C.J., Ari Find Bead on Basket
There was really no need for me to hang at Wake’s practice for long yesterday. It took only a couple of minutes to see what I had come to Joel Coliseum to see.
C.J. Harris took a 3-pointer and it swished. Ari Stewart took a 3-pointer and it swished. I’m willing to sign an affidavit to that in front of a notary.
Actually both shot well yesterday, and unless I miss my guess, they’ll shoot well Saturday against North Carolina. Being back at home should have a calming, restorative effect on the whole team, especially the freshmen. Both are upbeat personalities and both seemed unfazed by their recent struggles. They’ve been two really good additions to the team, for their positive energy as much as their obvious abilities.
As it turned out, I did stay for most of practice, which was spirited and crisp, as most of them are. Coach Dino Gaudio came over while he turned the 15-minute stretching segment at the start of practice over to the team trainer non parallel, Greg Collins, and we talked about his team. He said the Deacons went twice on Monday, once at 7 a.m. and again around 1, and of course they were going through their paces yesterday. They’ll take today off, and then set their sights on the Tar Heels during practices on Thursday and Friday.
Dino said he was taking advantage of the break to talk individually with everyone on the team, just to check in with them and see what’s on their minds. He said it’s something he likes to do a few times a season. He asked everyone about the atmosphere in the locker room these days and reported that, to a man, the Deacons said it’s a close-knit team that gets along really well. I’m not in the locker room myself, so I can’t vouch, but I can say I’ve seen no signs whatsoever during practices of a team pulling apart.
Of course there’s nothing that can bond a team together like winning, and as L.D. Williams said after Saturday’s loss at N.C. State the Deacons don’t need a late-season collapse that would undo all they’ve done up to this point. All ACC games are big. There are only 16 of them. But this one Saturday will be one of the biggest.