Deacon Dump 12/21: An ugly win for an ugly team

Well it wasn't pretty, but Wake is 1-0 in conference play. Despite the sloppy play, it never really seemed like State was going to be able to overcome even when they cut it down to four. The Deacs get their holiday break and all will be quiet for a little while.

Here are today's links...

FayObserver.com - Wiederer: Ugly or not, Wake will take it
"[Ish is] just good," Lowe said. "He's clever with the basketball. Our gameplan was to try to keep him out of the lane, to try to squeeze. But he's good. And sometimes you run up against a guy who's just better than what your guys are trying to do."

Forget about NBA draft's top pick; it's a done deal -- chicagotribune.com
-- Al-Farouq Aminu, 6-8, 218, So., Wake Forest: Would have been top 10 last season but returned, has gone from 13-8 as a freshman to 16-10.

Wake beats Pack in ACC opener - Sports - NewsObserver.com
"We won ugly and we're an ugly team," Gaudio said he told his team after the game.

| StarNewsOnline.com | Star News | Wilmington, NC
"I’m just out there playing, and hopefully, I can go out there and create, for myself and others, wide-open shots for our shooters, which we do have this year," the 6-foot Smith said. "I’m just playing my game, being aggressive and finding open guys."

My Take on Wake - Falling Snow and Falling Jumpers | JournalNow.com
Watching the early shooting drills convinced me that this a better shooting team than the one a year ago. Big deal, you might say. That team finished dead last in the ACC with a 3-point percentage of .316. But L.D. Williams has clearly improved his shot, and the Deacons upgraded their perimeter firepower by recruiting C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart. Harris is a good shooter because he’s so fundamentally sound and always, always, squared up and on balance when he shoots. Stewart is less sound, but he has such great spring that he can get his shot off above the hands, and he also has a really nice touch. But nobody on the team has the touch of Gary Clark, and I guess that’s why teammates call him G$. The ball floats off his fingertips, even when he’s shooting a leaner. And he has range without his stroke breaking down. Clark shot 28 percent from 3-point range last season, and he’s only taken two in his three games since returning from mono. But watching him closely today, I get the feeling he’s going to play a surprisingly big role on this team by the time all is said and done.