Chennault Finally Off Pit Row
Finally, at long last, I got my first really good look at Tony Chennault’s game. I liked what I saw.
Chennault, the freshman point guard from Philly, was cleared for full-scale practice this week after missing three precious preseason weeks while recovering from a stress reaction in his foot. The timing of Chennault’s injury could have been worse. It’s better to be out in October and November than in January and February. But for a young player attempting to break in at college basketball’s most demanding position, the time missed was a real setback that, I imagine, will preclude him from starting tomorrow’s season opener against Stetson.
Chennault’s absence left Coach Jeff Bzdelik only one real option at the point, sophomore C.J. Harris. Harris is a talented, resourceful player who could probably be a decent fill-in at the position, especially in a system that doesn’t put as much emphasis on the point guard facilitating the half-court offense the way Ish Smith was charged with doing the past few years. But that said, I kept harkening back to 2006 when a team with some pretty good talent (Justin Gray, Eric Williams, Trent Strickland, Kyle Visser) finished 3-13 in ACC play because Chris Paul’s early departure to the NBA pretty much forced Skip Prosser to move Gray from a position he played well, wing guard, to a position where he struggled, point guard.
From what I saw Tuesday, Chennault is a quintessential point guard. He’s always looking to make the pass, and he can pass well. He can also drive and dish. He reminds me physically of Derrick McQueen, Wake’s point guard in Dave Odom’s early years as head coach. Like McQueen, Chennault is stout, with a low center of gravity, and it’s not easy to knock a player like that off the ball. There’s a great value to a player like that, especially on a team with so many players (Ari Stewart, J.T. Terrell, Travis McKie and Harris) ready and able to shoot.
The other thing I noticed about Chennault is the fire and drive with which he plays. I saw the same from classmates Terrell and McKie in last week’s exhibition victory over Guilford. Now whether I see any of that on Feb. 15 at North Carolina is a good question. But I’ll be looking for it then, just like I’ll be looking for it tomorrow night against Stetson.
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By Dan Collins on 11/11/2010 (3:21 pm)
Comments
I agree Chris Paul is a wonderful point guard. He is also a terrific representative and supporter of Wake Forest.
In some quarters of the Wake fan base there is a belief that Chris’ halo is a bit tarnished because of the timing of his decision to declare for the NBA draft.
As I understand, Skip had confidence that Chris would return for a 3rd season. Tarese Rice wanted to come to Wake, but did not want to play back-up to Chris so we signed with BC. Paul goes pro, Rice goes to BC, thus Skip has to play Gray out of position, which hurts the team and Gray’s chance to be drafted by an NBA team. We lost out on a terrific scorer——who could hit free throws.
I don’t know that it indeed went down that way, but I have heard and read this story from several different sources.
Jerry on 11/12/2010 (2:53 pm)
Ish Smith was a real joy to watch—except while shooting free throws. Every Wake fan should never forget his contributions to the team and the community. Both he and Chris Paul will continue to be wonderful representatives of WFU for many years to come. I sure hope Ish is successful in the NBA and thereby helps us to recruit more of his ilk. Five Ishes of various sizes would destroy the Kentuckys of this world for three or four years in a row.
DannyB on 11/12/2010 (1:31 pm)
BrianT, I guess I’ll take a first stab at a response to your two posts:
Chris Paul is very much appreciated for his contribution, as short as it was. The kid was a special talent and everyone knew it. I’m sure that the cover of ESPN magazine was a nice consolation for not being on a Wake marketing poster (which, by the way, he surely would have been on had he stayed for more than two years).
I think that you underestimate the typical “Wake fan”. I don’t think that any objective Wake fan would rather have Ish Smith (who also was on a #1 team, by the way) run the point over Chris Paul. But that doesn’t mean that Wake fans can’t have a special place in their hearts for Ish Smith. Of all the players on those underachieving teams, he was one of the few guys who I could tell was giving one hundred percent. This is why Wake fans supported him in spite of his obvious shortcomings.
If Tony Chennault turns out to have a little more of Chris Paul’s ability without giving up any of Ish Smith’s attitude, then I think we’ll be ok at Point Guard. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
DC on 11/12/2010 (9:28 am)
Wake Forest point guards . . . lets look at why a Wake fan’s perspective is way way way out of whack. . . and evaluations of talent from Wake fans should be taken with a grain of salt.
Ask Wake fans about Chris Paul. . . they’ll think ‘nut punch’. They don’t think, ‘local phenom who took Wake to the #1 ranking on A TEAM WITH NO NBA PLAYERS’.
Then ask them about Ish. . . their eyes light up, greatest player and most fastest player they’ve seen who deserves to succeed merely because he’s such a nice guy. Just don’t ask the leader role model to shoot a free throw (or look at his freshman turnover stats). And of course, don’t remind them that WAKE did NO-THING with him as the main attraction for 4 years on a team STACKED with 1st rounders and a guy who dominated Tyler Hansborough.
I can’t wait to see Wake fan evaluation of the new point guard. The average Wake fan doesn’t know what they are looking at.
BrianT on 11/12/2010 (1:21 am)
I hope Chennault can get the ball where it needs to be for his team mates to be successful.
However, Chris Paul is still amazingly under-apreciated. He never had his picture on a Wake poster. Most fans thought those players mentioned were the best (especially Gray). They weren’t. Wake was good with those players because of Paul each year Paul was there. The 3 guard lineup is crap and only works when you have Chris Paul.
That said (that I think Chris Paul is the greatest player in the history of the game), I think the point guard is over-rated as a position. After the point passes, they are limited in ability. A forward could get rebounds and put backs and set better picks.
Hopefully a team will develop a ‘point forward’ set one day so that everyone on the court every game would have a height advantage from the tip. A team where everyone is at least 6’9 could exploit some advantages.
BrianT on 11/12/2010 (12:48 am)
Bet Chennault will be starting in a game or two.
Ken Green on 11/11/2010 (5:01 pm)
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