Can you believe it's November? Sheesh. First exhibition game this week and it is really starting to sink in that it is basketball season. Jake will agree, there is no better feeling in the world than knowing that a new season has begun and anything can happen. Here are a ton of links I've collected since Saturday--enjoy and read at your own leisure. If you don't want to read about the Miami game anymore, hopefully you will still have some to enjoy.
FayObserver.com - Wake ready to move forward
"Look, man," Williams says with an earnest stare. "We've got four seniors here who had to pick this program up when it dipped farther down than it's ever been. We don't ever want to see that happen again at Wake Forest. I came here right after this program finished last in the ACC (in 2005-06). So for us now to take a step backwards? No way. That would be a disservice to our coaching staff, a disservice to this university. It would be a letdown of everything we ever thought about accomplishing here."
Lakers pound mistake prone Hawks 118-110 | ajc.com
"I just tried to come in and be a spark," said Teague, whose dunk over Lamar Odom ranks as one of the Hawks few highlights in the second half. "It started on the defensive end and in transition. We had an opportunity to come back and make it a game. But they got some put backs and run outs and that hurt us. It's our first road test of the season and we hit that wall. And they came to play, they are the world champs. So we just have get over this and get ready for Portland on Tuesday."
Miami (FL) vs. Wake Forest - Recap - October 31, 2009 - College Football - SI.com
''You want to try and field every punt that you can,'' Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. ''With the rain coming down, it got over his head a little bit. He's really sure-handed, it just got away from him.''
8-1…No Matter How You Look At It… | Ramblin' On
This coming weekend we host a 4-5 Wake Forest team. But don’t let that record fool you. Jim Grobe is still coaching at Wake and they have been known to rip the heart out of GT seasons in the past. (They pretty much ruined Joe Hamilton’s Heisman campaign in ‘99…)
ACC INSIDER: Fifth quarter … Trick or treat edition – ACC Insider - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive
4. Haunted Deacons: Late-game situations have been a chamber of horrors for Wake Forest this season. Saturday against Miami, the Deacons added to their nightmare by blowing chance after chance after chance put the game out of reach, then watching in horror as the Hurricanes rallied to win in the final minute.
Concussion may keep WFU quarterback on bench
"In the old days when you'd get knocked out, they'd throw you right back in the mix, and we found out that's not a good thing. You can start having a series of those over and over. "We'll do what's best for Riley Skinner, not what's best for the football team."
Rivals.com College Basketball - League preview: ACC
MOST OVERRATED PLAYER Guard Marcus Ginyard, North Carolina: Ginyard went from being underrated to overrated last season through absolutely no fault of his own. Ginyard played only three games before a foot injury knocked him out for the rest of the Tar Heels' run to the national championship. For the rest of the season, Ginyard's absence was offered as an excuse on each of the rare occasions when North Carolina struggled. Ginyard is a wonderful teammate and a terrific perimeter defender, but he also is a fifth-year senior who has scored more than 14 points in a game just twice in his career
2010 Positional Rankings Updated | NBADraft.net
Wake Forest's Al Farouq-Aminu will assume command of the ship with former teammates (James Johnson and Jeff Teague) off to the NBA. He could easily climb to the top of the small forward rankings.
FayObserver.com - Wake Forest basketball season preview
The Wake coaches worked long and hard over the offseason in getting Aminu to modify his release point. The athletic and versatile sophomore no longer shoots the ball with a jerky motion from in front of his face, but rather now fires from above his right shoulder. It's a tweak Gaudio thinks will make a significant difference. Especially when it's added to Aminu's knack for attacking the rim. "If Farouq's game was an iceberg," senior L.D. Williams said, "you only saw the tip last year. He's grown leaps and bounds from where he was last year. Just wait until you see how good he can be."
My Take on Wake - Skinner Sees Cobwebs on Halloween | JournalNow.com
Offensive tackle Chris DeGeare said he couldn’t remember a loss in his five years at Wake Forest worse than the 28-27 setback to Miami on a rainy Halloween day.
FayObserver.com - Wake Forest let big one get away
"There's no question our coaches are going to look at the film tomorrow and cringe when we see how many opportunities we had to make plays at the end,'' Grobe said. "And it would have only taken one or two and you've got no clock left.''
UM Hurricanes | Sun-Sentinel Blogs: Wake Forest thoughts
WINSTON-SALEM _ UM safety Randy Phillips said it best as he was leaving the field after the game. "We'll take it any kind of way," he said.
Ranking the ACC after Week 9 of College Football action | Bleacher Report
10) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-5, 2-3) - Last Week 10 The Deacs nearly defeated the Miami Hurricanes dropping a 28-27 decision. Wake really had no business losing the game. They were the better team for nearly the entire contest. In the end though it was just another close loss for the Deacs. They've now lost 4 games by 3 points or less. The status of quarterback Riley Skinner is unknown. He had a great game throwing for 349 yards, but left the game late with an apparent concussion. If he plays next week Wake Forest can take advantage of a Georgia Tech defense that has had trouble teams that run a lot of mis-direction plays. The Deacs are good enough to throw a scare in the Jackets. They'll need Skinner to do it.
NBA Sunday: Early Look at the Rooks - Basketball News & NBA Rumors -
James Johnson & Jrue Holiday – These two players went #16 and #17 in June's draft, but so far have seen so little of the floor that it's hard to gauge what they are as professionals. Both guys have loads of potential, but both guys are also very raw, which could explain why their coaches aren't providing them with big minutes yet.