Taking a Dive, The Right Way
There was a reason that Chas McFarland took a running dive on a loose basketball in the first half of today’s 69-57 victory over Virginia besides just the desire to gain possession for Wake Forest.
He had just seen what could happen if he didn’t.
A couple of possessions earlier, freshman C.J. Harris had reached over for a ball while Sammy Zeglinski of the Cavaliers dove. Coach Dino Gaudio reacted by inserting Ari Stewart in the game for Harris.
“Yeah, that was one of the things he talked about pregame, 50-50 balls,’’ Harris said a bit sheepishly during the post-game media conference. “I let that one get away from me.’‘
So when the ball bounced free near midcourt a couple of minutes later, there was McFarland, all 7-0, 245-pounds of him, taking a flying leap on top of it. Virginia tied the ball up to retain possession, but the the play turned the possession arrow back in the Deacons’ favor.
McFarland was asked how much hide he lost on the play.
“A little bit, but I’ll survive,’’ McFarland said. “I kind of knew C.J. wasn’t going to dive for that one, so I thought I might as well try it.’‘
The Deacons dominated the Cavaliers despite a subpar game from the two freshmen, Harris and Stewart, who had been playing so well lately. Harris, who had 20 points Wednesday at North Carolina, made only 1 of 3 shots from the floor and scored 7 points. Stewart, who had scored 25 points in his previous two games against the Tar Heels and Duke, made 1 of 8 and finished with 3 points.
“I really think today our freshmen played like freshmen for the first time,’’ Gaudio said. “Maybe it was the rigors of three games in seven days. Sometimes that wears on young guys.’‘
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By Dan Collins on 01/23/2010 (9:26 pm)
Comments
Interesting game yesterday, interesting comments today. The crowd was sedate for sure, but it was a methodical grind it out game that speaks volumes as to the tenacity of the team. A few observations, we have a tendency to play not to lose rather than play to win. I think that takes us out of any offensive rhythm that might be going and consequently dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd. Look at the last 6.5 minutes yesterday for example: four field goals in 6 attempts, missed four of ten free throws and committed 7 turnovers. Play to win, keep the hammer down as long as the other team is still trying to win. Having said that, Chas’ dive for the loose ball was the play of someone that wants to play and not spend time on the bench. Good coaching move there. Aminu’s pull up on the last play, he had a clear lane to the basket and could have had a “Sports Center” moment, but chose to pull the ball back out and let the game end showed much more class than could be expected from other local ACC teams. Excellent coaching. Good game, fun to watch, expect more progress as the season progresses. Thanks for your insight in to “our” team.
EJ
EJ on 01/24/2010 (2:52 pm)
Deacs Fan and DC, check out my subsequent post on the amount of minutes Ish is playing and if C.J. and Ari are wearing down. And DC, I’ll ask Dino this week if he is considering ways to get Ish more down time.
And Deacs Fan, the coaches can’t comment on a player until he signs, regardless of where he ends up going. But down the road I’ll try to get a reaction.
Dan on 01/24/2010 (1:29 pm)
Hey Dan,
Same question - is Coach Gaudio concerned about ISH wearing down? Also, big loss with football recruit Eddie Sullivan de-committing - any info on the football staff’s reaction? Thanks!
Deacs Fan on 01/24/2010 (12:00 pm)
I was dissapointed in the crowd and the noise they didn’t make. Were the microphones too far away to pick up any noise? I don’t want the craziness that we see at Clemson, but the Deacon crowd was too sedate. There were several opportunities where a little more noise could have spurred the team to not letting Va back into the game.
patrick price on 01/24/2010 (10:31 am)
I thought Wake fans were supposed to be intelligent. I didn’t understand the booing of Ziglenski, thought it certainly seemed to have a negative effect on his game. Though his father went to Wake, WF did not offer him a scholarship. I guess the fans in the stands did not know that. As it was the booing made no sense.
Charles on 01/24/2010 (7:41 am)
Dan,
Given your most recent post, how are CJ and Ari holding up physically and mentally as we approach the home stretch of the season?
Obviously we can’t expect every player to have his A game every time on the floor, so I am not terribly distraught by the fact that that they had a subpar game this afternoon. But CJ and Ari haven’t played at this level for this amount of time before. As Coach Gaudio mentioned, the season can certainly wear on a player.
Speaking of wearing down, Ish is playing a ton of minutes. I realize there aren’t a lot of alternatives (especially given CJ’s effort today), but is there anything that Coach Gaudio and the staff are considering to keep him fresh for March? Thanks.
DC on 01/23/2010 (10:17 pm)
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