SPORTS
Deacons talented but young
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Also by Drew Hansen:
- Wisconsin stuns No. 12 Maryland (December 1, 2004)
- Bo's Badgers roll in 2004 opener (November 22, 2004)
- Wisconsin prepares for Maryland's athleticism (November 30, 2004)
Related Stories:
- Deacons outlast scrappy Badgers (November 30, 2005)
- Badgers get lost in the Forest (December 5, 2002)
- Badgers up for Wake's challenge (July 3, 2002)
- Badgers try to exorcise Demon Deacons (November 29, 2005)
- Demonic attack: is 1 game enough? (March 10, 2005)
by Drew Hansen
Wednesday, December 4, 2002
Much like the Wisconsin Badgers, Wake Forest’s basketball program is beginning its second season under the leadership of a new head coach. Much like Bo Ryan, Skip Prosser took a team of players he did not recruit to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2001-02.
After leading Xavier for seven seasons, Prosser left the Atlantic 10 for Winston-Salem and guided a senior-laden Demon Deacon squad to a 21-13 overall record, while fairing 9-7 in the ACC. Prosser posted the first winning record by a Wake head coach in his first season since 1927.
Last season’s Deacon Squad was led by four seniors, including ACC standout forward Darious Songalia. This season’s team, much like the Badgers, is especially dependent on the contribution of several freshmen players. For Wake Forest, the dependence may be more extreme, as two freshmen hold spots in the starting lineup.
Wake’s lone returning starter is All-American candidate Josh Howard. The 6-6, 203-pound senior is one of the most versatile players in the ACC, if not the entire NCAA. Howard averaged 13.9 points last season to go along with 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while finishing second in the ACC in offensive rebounds.
In a conference that lost 19 of its top 22 scorers, Howard is the second-highest scorer among returning players, sitting just two-tenths of a point behind Virginia’s Travis Watson.
Last season, Howard scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Deacons’ game against Minnesota in the 2001 Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Wake Forest beat Minnesota, 85-79, in the midst of a stellar 12-3 start to last season.
The Badgers faired much worse, blowing a 20-point lead against Georgia Tech, 62-61, last season in their game of the Challenge. The Badgers fell to GT the midst of a 3-6 start to last season before redeeming themselves in conference play.
After Howard, Wake Forest gets younger and less experienced, but talented nevertheless. Freshman center Eric Williams is the first McDonald’s All-American Wake has landed in 10 years. In the offseason, many scouts worried about Williams’ weight. But after flirting with the 300-pound mark, Williams is down to a healthier 285 pounds.
Vytas Danelius rounds out the remainder of a very talented frontcourt. Danelius, at 6-8, 230 pounds, runs the floor extremely well for a big man. The sophomore averaged 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds last season in a reserve role.
In a Sunday night 83-76 win over Temple, Howard, Williams and Danelius all recorded double-doubles, which is quite a feat against any team, let alone against Temple’s matchup zone defense.
Feeding the frontcourt is the very inexperienced guard combination of sophomore Taron Downey and freshman Justin Gray. Downey and Gray are both averaging over five assists apiece early on this season. Downey averaged 4.7 points and 1.2 assists per game as the backup point guard last season. The versatile Gray is expected to see time at both guard spots this season.
The Deacons look to skinny sophomore forward Jamaal Levy to fill the role at sixth-man. A top-100 recruit out of high school, Levy had a sour freshman season, shooting just 40.6 percent from the field in minimal action. The scrawny sophomore will be depended on as the first man off the bench when foul trouble and fatigue beset the front line.
Prosser and his squad don’t have the luxury of depth this season, as the Deacons will most likely adhere to a seven- or eight-man rotation, again, much like the Badgers. The team only has three upperclassmen on its roster, and the freshmen will be thrown to the wolves sooner rather than later. Their development and contribution will be the key to Prosser’s success in his second season in the ACC.
