Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun

I’m really fired up for the show tonight. First, though, I have to cover the Wake Forest-Virginia Tech game at Joel Coliseum.

Far be it from me to bellyache about reporting and writing a game story on the No. 1 team in college basketball. I love my job every season, but some seasons, I’ll have to say, are better than others. And this is shaping up as one of the best ever. I just wish the ACC had scheduled Wake to play its league games on Tuesday or Thursday. Wednesday is usually my night to caterwaul.

For going on two years now, we’ve had an Open Mic on Wednesday nights at the Garage, on Seventh Street downtown between Trade and Liberty. We’ve had all kinds of fun playing all kinds of music for all kinds of people. I line up the acts on Monday and serve as the regular M.C. for the shows. But during basketball season I turn the duties over to my trusted wing man, bassist and sidekick Johnny “Hootie’’ Hoots. And what complex duties they are (“who’s up next?’‘).

On nights like tonight, with a home game tipping off at 7, I try to double dip. I’ll cover the game, file my story by around 11 and head downtown. If I get there on time, I’ll go on for the final 15 minutes or so—time enough for about three songs. It’s my favorite way to wind down from the adrenalin high of covering a game.

The show starts at 8. The game will be over around 9:15. At 10 tonight we have scheduled an alt country band from Brooklyn named Katy Mae. The tune I heard on their webpage sounds really good. They’ll be followed by one of our staple rock bands, the Feral Souls, at around 11. Hopefully I’ll make the last half of their set, in time to tune up my Gibson J-45.

If you’re a Winstonite wired after the basketball game and are looking for something to do, swing on by. You’ll be among friends and, who knows, you might even find yourself on stage before the night is over.

I hope I do.

On G-Man, Ken Pomeroy and George Jones

Nothing warms the cockles of my heart better on a frigid winter’s night than a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, a goblet of red wine and a good game of ACC basketball. Last night, I enjoyed all three.

The food and spirits as it turned out, were better than the hoops, though N.C. State did make a gallant show of it before succumbing at Duke. Late in the first half color man Mike Gminski made a comment that caught my ear. He was noting that Duke is playing defense extremely well this season, well enough to lead the ACC with a scoring defense of 60.6 points a game despite its uptempo style of play that creates/invites a lot of possessions. I appreciated that the G-man qualified the statistic, which I have always found to be next-to-useless. Of course Washington State is going to give up fewer points than a Wake Forest or North Carolina. The Cougars run clock before they shoot, thus tamping down number of possessions. The Deacons and Tar Heels prefer to get it and go, as we saw in Joel Coliseum a week and a half ago.

So G-man’s point was well-taken, to a point. But where he dribbled off his foot was when he said the Blue Devils have the best defense in the conference, no doubt. The Blue Devils do have a great defense, and it may be the best in the conference. I just doubt the part about there being no doubt.

A far better indicator of defensive efficiency is field-goal percentage defense. It’s not perfect because teams that press to create turnovers are prone to give up more easy transition baskets than the one that builds a wall to protect the basket. But it’s a far sight better than the lame scoring defense. Coach Dino Gaudio of Wake Forest has all season been referencing Ken Pomeroy’s raw defensive efficiency, which does take into account a team’s number of possessions.

Going into tonight’s game with Virginia Tech, Wake Forest leads the ACC and is ranked No. 2 in the nation (behind Purdue) with a field-goal percentage defense of 36.2. The argument that the number should be adjusted because of schedule doesn’t hold up as well as did a couple of weeks ago, before the Deacons held BYU to 40 percent, UNC to 35 percent, BC to 37 percent and Clemson to 34 percent. Those four teams made a combined 105 field goals on 288 attempts—for 36 percent.

Duke ranks No. 5 in the ACC and No. 45 in the nation with a field-goal percentage defense of 39.5. In the Pomeroy ratings Wake ranks No. 2 in raw defensive efficiency and No. 4 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Duke ranks No. 7 and No. 3 respectively.

None of this is to disparage Mike Gminski, whom I like. I saw him recently at Joel Coliseum and started singing:

“G-men, T-men, revenuers too,
Searching for the place where he made his brew.
They were looking trying to book him
But my pappy kept on cooking
Whoosh. . . white lightning.’‘

Hailing as he does from Monroe, Connecticut, G-man knew nothing about George Jones. But I won’t hold that against him, nor will I pile on some stray comment he made in the flush of the moment. The instructive part of all this is that we’ve just had a discussion on best defenses in the ACC and Wake Forest—the same Wake Forest that up until a year ago couldn’t guard a comic book rack with the help of the secret service—is in it.

Now that’s Change You Can Believe In.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Deacons the Story of the Season—So Far

Through the first 10 weeks, Wake Forest has had the best season of any team in college basketball. That’s pretty heady stuff, considering how many colleges play basketball and how many play it really, really well. But by starting out No. 21 and winning their first 16 games the Deacons have risen like cream right to the top of this week’s AP poll.

It’s exhilarating to the Deacons and their fans, and something everyone will remember for the rest of their lives. But that No. 1 ranking on Jan. 19 along with about a buck and 75 cents will get Coach Dino Gaudio and his team a cup of coffee to put that cream in. That’s the message Gaudio had for the Deacons back on Saturday, even before they had gotten off the bus from their victory at previously undefeated Clemson.

That’s after telling them he couldn’t care less where the Deacons were ranked.

“I told them `If you’re happy being No. 1 on Jan. 19, then you’re not the team that I think you are,’ ‘’ Gaudio said.

Gaudio has coached a lot of games since becoming a high school basketball coach in 1981 and he has seen a lot of teams soar one minute and crash the next. He was on the bench as an assistant to Coach Skip Prosser the only other two weeks the Deacons have ever been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, in November of 2004. And he remembers just how much good that ranking did the Deacons when they traveled to Illinois, where they got dismantled 91-73.

The ranking and all the accompanying publicity is good for the school and the program and it gives those who live and die with the Deacons something to be proud of. It’s certainly valuable ammunition in the recruiting wars. But this isn’t college football, where polls help decide champions. To reach Detroit and make Wake Forest’s first Final Four since 1962 they’ll have to succeed on the court, not necessarily with any voters.

Gaudio insisted that his team remember the lessons that allowed it to win its first 16 games. He said before the first practice that the keys to the seasons would be to limit distractions, get good leadership and forge a strong chemistry. And he preached the same sermon yesterday after his team reached the No. 1 spot.

“If we lose our chemistry—and I told them this on Saturday night—then we have nothing,’’ Gaudio said. “We have nothing.’‘

But what they will have, regardless, is a game against Virginia Tech Wednesday when for the first time ever they will play an ACC team as a team ranked No. 1 in the country.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

As Tim Would Say, You Play On

Besides being the best player I’ve ever seen play basketball at Wake Forest, Tim Duncan was also the most unflappable. His mantra, regardless of whether he was soaring to another victory or picking himself up from a defeat, was Play On. You get knocked to the floor and no foul is called, you Play On. You get lionized as the best player on the planet and you Play On.

I thought of Duncan’s approach to the game (and life) during the media conference following Wake Forest’s 78-68 victory over Clemson Saturday. I had just asked Coach Dino Gaudio about the timeout with 4:54 remaining, the one right before Trevor Booker walked to the line to hit two free throws that closed what had been a 14-point Wake Forest lead to one. The Deacons, suddenly struggling against the frantic Tiger press, hadn’t hit a field goal in more than 4 1/2 minutes and had turned the ball over on four of their previous 10 possessions. And only those who were there can know just how loud Littlejohn Coliseum was.

The Deacons had to be thinking about last year’s trip to Littlejohn, where they had wilted under the pressure and blown an eight-point lead to lose in overtime. But Gaudio chose to look ahead, and not behind.

“I told them that we knew coming in they were going to make runs,’’ Gaudio said. “I told them on the bench `We’re going to play through it. We’re just absolutely not going to panic. We’re going to find a way to get it done.’

“And we did.’‘

The Deacons responded by scoring nine of their final 10 possessions and outscoring the Tigers 17-8 the rest of the way.

James Johnson, after playing a remarkably complete game, gave a wonderfully complete answer when asked about the difference between his freshman and sophomore seasons.

“We’re a better team and we act like a better team,’’ Johnson said. “When it’s time to keep our poise, we’ll do it.’‘

But as Duncan understood, there’s a need to play on in times both bad and good. With their third ACC victory in three venues over seven days, the Deacons should be a lock for No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll that will be released Monday. The national media has discovered what many of us have known all along, that Wake Forest has a team worth watching. The word is getting out, and because of that the players will receive the kind of attention and acclaim they’ve never known before. To this point they have seemed genuinely unaffected by the spotlight’s glare. But Chas McFarland said after the game that the goal of the season is not to win the ACC regular season or tournament but to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1962. To make it that far, they’ll have to play on regardless of the size or nature of the impediments.

Upon arriving home at around a quarter to one Sunday morning, I got my first good look at the bizarre incident in the stands where McFarland fell into a fan and the fan appeared to rise up and push McFarland over on his back and hold him down. I was sitting not more than 30 feet from the spot beyond the baseline, but regretfully my eyes followed the ball back upcourt as the Tigers attacked the basket. The first I noticed anything weird was when I saw McFarland re-emerging from the stands. He was grinning, so I didn’t think too much of it.

By now, of course, video of the affair is all over the internet. I’ve watched it time and again, trying to understand why the fan would act that way. He was escorted out of the arena, but apparently didn’t go quietly. I’ve put in some calls to people at Wake Forest to see if they expect—or even want—there to be any repercussions, but because no one got hurt and because McFarland was able to make light of the incident later I imagine that neither Gaudio or AD Ron Wellman would want to make a federal case out of it. I’ll let you know if I find differently.

Until I do, I’ll just assume they’ll take Tim Duncan’s advise and Play On.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Move Over Semi, We’ve Got a Game to Cover

Clemson is one of those places that’s wonderful once you’re there. From my house its roughly the same distance to Clemson as it is Charlottesville, about 3 1/2 hours. The drive to Charlottesville up Highway 29 is one of my favorites. Central Virginia is beautiful, especially during the fall or spring. But getting to and through Charlotte has never been that much fun, and it’s the best part of the trip to Clemson. Catch 1-85 for the two hours remaining and all you have is red clay, scrub pines and semi tractor trailers. Those long uphill grades where they whip out into the left lane and remain for five miles is not my idea of happy motoring.

But Clemson itself is a great town. Beautiful lake. Rolling hills. And Tim Bourret and his sports information staff always treat you really well. The late Bob Bradley, Bourret’s predecessor, was the best sports information director I’ve ever known. He was to Clemson what Skeeter Francis was first to Wake Forest and later to the ACC. Those men knew hospitality, and they taught it to the next generation. Bourret, assistant Sam Blackman and associate Brian Hennessy learned their lessons well at the foot of the master. They’re the perfect combination of friendly and competent. They take good care of you.

It’s a 3:30 tip and we don’t want to do the down-and-back in one day. So Lenox and I are headed down to Greenville for tonight. We’ll cover the game tomorrow and drive back in, getting home around midnight. We’ve done it so many times, and if the good Lord’s willing and the creeks don’t rise we’ll do it many times more.

This trip reminds me of Tim Duncan’s senior season of 1996-97 because the stakes were so much the same. The Deacons were ranked No.4, the Tigers under Rick Barnes, were No. 2. When Wake Forest, coming off a loss to Maryland, pulled out a 65-62 thriller to improve to 14-1, there appeared to be nothing in the way of the Final Four. The Deacons won four more in a row before getting wobbly in February and losing six of their last 12.

You never know what will happen to a team from one game to the next, but this squad looks pretty solid. The Deacons are playing so well, but more important, they’re playing as a team. To this point they have all embraced their roles. Coach Dino Gaudio fretted openly about a bottle-neck in the schedule that had the Deacons playing three games in seven days in three different arenas, right as classes were starting back. But the Deacons have two of those wins in hand. If they could somehow go three-for-three over that stretch it would be a remarkable accomplishment of ability and mental and physical stamina.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

One Basket Dino Didn’t Want

Most among the first sell-out crowd of the season at the Conte Forum didn’t take note because they were already gone or headed for the door. I know one sportswriter didn’t take note because he/I was deep in the maelstrom of writing on a really, really tight deadline. But one person took note when Al-Farouq Aminu scored off an oop from Ish Smith for a basket with 14 seconds remaining in Wake Forest’s 83-63 victory at Boston College Wednesday night.

That person was Dino Gaudio. And he was not happy.

He let his Wake Forest team know it in the locker room afterward, before anyone met with the media. And he addressed the basket in the media conference later.

“I barked at them afterward a little bit,’’ he said. “I told them I was proud of them, it was a great win. I wasn’t happy with the last shot. You’re not supposed to do that.’‘

Gaudio, who like his predecessor and best-friend Skip Prosser has always been a ``No More Shots’’ kind of coach when ahead by a prohibitive margin, said he could understand—almost.

“We kept showing them tape of our game last year when they put it on us pretty good,’’ he said. “And I told them `Wrong is wrong. When you’ve got a team and it’s over, you pull the ball out and you hold the ball. You don’t take a shot like that at the end and try to show anybody up. That’s not respect for the game. That’s not respect for the game.’

“They had their heads down. I don’t know if they were happy with what I was saying, but you’ve got to respect the game and you’ve got to respect your opponents. We have great respect for Boston College. That’s a really nice win for us.’‘

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Don’t Scoff but Ish is On a Roll

Sample size is pretty much everything with statistics. The bigger, the better. When I hear about the batter who is 1 for 7 against Canadian left-handers with mustaches on Thursday nights in July, I scoff. Don’t waste my time with the meaningless.

That’s why I’m not quite ready to say that Ish Smith has patched the biggest hole in his game, the inability to hit a free throw. But Coach Dino Gaudio of Wake Forest must think he has. And, apparently, Coach Roy Williams of North Carolina agrees.

Otherwise Smith would not have been on the court in the final seconds of Wake Forest’s 92-89 victory over the Tar Heels Sunday night. Or, on the other hand, if he were, he would standing at the free-throw line. Smith played 14 of his 24 minutes in the second half, and didn’t hit the floor until coming in for Aminu after more than three minutes had been played. That tells you he played 14 of the final 17 minutes. And the Tar Heels never fouled him, instead sending Jeff Teague to the line for 11 free throws (he made nine).

Both coaches obviously saw Smith make his two foul shots in the first half, and he looked good doing it. What looks even better is his current .857 percentage —six out of seven. He hit both tries against UTEP, missed one against Bucknell and hit both tries against East Carolina and North Carolina. I know he has taken thousands upon thousands of free throws in his 2 1/2 seasons at Wake and I know he has worked with coaches/consultants well-known for the free-throw expertise. It would be a wonderful story if he ends up being a great free-throw shooter the rest of his career, especially considering that as a point guard he has the ball so often in late pressure-packed situations.

That’s because we’d be talking about the guy who made 29 percent of them a year ago. Not 44 percent. That’s what he shot as a freshman. As a sophomore it was fewer than three out of 10.

Because seven as a sample size is truly scoff-worthy, I’m not ready to predict he’ll shoot 86 percent the rest of the season. But for him to shoot even 70 percent this season would be the kind of improvement you just rarely see. And as valuable as he has proven to be, it would make him a far more complete player.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Introducing the Colts’ New Head Coach, Jim Caldwell

I’ve heard plenty of people give plenty of reasons why Jim Caldwell will never succeed as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, now that Tony Dungy has formally retired and turned the duties over to him. The main argument is Caldwell’s 26-63 record in his eight seasons at Wake Forest, his only experience as a head coach.

We had our differences, none of which had anything to do with Caldwell being a bad guy. Those who know him know that’s not so. He’s a very bright and impressive person. He was a coach who won 26 games and lost 63 and I was the guy assigned to cover him. So on the most fundamental level, I can chalk any differences we had up to cause and effect.

But I can give three good reasons why Caldwell may succeed with the Colts.

1) The NFL is a different game from college football. Success or failure in one guarantees nothing in the other.

2) Caldwell’s greatest shortcoming was his inability to compile and maintain a strong staff. He was hired off the staff of the legendary Joe Paterno at Penn State and who among the Nittany Lions assistants were going to leave Happy Valley to go with a rookie coach? And he had never built strong contacts in the college game. Consequently he had 18 assistants in his eight years, including five offensive coordinators (himself among them). As head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, assembling a staff should not be a problem.

3) Caldwell was 45 the day he coached his last game at Wake Forest. He’ll turn 54 on Friday. Anybody judging someone on a body of work from nine years ago knows nothing about the human capacity to grow and learn. Casey Stengel was 58 the day he was named manager of the Yankees, and he had failed utterly with both the Braves and Dodgers, never finishing in the first division. Some wise acre columnist wrote that day that the Yankees had been mathematically eliminated from the American League pennant. The Yankees won that pennant and seven of the next nine. One of the years he finished second, in 1954, the Yankees won 103 games and finished eight games back of the Indians.

I’m not ready to say that Jim Caldwell will be an outstanding NFL coach, if for no other reason I’m hardly an expert on pro football. But I know him well enough to not count him out. I also know him well enough to wish him luck.

Great Night, Great Atmosphere, Great Game

And who should I meet in last night’s line for the pre-game media buffet than our good buddy Dave Odom. Actually Lenox and I and a couple of other writers saw him across the room and called him over. He had already had the fried chicken, wild rice and green beans. He was laughing about how many times he had given me a hard time for shoveling in the free food, and there he was eating some himself. It was great seeing him. As long as basketball is played in the ACC, Odom will remain one of the all-time favorites of the media. I’m glad they shone the spotlight and recognized him during the game. The man won 240 games in 12 years, or roughly 20 a year, his teams won the school’s only two conference championships since 1962 and he was three-time ACC Coach of the Year. Not a bad run.

During dinner I told the table the story of Alphonso Smith and Houston Nutt during the Wake-Ole Miss football game, and how Smith had told him if he keeps throwing the ball his way he wouldn’t be at Ole Miss very long. Guys were spitting their ice tea they were laughing so hard. And then I walk out into the corridor and, lo and behold, here comes Phonz himself. I got to shake his hand and wish him well. Then later, of course, I saw him shaking it real good with Naz T on the court during a timeout. Looked like a natural for Dancing With The Stars.

I’ve heard from time to time how Joel Coliseum is too cavernous for Wake Forest and that the real homecourt advantage is lost. But I’ve always liked the building myself. And on nights like last night, with the Tar Heels in town, it can be as revved up and rocking as pretty much any place anywhere. The tie-dye started by Skip Prosser and his assistant Chris Mack, is a wonderful touch for the students. As a Grateful Dead fan from way back, I can certainly appreciate it. And I’m really getting off on Dino the Dinosaur, the costume the students are taking turns wearing to games. I’ve always been partial to the wacky, the off-the-wall, the zany. As I understand it, these students saw the costume on E-Bay, took up a collection and bought it. The beauty of it is the spontaneity. There’s nothing contrived or manufactured about it, just fans adding to the atmosphere of the arena. And Dino always looks really cool when his purple head pops up in photos.

A great night, a great atmosphere and a great game. To me that’s what ACC basketball is all about.

Three A.M. Rehash

Random thoughts while winding down from Wake Forest’s 92-89 victory over North Carolina in what was by far the best game I’ve seen this season. A reader named Alex noted that I did, indeed, get my wish. It was a classic.

Jeff Teague was really already in the club. He did score 30 just a game ago against BYU, 31 earlier against UNC Wilmington and 29 against UTEP. But what we all just got through watching him do—score a career-high 34 points, hit thee of four 3-point attempts and drain 13 of 15 free throws, many of them at money time—cemented his stature as one of the really special guards to play at Wake Forest. Jackie Murdock (whom I had the grand pleasure of meeting last fall, at Putters, on homecoming weekend with his former teammate Maurice George) was probably the first, at least since ACC began. Others to follow were Billy Packer, Charlie Davis, Skip Brown, Frank Johnson, Delaney Rudd, Muggsy Bogues (who had a big grin on his face when the spotlight found him tonight), Randolph Childress and Chris Paul. Old-timers might want to add Dave Wiedeman, the middle-agers Danny Young and the young whippersnappers Taron Downey and Justin Gray, and that would be fine with me. But Jeff Teague is the one we’re watching now, and what a show he’s putting on. His slices to the basket border on un-guardable with one guard alone. And he was breaking down Ty Lawson, one of the best in college basketball. The great ones have attitude. Think Randolph. Think Paul. Teague believes he can beat you and he doesn’t mind letting you know it. It’s fun watching a budding legend just as the buds are starting to bloom.

When Chas McFarland plays like he played tonight, the Deacons are a sleepless night for any coach that has to play them. The forwards, James Johnson and Al-Farouq Aminu had their hands in the win. Their defense, their wingspan, quickness and ability to switch on the perimeter to keep the offense from getting untracked, helped knock North Carolina back early in the game, and they combined for 18 points and 11 rebounds. Aminu actually played 30 minutes, which surprised me given his foul trouble, and Johnson played 20. But what McFarland showed is that the Deacons can beat a team as good as North Carolina without either one of them really taking over long stretches of the game. That’s because McFarland played, considering the stakes and competition, the best game I’ve ever seen him play. Though I have to say he wasn’t bad last year at Georgia Tech (28 points, 12 rebounds), and the Deacons probably aren’t undefeated right now without his contributions (20 points, 14 rebounds) at Richmond. Remember the spin move and layup in the first half? He made that move once or twice last year, but it was a slower, almost lurching kind of move. Tonight he really acted like he meant to do it. Might even pass for ballet. I was kidding him about his breakout late when Tyler Hansbrough’s 3-pointer caromed long and he got it ahead of the pack and was dogged all the way down the court by Lawson before laying it in. I asked him if he thought about finding a guard to pass to. He said, no, nobody was in front of him. He and Hansbrough were not a pure matchup. Hansbrough usually guarded the power forward and either Deon Thompson or Ed Davis took McFarland. And McFarland had help from Tony Woods and David Weaver. But all that said, McFarland had the better game. McFarland made seven of 10 from the floor, six of nine from the line, pulled nine rebounds, blocked two shots and scored 20 points in 33 minutes. Hansbrough made three of 12 from the floor, 11 of 13 from the line, pulled 11 boards, blocked a shot and scored 17 points in 35 minutes. McFarland had 11 points and five rebounds in the second half, Hansbrough four and seven. On this night, Chas had the better game—and he wasn’t going against Makhtar Ndiaye.

And I’m glad Joe and Honey Gaudio were in town, because they got to see their son make them, and everybody at Wake Forest, proud. He wasn’t sure he liked the week off before tipoff, fretting a bit that there might should have been a midweek game after getting back from Utah, but obviously he and his staff used the time wisely. The Deacons were prepared. Gaudio kept a wonderful touch on the rein of the game, juggling foul trouble, substituting to strength, being positive when it called for it, providing some aggressive counseling when the need arose. The Deacons burned the Tar Heels time and again on inbounds plays, many of them following timeouts. Woods dunked off a pass from McFarland. Teague passed to L.D. Williams who passed to McFarland for a dunk. One that I believe was off the inbounds, though not after a timeout, was Teague’s all-along-the-baseline pass to Harvey Hale for his 3-pointer from deep in the right corner, over next to Ashby Cook. He was every bit as good afterward in the media conference. Grateful, respectful, purposeful. Talked about going back to the house with his folks and family and eating some pizza, but being back at the office by 8 a.m. this morning to watch tapes on BC. I know the pizza tasted great.