Yardbarker: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

WEEK 13: WINS

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:03:00 -0500

N.C. STATE 28, NO. 23 NORTH CAROLINA 27Russell Wilson threw four touchdown passes and Alan-Michael Cash blocked a field goal attempt with about 5 minutes left to help the Wolfpack rally past the 23rd-ranked Tar Heels.Wilson connected twice with Owen Spencer for scores, including the go-ahead 38-yard touchdown two plays into the fourth quarter that gave the Wolfpack (5-7, 2-6 ACC) a third straight win against their next-door neighbors and fiercest football rivals. All three have come since Tom...

Week 13 postgame, the players: Deacons' Skinner is a demon in finale

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:11:08 -0500

Sporting News' Derek Samson covers the best and worst performances of Week 13 in college football. Game balls 1. Riley Skinner, Wake Forest QB. Skinner's college career ended in fitting fashion. He was the catalyst in Wake Forest turning around its miserable program (the Deacons returned to gloomy days this year, however). Skinner passed for a career-high 372 yards and a school-record five touchdowns to help Wake Forest defeat Duke 45-34. He was 28-of-38 passing and did not t...

TUESDAY NIGHT HOOPS: ONE WIN

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:24:00 -0500

WAKE FOREST 76, Winston-Salem State (Rams, 6,400 students, Winston Salem, NC) 52Wake Forest point guard Ishmael Smith and shooting guard C.J. Harris each led the Deacons with 16 points en route to a win over cross-town rival Winston-Salem State on Tuesday night. Wake Forest improves to 4-0 with the win, while Rams are now 1-4 on the year. Freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart had their best performances to date. Harris had five rebounds in addition to his 16-point tally and was perfect in the ...

Wake Forest Takes Down WSSU 76-52

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:31:21 -0500

It was a game for the guards as Wake Forest point guard Ishmael Smith and shooting guard C.J. Harris each led the Deacons with 16 points en route to a 76-52 win over cross-town rival Winston-Salem State on Tuesday night.

Wake Forest Takes Down Winston-Salem State, 76-52 - WAKE FOREST OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

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Wake Forest 89 ECU 58

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:51:29 -0500

Aminu led the Demon Deacons in both games this weekend, scoring 25 points against Oral Roberts on Friday followed by 23 today against the Pirates. He added 13 boards against ORU for a double-double and just missed another with nine rebounds against ECU. Aminu shot a combined 16-for-25 (64 percent) in the two games.

Ishmael Smith and Tony Woods joined Aminu in double-figure scoring on Sunday. Smith finished with 14 points, while Woods had 12. Smith also led the Deacs with four assists, pulled down six rebounds and had the first two dunks of his career. Woods chipped in six boards, five of which came in the first half.

Wake Forest Rolls to 89-58 Defeat of East Carolina in Greensboro

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2009-2010 Season Preview

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:48:50 -0500

Wake Forest Season Preview Record Last Season 24 - 7, 11 - 5 ACC Players Lost Jeff Teague" target="_new">Jeff Teague, James Johnson New Players Ari Stewart, CJ Harris, Konner Tucker Projected Lineup Ishmael Smith" target="_new">Ishmael Smith, LD Williams, Al-Farouq Aminu, David Weaver" target="_new">David Weaver, Chas McFarland" target="_new">Chas McFarland Schedule Highlights 12/1 @ Purdue, 12/5 @ Gonzaga, 1/3 vs Xavier Wake Forest Schedule Wake Forest Scouting Report
Projected Statistics (Returning Players Only) Explanation of Statistic Projections

Name Pts Asts Rbds Stls Blks TOs % Correct Al-Farouq Aminu 14.8 1.9 7.5 1.3 1.1 2.5 82 Ishmael Smith 10.1 3.7 2.8 1.4 0.2 2.2 70 LD Williams 10.0 1.8 4.2 0.9 0.3 1.6 76 Chas McFarland 8.4 0.8 5.9 0.8 0.8 1.3 74 Tony Woods 6.6 0.6 4.9 0.4 0.9 1.2 93 David Weaver 5.7 0.6 4.2 0.5 1.1 1.2 94 Gary Clark 4.2 0.7 1.7 0.5 0.2 0.8 92 Brett Bitove 4.1 0.6 1.0 0.2 0.0 0.6 100 Jason Philippe 2.0 0.6 0.8 0.3 0.1 0.4 100 Brooks Godwin 1.5 0.2 1.5 0.3 0.2 0.3 100 Ty Walker 1.4 0.3 1.4 0.2 0.3 0.5 98 Ben Davis 0.6 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 100 Kyle Fowler 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 100 Things to Watch

Wake Forest is coming off of a bittersweet season that saw them ranked #1 in the polls for a week, but saw it end bitterly with an opening round loss to 13 seed Cleveland State. After the season Jeff Teague and James Johnson departed to the NBA and likely the chance at a national title went with them. The good news is that Al-Farouq Aminu opted to return (and it appears Aminu could go #1 overall in the upcoming draft), and Wake has a solid, experienced team even with the early departures.

In the backcourt, Ish Smith will step back into the primary point guard role. Smith is as quick as any point guard in the nation and loves to get into the lane and create for himself or others. On the wing, LD Williams will bring exciting athleticism on the defensive end and above the rim. Williams was selected to the All-ACC defensive team a season ago and sets the tone for a much improved Wake Forest defense. Gary Clark" target="_new">Gary Clark will come off the bench and will need to be a three point threat, as will Konner Tucker, a 6-4 Juco sophomore who originally committed to Kentucky. Freshman, CJ Harris, should get a chance to backup Ish Smith at point guard.

On the wing, Al-Farouq Aminu brings a rare combination of size, athleticism, agility, ball-handling, tenacity, and passing to the court. As a freshman Aminu averaged 12.9 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. Aminu will likely be asked to play both the small forward and power forward positions, although with the backcourt depth issues, Aminu will likely play on the wing more. The one weakness in Aminu's game a season agowith his 3 point shot, where he made just 17.9% last season. If Wake's first exhibition is any indication on his improvement, Aminu made 3 of 5 from long range and it wouldn't surprise me to see a marketable improvement. If Aminu slides to the PF position it will be because Ari Stewart has forced his way into the lineup. Stewart, a freshman from Georgia, stands 6-7 has drawn raves from Wake Forest fans this preseason and could make some noise right away.

In the frontcourt, Dino Gaudio once again has tremendous depth and will likely play with two big men for most of the time this season. Chas McFarland returns from a season that saw him average 8.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg, and when the senior isn't in foul trouble or suspended, is a legit post threat. McFarland has great footwork for a 7 footer and more importantly makes free throws, shooting 72% from the charity stripe. The other starting big man is up in the air and will likely fall to either senior David Weaver or sophomore Tony Woods" target="_new">Tony Woods. Weaver played 10 minutes per game last season, but most of minutes came earlier in the season. Weaver started to lose minutes late in the year to the up-and-coming Tony Woods. Woods has NBA-caliber talent as the 7 footer is athletic and agile and led Wake Forest in FG% at 56% last season. Sophomore Ty Walker" target="_new">Ty Walker should also see some minutes as the 3rd 7 footer on the roster.

Despite the departures of Teague and Johnson, Dino Gaudio has an experienced roster. Aminu is the type of player that can win games by himself, and don't be surprised to see a player like LD Williams step up his offensive game. In a season where the ACC is up for grabs, Wake has a chance at an ACC title. But, if the Deacs struggle shooting from the perimeter, they could be left in the middle of the ACC standings and outside of the NCAA tournament.

by Will Ojanen

Fantasy Player to Watch

Al-Farouq Aminu can do it all bringing points in all 5 statistical categories (pts, asts, rebs, stls, blks), and is likely going to be the first pick in 99.9% of ACC Fantasy Drafts this season.

Last Year's Player Statistics Wake Forest Name GP Mins Pts Asts Rbds Stls Blks TOs FG% 3P% FT% Jeff Teague 31 32.0 18.9 3.5 3.3 1.9 0.6 3.4 48.5 44.1 81.4 James Johnson 31 30.5 15.0 2.0 8.5 1.4 1.5 2.4 54.2 31.9 69.7 Al-Farouq Aminu 31 29.0 12.9 1.5 8.2 1.0 1.2 2.6 51.6 17.9 67.3 Chas McFarland 31 20.4 8.7 0.5 5.8 0.6 0.9 1.7 52.2 0.0 72.2 LD Williams 31 27.2 8.0 1.1 2.7 0.9 0.3 1.5 47.3 24.5 63.2 Ishmael Smith 29 22.0 6.2 3.4 2.7 0.9 0.0 2.0 43.0 24.1 78.9 Tony Woods 30 11.0 3.2 0.1 2.6 0.2 0.4 0.9 56.3 0.0 45.5 Harvey Hale 29 11.6 4.1 0.5 1.4 0.9 0.0 0.6 34.0 32.8 75.0 David Weaver 30 9.4 2.1 0.3 1.9 0.3 0.5 0.4 51.0 0.0 53.8 Gary Clark 29 7.2 2.5 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.3 41.4 28.6 50.0 Ty Walker 11 3.5 0.9 0.1 1.1 0.2 0.4 0.3 35.7 0.0 0.0
Team Stats

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Wake Forest QB Skinner cleared to play

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:46:19 -0500

Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner has been cleared to play in Saturday's game at No. 10 Georgia Tech after sustaining a concussion last week. The school announced Friday that the senior is expected to start his 33rd consecutive game. Skinner was replaced by backup Ryan McManus in the fourth quarter of last week's loss to Miami after taking a hard hit that ripped off his helmet and broke his face mask.

Wake QB Skinner cleared to play after concussion

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:18:25 -0500

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner has been cleared to play in Saturday's game at No. 10 Georgia Tech after sustaining a concussion last week.

Riley Skinner Cleared To Play on Saturday

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:40:36 -0500

Wake Forest University quarterback Riley Skinner has received clearance from team physicians to play when the Deacons visit Georgia Tech Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised on ABC regionally and ESPN2 nationally.

Skinner suffered a concussion late in last Saturday’s game vs. Miami.

Skinner did not practice Monday, saw minimal practice time Tuesday, and gradually returned to the regular practice routine later in the week.

The fifth-year senior quarterback is expected to start his 33rd consecutive game for the Deacons on Saturday.

Wake Forest Sports: Skinner Cleared for Georgia Tech

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The Next Level -- Week 9

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:32:26 -0500

Byes and injury combined to make for a lighter week than usual in terms of play by former area football standouts. There will still, however, some dynamic performances. Redshirt freshman Joey Ehrmann got his second straight start (and the second of his career) at strong-side linebacker in Wake Forest’s 28-27 home loss to Miami. Though the Hurricanes rallied late for a dramatic victory, the Gilman alum made quite an impact – especially on Miami quarterback Jacory Harris. Ehrmann was credite...

Tony Woods: "ish was our leader last year"

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:24:13 -0500

"Ish was our leader last year," Woods said. "Jeff was our point guard, but Ish was our leader."

Andy Katz's Daily Word: Wake Forest Demon Deacons look to exceed expectations - ESPN

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A horrific defensive half for the Terps

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:25:00 -0500

I had said before the game that I was interested to see how fifth-year Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner would handle Maryland's blitzes. Terps fans, you know the answer but you don't have to like it. How did Skinner do? He led touchdown drives on the Demon Deacons’ first five possessions of the game. The drives went 67, 80, 66, 57 and 77 yards to give Wake Forest a 35-10 lead in the second quarter. Wake had only one punt in the first half, and it came with under ...

... And This Is What College Basketball In Kentucky Will Be Like

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:18:00 -0500

I live here and that's about it. I don't care for Kentucky or Louisville. So hearing all the bickering going on (while my beloved Tar Heels sit as defending champions) can give a man a headache.Lost in all the news of Rick Pitino's infedelity, John Calipari's burned bridges and Billy Gillispie's DUI is actual basketball news. So here comes the slime.Pitino just hired Shabaka Lands as an assistant to the head coach at Louisville. Lands has ties with top recruit Marquis Teag...

We're Ranked #4. We Just Beat #3. Should We? Screw It, We're Rushing The Court

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:09:52 -0500

Alright Demon Deacon fans, we need to talk. You guys have one of the most talented teams in the country. They have a legitimate chance to win the ACC and maybe even more. Yet, somehow you seem to not see what the rest of the country sees.

McDonald's All-American Arrested

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:15:07 -0500

Norcross (GA) High School basketball standout Al-Farouq Aminu and his two teammates are out of jail on bond after being arrested on charges of shooting a woman with a BB gun. The Parade and McDonald's All-American turned himself in to the Gwinnett County Sheriff's office on Friday for an incident that took place on March 14.

Boom Goes The Dynamite. No, Seriously.

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 04:02:49 -0500

Someone should have explained this to former Wake Forest RB Luke Caparelli before he decided to post his plans to blow up the Wake Forest campus on his Facebook page. He also claimed to have an Uzi "locked and loaded in his bag".

Florida State-Wake Forest Thursday Night College Football Pick

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:57:50 -0500

An in depth look and analysis into the Thursday Night College Football game between Florida State and Wake Forest. I like the home underdog in this match up. I'll go over a list of reasons why to take Wake Forest with the points in this matchup.

Wake Forest Football Preview

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:59:41 -0500

Wake Forest tries to make another run at the ACC title. Read our Wake Forest writer's feelings about the upcoming season.