Two of the three Wake squads were in action tonight at the Triad Pro-Am.. Salem Smiles, which features Chase Fischer, Aaron Rountree, Codi Miller-McIntyre, and Daniel Green, won in a 40-point rout over Triad Commercial Properties (Guilford College). Unfortunately, Modern Nissan, which features Travis McKie, Andre Washington, Madison Jones, and tonight Codi Miller-McIntyre, suffered a 3-point loss to Mountain Fried Chicken.
Thursday Night
6:30- #2 Grace, Tisdale, Clifton (Harris, Moto, Thomas, Jennings)
vs.
#6 Mountain Fried Chicken (Watts, Bishop, Cook)
7:30- #1 Elliot, Pishko, & Morgan (Holcomb-Fayes)
vs.
#4 SalemSmiles (CMM, Rountree, Fischer, Green)
8:30- SEMIFINAL WINNERS PLAY FOR TRIAD PRO-AM CHAMPIONSHIP
Many thanks to Bart Johnston for writing the recap of Game 1.
After the jump there will be a recap of each game...
Salem Smiles 96
Triad Commercial Properties 60
The Salem Smiles team, lead by Wake's Chase Fischer, easily dispatched of the Guilford team by a score of 96-60. Fischer scored 31 points, including 8 threes to doom the overmatched Gulford squad. The other Wake players on the team alongside Fischer were freshmen Aaron Rountree and Codi Miller-McIntyre and sophomore Daniel Green. Each of these players contributed a lot to the team, as did Allen Joines who plays at Lenoir-Rhyne. The Deacs lead by 21 at the half and never looked back.
Here's a quick recap of each Wake player's game:
Chase Fischer: Fischer was undoubtedly the best player on the court tonight as seen by his 31 points. He hit 8 threes on 13 or 14 shots and got down the lane a couple times to get up to 31 points for the night. He got off to a fast start and hit his first five shots, including four for four from outside. Most of these shots came from catch and shoot situations where he was distributed the ball around the elbow of the court. Fischer showed flashes of improving his inside game as he looks more comfortable on the ball and taking screens. He cooled off a little after a hot start but still managed to kick in 31, draining his final three with 2 minutes left to get over the 30 point barrier. Fischer also had 3 rebounds and 2 assists to go along with his 31 points. I like what I saw from Chase, it will be interesting to see if he keeps knocking them down when he gets back on the NCAA court since a few of his 3's were from right behind the high school line and would be long 2's in college.
Aaron Rountree: I continue to be impressed by the hustle and 100% intensity that Rountree brings to every second he is on the floor. He had an incredible night all-around with 9 points 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. He is one of the longest players for his height that I've seen in a long time and he poses problems for everyone he's defending. It will be fun to see him match up with some of the more physical three's in the ACC as he can afford to put on some weight. On the flip side of that, he is very quick and athletic for his size and has the ability to lay off at times and still block shots because of his speed. The most impressive part of his game for me is still his court vision. He is very interested in facilitating the offense and getting everyone on the court involved. Putting Rountree up at the top of the court in the high post when he is on the court in the offensive half will allow the team to run some baseline/backdoor cuts to get some easy buckets underneath.
Daniel Green: Green had a quiet night offensively notching only one point on 8 boards. He is still learning how to use his strengthened body and a lot of the time looks more passive/tentative than we will need him to be night in and night out. This has its perks of course as he doesn't get beat very much on the defensive end, but on the other hand he doesn't demand the ball in the low block as much as we might want him to. This is where coaching will come into play and I expect a lot out of Green this year. His work ethic is unquestioned and he more than holds his own against bigs inside. I like Green's upside quite a lot. He also chipped in 2 assists and 2 steals to go with his 8 boards.
Codi Miller-McIntyre: Codi did a little bit of everything as well tonight ending up with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals as well as pulling double duty to play in the second game when Travis' team only had four guys show up. In case anyone missed it, Codi is still jacked. He holds his own all over the court and is already the size of CJ Harris. His jumper looks really good when it's on and he has a solid release/stroke. He is able to jump out of the gym and really brings an athleticism to the court which I think is similar to Rountree. A lot is going to fall on Miller-McIntyre's shoulders this year and if he can work on getting down the lane a little bit more he will be hard to stop. On the defensive end CMM is deceptively quick and able to body up nearly every point and shooting guard he matches up against because of his physique. He enjoys passing the ball a lot as well and will crash the boards when he needs to. There was one play where he flew in out of nowhere on the week side to grab a board and put it back up on the glass which really showcased his ability to get inside as well as his basketball IQ.
Salem Smiles will return to the court tomorrow night to take on the HF's and were the one team in the regular season who beat them. This should be a fun one.
#3 Modern Automotive-70
#6 Mountain Fried Chicken-73
Modern Nissan simply did not put enough emphasis on defense in this one until it was too late. That mounted a great second half comeback, only to fall short by 3 points. They had several opportunities to tie the game, but the 18-point second half lead of Mountain Friend Chicken proved to be too much to overcome. Modern Nissan just allowed too many uncontested 3's and that's what cost them the game. To be fair, though, they were only playing with 5 men.
Travis McKie lead the way with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Madison Jones had his most impressive game of the summer, as he contributed 17 points and 4 steals. Andre Washington had a great line of 10 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. Washington more than held his own against Justin Mann of Kent State.
Travis McKie: This summer Travis has displayed a vastly improved offensive game. He is doing an outstanding job of dribbling in the open court, knocking down jumpers, making good passes, and driving the lane. McKie has also done a fantastic job converting at the charity stripe, which should allow the Deacs to be more efficient in terms of points per possession come this season. Travis McKie has already given Wake Forest 2 spectacular seasons, and Deacon fans will love what they see come November. Look for McKie to take an additional step and compete for 1st-team All-ACC.
Andre Washington: Andre Washington has really impressed me this summer. I saw him once in February, and really wasn't terribly impressed. That must have been just a bad game, because he has been very solid in summer league play. He has been able to more than hold his own against former Deac David Weaver, as well as former Kent State Center Justin Mann. He is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker, as well as communicator on the defensive end, particularly in pick&roll situations. Washington must work on being able to finish around the bucket on putbacks and initial shot attempts, but his rebounding ability should allow the Deacs to have greater points per possession on the offensive end, and limit 2nd chance opportunities for the opposition.
Madison Jones: Madison seems to get better each game, and has really impressed me with his rebounding and ability to strip the ball from defenders. Tonight, Jones showed some impressive elevation and really attacked the rim. Sometimes he can be a bit reckless and turnover prone, but he has calmed down and played at a better tempo as the pro-am has progressed. He will be a valuable backup point guard for us next year, who should be able to use his quick hands to force turnovers, and help us get more transition opportunities.
