Opening Minutes Should Tell the Tale
Apparently I’m not the only person who feels that the first four minutes of Wake Forest’s game against Texas in tomorrow’s first round of the NCAA Tournament will be the most critically important four minutes in the recent history of Deacons’ basketball.
Lenox, our photographer Bruce Chapman and I ran into Drew Brown on our flight in from Raleigh to Orlando and on to New Orleans. Brown, also known as Donald Ross in certain circles, is a Wake grad who rarely allows his duties as an attorney in Greensboro to keep him from watching his beloved Deacons play.
We all agreed that if the Deacons are going to make any splash in the tournament, they’re going to have to get off to a better start than they had last week against Miami or the one they had last season against Cleveland State. In both instances, Wake was punched in the mouth early and never got off the canvas.
To that end, I asked Dino Gaudio what a coach can do to assure that his team comes out of the locker room ready and raring to play.
“You know what, we just have to come out and play with energy and emotion,’’ Gaudio said. “That’s what it’s all about. We talked about that, and how we’ve got to be excited to play..
“But I think that’s the biggest thing. You have to come out with energy and emotion. And it’s got to be an aggressive mentality. I told our guys, `If you’re going to make a mistake tomorrow night, make it on the side of aggression’. And that’s exactly what we have to do. And I told Ish (Smith) I just want him to be aggressive. I want him to be in an attack mode. And I think he’ll do that.
“I think as he goes, we go.’‘
I also asked Smith and L.D. Wililams about the importance of a fast start, and what they can do, as team leaders, to see that the Deacons are ready to play.
“A lot of what we do is predicated on our defense,’’ Williams said. “So in these games in these tournament situations, you really have to start off getting stops.
“You know, everybody in this tournament can score. Everybody has proven they’re elite teams. The better teams are the teams that get stops. They string stops together when they need stops, and they rebound the basketball. They also play loose.’‘
Smith said it’s always important to get off to a fast start. But he recognizes that at certain times its more important than others.
“It’s huge to get off to a good start, I think, in every game, but this one in particular—obviously based upon the two previous games (against Cleveland State and Miami),’ Smith said. “So it’s going to be huge for us to jump out to a good start and (it’s huge) maintaining that and, not maintaining it but exceeding it throughout the whole game.’’
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By Dan Collins on 03/17/2010 (8:37 pm)
Comments
U Gotta BLeeve - you gotta way to much time on your hands. Hope all that karma works though. If UT does not come out in a zone, I’ll take back what I said about OP being the dumbest coach in the land when Clemson tried to run with us. Hopefully, another Clemson coach, RB, will do the same thing. OMG, another bullet point for the karma list.
All the Deacons have to do is come out and play like they are capable of, like they mean it, and with passion. Piece of cake. It will be fun.
EJ on 03/18/2010 (2:20 pm)
Hey “U Gotta BLeeve”, awesome post. Dino’s wishful thinking hasn’t done much good lately, a little black magic might be just the ticket!
Charles on 03/18/2010 (1:24 pm)
Maybe we need some low-country voodoo to counteract our present postseason mojo. Here’s my, um, best effort:
• The Deacs play in New Orleans, where the best PG in WFU history plays professionally. After extended downtime (see injury), Chris Paul was recently cleared to run. Given the Longhorns’ fast style of the play, Wake, after extended downtime, should be ready to run, its preferred style (no zone defenses, please, Coach Barnes!).
• There’s pretty decent karma right now in the Big Easy for teams wearing gold & black.
• After Austin, Texas, native Drew Brees was ignored by his hometown school, he left the state to achieve great success wearing gold & black in both college and the NFL.
• Like the Deacs are tonight, the Saints were 5-point underdogs in their last postseason matchup. Coincidence?
• Ravaged by a hurricane, New Orleans and its favorite team are a redemptive, victorious story. Ravaged by the Hurricanes, the Deacs could certainly tap into that city/team theme.
• Wake and New Orleans’ recent give & take signifies balance/respect: we hired the University of New Orleans’ baseball coach last June after the Saints drafted two Wake defenders last April.
• Texas is 3-3 against the ACC all-time (including 2nd-round March Madness losses to Wake in ‘96 and to Duke last year in Greensboro). Chris Paul’s # in college and the pros was/is, of course, 3 — talk about eerie!
Wake up, Deacs!
U Gotta BLeeve on 03/18/2010 (12:48 pm)
Dan,
Perhaps he said more in your conversation, but it doesn’t seem like Dino really answered your question. They talked about playing the game with energy, emotion and aggressiveness? That’s how a coach makes sure his team is prepared for a fast start? OK…
I think that Ish has the right mindset. Winning a game in the postseason means playing well for forty-eight minutes, not four. The good teams come out in big games focused on executing their game plan. If the other team jumps on top early, they don’t panic because they have faith in their game plan and on everyone’s ability to execute it. The meltdown against Cleveland State occurred because the players did not have faith in their game plan or in each other.
This year’s team claims to have faith in the coaches. And from statements about team chemistry, they claim to have faith in each other. That’s what they need to beat Texas. It’s the NCAA Tournament! They are going to have energy and emotion. That energy and emotion needs to be channeled appropriately.
DC on 03/18/2010 (8:38 am)
Our fans have seemingly gone off the deep end, especially in “some circles”. It’s embarrassing to be related to them when they are calling for the coach and the player’s heads.
I just want our guys to come out strong and play as well as they know how. If they do that I will be happy.
Riley on 03/17/2010 (10:26 pm)
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