My Take on Wake - A Verb As Well as a Noun

A Verb As Well as a Noun

Of all the primary definitions of the word team that I’ve checked out lately—and I’ve checked out quite a few—the one that in my mind nails it best was found in the 1963 edition of The World Book Dictionary.

Team (n)—1. A group of people working or acting together, especially one of the sides of a game.

So many of the definitions I’ve seen omit the first part of the sentence and provide only the second. The Third Edition of the Random House Webster’s Dictionary, for instance, gives its primary definition as follows:

Team (n)—1. A number of people forming a side in a game or contest.

Norman Dale, at least as played by Gene Hackman in the classic Hoosiers, would beg to differ with The Third Edition of Random House Webster’s Dictionary, and so would I.

Remember that scene where Rade Butcher has been benched for willfully and repeatedly playing his own game and not that as prescribed by his coach? My Team is On The Floor So when Merle Webb fouls out, leaving Milan with only four eligible players, Rade pulls off his warmup and starts to check in.

Dale is having none of it. Butcher, at that point in time, is not on the team. He’s not willing to make the sacrifices required to be on a team. The four players remaining are. So Dale’s team is on the floor. Great stuff.

That’s the biggest reason the Wake football season and at least the start of the basketball season have been so enjoyable. When I see the Deacons play, I see a team. It’s not always a great team, and sometimes not even a good one, but it’s a group of people working and acting together. Last year I often saw not a team, but just an assemblage of players, many of them with their own agendas that superceded the wishes and goals of their teammates.

A central theme of the football season has been the comradery and cohesion that developed during the spring and helped carry the Deacons to their first bowl in three seasons. I wrote about the rare bond between the older and younger players for this morning’s Journal. Winning Together

A similar force seems to be in play in basketball where the Deacons of 2011-12 are much tighter, much more willing to sacrifice and, as a consequence, a much happier group than the assemblage of players who limped home a year ago with 20 losses in their final 22 games.

So at least as the 1963 edition of The World Book Dictionary would define it, this is actually Jeff Bzdelik’s first team at Wake. Again, it’s not a great team and there will be plenty of nights it won’t even be a very good team. But it’s always instructive to remember that team is a verb, as well as a noun.

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By Dan Collins on 11/25/2011 (12:09 pm)

Comments

I’ve tried to like Coach Bzdelic ,but I’m finding it hard to find anything about him to be excited about. Uninspiring would be the operative word to describe Bzdelic.The pathetic lack of effort demonstrated by the Deacs against Arizona State should be an embarassment to the coach .Can Bzdelic get through one sentence in his post game interview without referring to his ” young team “?. Yeah , we know they are young , but is youth an excuse for lack of effort?
It’s about time for Ron to admit he made a big mistake .
Quick Ron , buy me a vowel .

barney on 11/26/2011 (10:43 pm)

“No effort rebounding, poor defense, and little hustle seems to be the theme for this team.” These attributes are standard characteristics of every Bzdelik team. Just look at the stats.

You have to look at the positives, we had to forfeit a winning basketball tradition, but Wellman gets to give his friend a million dollar job…

gt on 11/26/2011 (5:35 pm)

Give the team to Battle. NOW!

gt on 11/26/2011 (4:16 pm)

If the effort this team has shown the last two games is any indication of what we can expect to see the rest of the year fans are in for a long year. No effort rebounding, poor defense, and little hustle seems to be the theme for this team. Side to side ball movement is easy to defend. You just wait for the team to try to move the ball towards the basket, unless launching 25 ft shots is the desired outcome. Another bad, bad year awaits Wake this year…sorry to say.

Mike on 11/26/2011 (7:58 am)

the game tonight was like most of last year. no real offense, no real defense, and no real enthusiasm from players or coaches..just a lot of one on one, and Arizona is suppose to finish last in their conference. I don’t see this coach being the leader to get Wake basketball back to respectability. The announcers couldn’t even help but to comment about Wake looking asleep..they finally switched to another game..Embarrassing..

beach deac on 11/25/2011 (11:02 pm)

Wake is currently getting slaughtered by an Arizona State team that has only won one game thus far this year and is one of the worst teams in the country in almost every statistical categor. Oh well….same mess different year.

av8r on 11/25/2011 (9:48 pm)

The long slow climb to mediocrity continues. Thanks again Ron.

gt on 11/25/2011 (3:44 pm)

Dan,

I have only been able to see the Deacs on TV, but even there one can see a difference. Ball movement, screens, communication and even the semblance of team defense. Last year was horrible to watch. This year we can all see an emotional level to this team that speaks to a common goal; be the best we can be, learn and grow. The wins will follow.

Hal on 11/25/2011 (1:31 pm)