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#13 Wake Forest
Demon Deacons
Atlantic Coast
Conference
2004-05: 27-6,
13-3, 2nd
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
There was life at
Wake Forest before Chris Paul
and there will be after Chris Paul as well. There will be a
changing of the guard under Coach Skip Prosser this year, yet
there is plenty of talent and experience in Winston-Salem for
the 2005-2006 campaign.
Who’s Out:
Chris Paul averaged 15.2 points and 6.6 assists as a sophomore
before heading to the NBA. Taron Downey mostly came off the
bench and averaged 9.9 points and 2.5 assists. The starting
forward duo of Jamaal Levy and Vytas Danelius combined for 14.7
points and 10.9 rebounds. Sparingly used Richard Joyce opted to
forego his senior season and Scott Feather has exhausted his
eligibility.
Who’s In: Out
with the old and in with the new. The Deacons aren’t going to
be able to replace that lost talent, but the group of newcomers
will do what they can. Some pressure will be placed on forwards
Kevin Swinton and David Weaver to shore up the frontcourt.
Swinton, an athletic 6-7, 224 pound Greensboro, NC native, will
battle for a starting job. He’s a tough player under the basket
and will become a solid player for Wake. Weaver, at 6-10, will
provide another big body off the bench. Cameron Stanley
redshirted last year while battling with a knee injury. The 6-6
small forward will see his first action in 2005-2006 and, if he
plays well enough, could eventually earn a starting job.
Stanley’s outside shot has developed to beyond the arc and has
become more consistent. Fellow small forward Michael Drum, a
transfer from Presbyterian College, isn’t expected to see too
many minutes. Shooting guard Harvey Hale will also compete for
that elusive fifth starting spot. The 6-2 shooting guard plays
hard on both ends of the floor, has a nice shot and can handle
the ball. Point guard Shamaine Dukes signed with Wake Forest
after Chris Paul left for the NBA Draft. The 6-1 Cuthbert,
Georgia native wasn’t a highly touted recruit, but could earn
some minutes running the show off the bench.
Who to Watch:
The key to Wake’s success is Justin Gray. After lighting it up
beside Chris Paul, Gray will be asked to have the ball in his
hand. While Gray has had point guard experience in the past, it
will be a lot different than having Paul out there. Gray
averaged 16.0 points per game and 2.2 assists as a junior last
year. His scoring numbers might go down while running the
point, but Gray is a tremendous shooter. Last year he averaged
2.79 three pointers per game, second in the ACC to only J.J.
Redick. It might take a little while, but Gray will do a fine
job running the point.
Projected
Conference Rank: With Gray and Eric Williams at the point
and at center, Coach Skip Prosser’s squad has a solid nucleus to
build around. Add in a proven scorer like Trent Strickland and
things aren’t as bad as they seem for Wake Forest. A 2nd
place finish in the ACC is overachieving, but Gray and Williams
can hold down the fort while Coach Prosser finds a rotation.
Projected
Post-season Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Justin Gray, Senior,
Guard, 16.0 points per game
Harvey Hale, Freshman,
Guard, DNP last season
Trent Strickland,
Senior, Forward, 5.9 points per game
Chris Ellis, Senior,
Forward, 3.8 points per game
Eric Williams, Senior,
Center, 16.1 points per game
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