I want us to fly under the radar. The more we do, the fewer the expectations and the lower the chance of not living up to them. Plus, if we're underdogs, people won't take us as seriously and we can sneak up on people--the opposite of last year. Regardless, it is nice to have people buzzing about Wake again. For a team with all kinds of question marks, let's hope that some of those questions have started to be answered.
Links after the jump...
PG Smith Holds Key For Surging Wake Forest - Sports News Story - WSOC Charlotte
"He's learned to be a point guard," coach Dino Gaudio said. "He's learned to be a leader out there. He always practiced hard, he always played hard, and sometimes it was just him and the ball out there. But he's learned to run the team, knows when we have the break (and) knows when we don't, knows when to run a set. And I think because of his practice habits and how hard he works, he commands a respect from the other guys."
News Flash: CMU considers Lobotzke - College Football - Rivals.com
Wake Forest offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke has interviewed multiple times for the Central Michigan head coaching job, Rivals.com has learned.
Garcia making mark with Deacons
"He never said anything about the snow and 20-degree weather," Garcia said with a smile. "How was I supposed to know it would snow 12 inches and be this cold for so long?" Petersen asked. "Our three Florida kids are going crazy because it's so cold."
Who will win the ACC? | The Dispatch | Davidson County's News Source | Lexington, NC
But on the subject of basketball, Wake has to get over its disappointing first-round loss in last year's NCAA tournament to Cleveland State - a 13-over-4 upset. Al-Farouq Aminu is averaging 17 points and nearly 12 boards to lead Wake, who will depend on the 6-foot-9 hoss through ACC play. Aminu is easily a lottery pick in the NBA draft, and potentially a top-five pick.
Kuiper Predicts The ACC Articles
4) Wake Forest I am a little nervous ranking this team fourth. I am doing it because the Demon Deacons are talented, but I am not sure they are always ready to play. They started the season a little sluggish, but since halftime of the Gonzaga game, they have improved quite a bit. Al-Farouq Aminu is as talented as anyone in the league, and I have really have been impressed by Ishmael Smith’s joy for the game.
Delaware men's basketball: Tribe finds CAA tougher than Terps, Deacons | delawareonline.com | The News Journal
William & Mary had won by 10 at Wake Forest and by six at Maryland. But all three of its CAA games have been decided by one point. Wins over visiting VCU 75-74 on Dec. 5 and at Hofstra 48-47 on Saturday preceded Monday's defeat.
3-Pointers: Wake Forest regroups following Skip Prosser Classic - Mike DeCourcy - College Basketball - Sporting News
With the team's ACC opener not until Saturday at Miami, Gaudio thought it prudent to give the Deacons a day off following the Xavier win. Nobody needed the break more than PG Ish Smith, who averaged 43 minutes in a stretch of three games in seven days. But Gaudio said Smith was "bouncing around" the Wake practice gym on his off day. He wonders how Smith would do on one of those tests to measure oxygen intake, for which an endurance athlete like Lance Armstrong would be the model. "He's amazing, Gaudio said. "He can just run and run and run and run."
My Take on Wake - Stewart Not Too Shy to Let Fly | JournalNow.com
Ari Stewart, Wake Forest’s freshman forward, has more than a litlte Nehru King in him. I’ve kidded him about how he’s certainly not too shy to let fly, and I went back and ran the numbers to find out that nobody on the Deacons’ roster shoots the ball more frequently. Stewart has taken 94 field-goal attempts in 224 minutes of playing time, or one every 2.38 minutes. Al-Farouq Aminu is the only teammate close, with a shot every 2.41 minutes of playing time. I asked Coach Dino Gaudio if he felt all right about Stewart’s shot selection. "I do,‘’ Gaudio said. "I don’t want him looking over his shoulder. I want him relaxed. I don’t want him worrying about `Should I? Shouldn’t I?’
John Marshall 58, Douglas Freeman 55
McKie, who had a team-high 21 points, had 13 in the first half but passed out of double and triple teams to find Payne and Mangum, who drilled five 3-pointers in the game's first half as JM led 36-31 at the break.