. When my symptoms went away, I started doing that so I could stay in good shape.
"I wanted to be ready to go. It felt good to get my stroke back. Most importantly, it felt good to win. That's all I really care about."
The Deacs took control in the second half against UVA, capitalizing on a late 13-0 run in a 63-55 victory.
"We just watched that film before practice," Williamson said as the Deacs got prepared for Georgia Tech. "We stuck to our fundamentals. We trusted each other and we stayed connected. Offensively we shared the ball and moved the ball while running a good offense.
"We got stops. That was the most important thing. You get stops down the stretch like we did and you're going to win games. We stayed connected on offense and got defensive stops."
Despite an 18-5 overall record (8-4 in the ACC), the Demon Deacons aren't getting much national recognition. Although they are listed in most mock NCAA Tournament fields and have received votes throughout the season, Wake Forest is nowhere to be seen in the Top 25 rankings.
"We talk about it a little bit as a team, but at the end of the day we don't listen to much of that outside noise," Williamson said. "We just try to stay at home with things like that. We want to stay connected and stay together as a team. We know how hard we work. We don't need a ranking to prove that to us. We know what we've been doing since summer workouts.
"It would be nice to be ranked, but at the same time we don't worry about that. We just want to continue to grow, get better and win some more games."
It was another second half run that was the difference that Wednesday night in Atlanta, as the Deacs got two kills (three straight defensive stops) while going on a 20-5 run to finish off the Yellowjackets. Williamson scored 11, once again shooting 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
Getting his first action on the court in Atlanta was fellow East Tennessee State transfer Damari Monsanto, who hit a pair of threes and grabbed eight rebounds in just 12 minutes played.
"As we all know, he can score with the best of them," Williamson said about Monsanto. "When he comes in, he's going to be one of the best shooters on the team. Everyone knows he can shoot the lights out. He's going to help us a lot on the offensive end. He can really score the ball and we're super excited to have him."
Monsanto has since played in every game for the Deacs, recording a season-high 20 minutes at Syracuse. He went 4-for-6 from three in the Dome. He reached 19 minutes in the win against North Carolina at home and made three triples in a row in the second half. He ended with a season-high 13 points against the Tar Heels. Monsanto has played double-digit minutes in every contest for the Deacs since joining the rotation against Georgia Tech.
"He can really shoot the basketball," said head coach Steve Forbes ahead of the Georgia Tech game. "He's got size and he can rebound. He sees the court and he's really unselfish, so I like that about him. He was the Freshman of the Year at ETSU and at the top of every scouting report. He won't be at the top this year, he'll be a piece, and I think that will help him and he will continue to contribute to our team."
With Williamson and Monsanto each hitting stride as the Deacs get into the meat of conference play, Wake Forest basketball is ready to keep winning and change the narrative.
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After missing a pair of games because of Covid protocols, senior guard Daivien Williamson has gotten back in the groove. He's playing great defense and hitting shots behind the arc, connecting for double-digit points in back-to-back road wins at Virginia and Georgia Tech and tying his career high of 27 points at Syracuse.
It was the first road win for the Deacs at UVA since 2010 and the first road victory at Georgia Tech since 2004. In the month of January, Wake Forest won six ACC games, the most in the month of January since the 2004-05 season. The Deacs are also 13-1 inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the best home record since 2008-09 when they went 15-1 at LJVM.
"We came in to make our own streaks," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said after the victory in Charlottesville. "We just swept Virginia and Virginia Tech on the road, and that's something to be proud of. We don't play either one of those again unless it's the ACC Tournament or NCAA Tournament.
"They're excited and they should be. It's a great crowd and a great win. Great coach and good players, they've been playing well at home. It's a great road win for us."
Williamson was 3-for-5 behind the arc against the Cavaliers, scoring 12 points with four rebounds and an assist.
"It felt really good," he said. "I cleared Covid protocols right before the Syracuse game. To get back felt really good. I'd been doing some in-home workouts that Mike Starke had sent me while I was out. When my symptoms went away, I started doing that so I could stay in good shape.
"I wanted to be ready to go. It felt good to get my stroke back. Most importantly, it felt good to win. That's all I really care about."
The Deacs took control in the second half against UVA, capitalizing on a late 13-0 run in a 63-55 victory.
"We just watched that film before practice," Williamson said as the Deacs got prepared for Georgia Tech. "We stuck to our fundamentals. We trusted each other and we stayed connected. Offensively we shared the ball and moved the ball while running a good offense.
"We got stops. That was the most important thing. You get stops down the stretch like we did and you're going to win games. We stayed connected on offense and got defensive stops."
Despite an 18-5 overall record (8-4 in the ACC), the Demon Deacons aren't getting much national recognition. Although they are listed in most mock NCAA Tournament fields and have received votes throughout the season, Wake Forest is nowhere to be seen in the Top 25 rankings.
"We talk about it a little bit as a team, but at the end of the day we don't listen to much of that outside noise," Williamson said. "We just try to stay at home with things like that. We want to stay connected and stay together as a team. We know how hard we work. We don't need a ranking to prove that to us. We know what we've been doing since summer workouts.
"It would be nice to be ranked, but at the same time we don't worry about that. We just want to continue to grow, get better and win some more games."
It was another second half run that was the difference that Wednesday night in Atlanta, as the Deacs got two kills (three straight defensive stops) while going on a 20-5 run to finish off the Yellowjackets. Williamson scored 11, once again shooting 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
Getting his first action on the court in Atlanta was fellow East Tennessee State transfer Damari Monsanto, who hit a pair of threes and grabbed eight rebounds in just 12 minutes played.
"As we all know, he can score with the best of them," Williamson said about Monsanto. "When he comes in, he's going to be one of the best shooters on the team. Everyone knows he can shoot the lights out. He's going to help us a lot on the offensive end. He can really score the ball and we're super excited to have him."
Monsanto has since played in every game for the Deacs, recording a season-high 20 minutes at Syracuse. He went 4-for-6 from three in the Dome. He reached 19 minutes in the win against North Carolina at home and made three triples in a row in the second half. He ended with a season-high 13 points against the Tar Heels. Monsanto has played double-digit minutes in every contest for the Deacs since joining the rotation against Georgia Tech.
"He can really shoot the basketball," said head coach Steve Forbes ahead of the Georgia Tech game. "He's got size and he can rebound. He sees the court and he's really unselfish, so I like that about him. He was the Freshman of the Year at ETSU and at the top of every scouting report. He won't be at the top this year, he'll be a piece, and I think that will help him and he will continue to contribute to our team."
With Williamson and Monsanto each hitting stride as the Deacs get into the meat of conference play, Wake Forest basketball is ready to keep winning and change the narrative.
Not yet a subscriber or know someone who would like to receive these stories in their email inbox? Click here for the DSX subscription link - share it with your friends!
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