ACC Hoops Preview: #11-Wake Forest
Who are the main men? You haven't heard much of Ishmael Smith [see below], but he led the ACC in assists. Harvey Hale is one of the ACC's top long-range gunners and wowed everyone with a 21-point overtime [yes, that's right] explosion against Georgia Tech in last year's ACC Tournament.
What are the team's strengths? Well, they are a guard oriented team ... so they will, with Smith's speed, attempt to run the ball. They will use Smith, Hale, Jamie Skeen, Jeff Teague and others to try to make that happen. Also, new coach Dino Gaudio has stated that he wants to be more of a defensive team ... so maybe trapping will be a point of emphasis.
When will we see them struggle? This team is still young and could find adversity tough to deal with ... especially on the road. Also, this team will sorely miss Kyle Visser, their only double digit scorer last year. And while they want to be a better defensive team, doesn't mean that they will.
Why should anyone care? The memory of Skip Prosser [who passed away in July] will permeate every time that Wake takes the floor. Everyone should care.
How stable is the program? The sudden death of Prosser has sent this program into a tailspin right after things were looking up. Prosser was putting together one of the nation's best '08 recruiting classes this summer ... and his passing has put a lot of questions out there whether the recruits will still come. Everyone around the program is hoping that Dino Gaudio has a decent year and letting Skip's 2008-2009 vision come to fruition.
Where will they finish in the ACC? Wake is still a year away from really being competitive in the ACC. They have a pretty good class coming in this year, and a trio of studs next year. Look for another finish near the bottom.
Name you didn't know, but will: Ishmael Smith isn't Chris Paul, but he was one of those big time freshmen point guards that came into the ACC last year. However, he's isn't fast like UNC's Tywon Lawson or athletic as Ga Tech's [now the Los Angeles Lakers] Javaris Crittenton.
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