Comments

I was pleased with the improvement the team showed yesterday, at least in the 1st half.  It was nice to see the team finally double down on the opposing post player.  Certainly, there was a defensive lapse in the 2nd half as well as poor shot selection.  However, there was improvement and the crowd reacted to it, as well.  I think there are some very talented freshmen out there and as they continue to mature and buy in to Bzdelick’s system, we’ll get better.  Incidentally, there was a rebound by a guard (JT) put back for a dunk.  It just didn’t go through.  JT made some poor decisions, but there is no denying this kid has talent!

Jim on 01/03/2011 (10:01 am)

To answer Brian T’s question, the last Wake player who had rebounds for dunks was Tony Woods against Texas (he had several of them and kept Wake in that game accordingly).  But you’re right - no one has done that consistently probably since Josh Howard.

I liked some of what I saw yesterday from the Deacs, though Dan’s assessment that this young team did not make smart plays in the last few minutes was on the mark.  Gonzaga impressed me a lot too.  That Gray kid is the consumate glue guy, and I wish Wake had him.  He could be the guy to make this Demon Deacon squad jell perhaps more than anyone.

There may be a lot of athleticism on this Wake team, but there is so much inexperience that this team would likely have struggled even with Tony Chennault at full speed (though probably not quite to the extent that they are now).  J.T. Terrell is going to be hard to manage - the kid has an ego the size of the Grand Canyon, and he can sometimes play exceptionally well (a la the Iowa game).  But he does not seem to realize that a wild shot that goes in is still a bad shot (because they usually WON’T go in), and teaching him that will be a chore that Coach B will have to use every bit of psychology he has to accomplish.  Otherwise Terrell will probably be the kind of kid that will sulk and quit on the team the way that Jeff Teague sometimes did when things didn’t go his way.  (See Dan’s article about Terrell’s silent-treatment interview after a recent game for evidence of that.)

On a more positive note, I was pleasantly surprised to see some Ty Walker’s moves.  For such a big guy he has really soft hands, and if he can get that jump hook going on a regular basis then he could be a real offensive weapon for Wake.  Great to see him hit a couple of those!

I agree with those who say that there is certainly room on this team for some new recruits who can bang in the middle and for another point guard (even if he just backs up Tony Chennault).  Hopefuly Coach B (or Coach Battle or Coach Larue) can go get some of those guys for next year.

Going to be a long rest of the year.

Matt on 01/03/2011 (9:49 am)

Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We are 14 games into the season and it is time to learn from our mistakes. Other than the first couple of games we have not come close to running the shot clock down. Major impatience. I thought the selling point of coach Buzz was his X’s and O’s ability. Have not seen that yet. Call a timeout when they get out of hand and give instruction. I also disagree about lack of talent. I think Dino would have loved to coach this team with the shooters we have now that he recruited.

Ed on 01/03/2011 (7:00 am)

One last thing about playing above the rim.  When was the last time a Wake player got a rebound putback for a dunk?  Trent might have had some, but the last time it was a regular occurrence was when Antwan Scott and Josh Howard were playing.

When we went to 3 guards, we stopped doing that.  We ‘proved’ we didn’t need tall guys with a backscreen alley oop to one of our little guards for a high jumping dunk.

But 3 guards generally means more fumbling (dribbling) and a dribble puts the ball as far from above the rim as possible.  we need our guys hungering for someone else to shoot it so they can crash and get an electrifying dunk.

It hasn’t happened in recent years.  our guys wait until they get a pass to think about contributing.  Above the rim means winning the joust when the ball isn’t going to anyone in particular because you want it more than anyone.  wish i could cheer for a rebound dunk from a Wake player.

Brian T on 01/03/2011 (1:23 am)

I guess this is the article for the game.  Wake has plenty of talent to win games.  Every game starts at zero and each team only gets 5 players.  Wake should be able to field 5 that can win.

They looked good from what I saw.  Defense looked better.  I don’t know why Nikita and Tabb didn’t get to play more because Gonzaga was getting physical inside.  Carson looked good but fell asleep on some rebounds.

Two easy fixes are not fading away on jump shots. Second, not forcing the fast break when you don’t have the numbers.  A hand in the face might not be a bad shot, but chances of making the shot go up if the shooter jumps straight up or toward the basket (preferably).

Several times Wake had a one guy break against three defenders.  Take the ball back out if you don’t have the numbers.  Situational awareness during game flow needs to improve.

Finally, we don’t run curls toward the basket (everything is away from the basket).  And passing the ball away from our basket is and has been too lazy (like a QB throwing a smoke pass in danger of getting intercepted).  On offense, focus on giving the ball to a team mate going toward the basket. . . and if you are passing the ball away from the basket, make sure not to let the other team get it (don’t telegraph it).

BrianT on 01/03/2011 (1:17 am)

We were very competitive in the first half, and at times during the second half.  Its obvious that the lack of a floor leader with Chennault injured really hampers this team.  Terrell needs someone on his case the whole time he is out there, because he is a lazy defender.  And oh the lack of an inside game is going to tank us this season.  Ty Walker makes Loren Woods look good, and we all remember how bad he was as a Demon Deacon.  I’m starting to miss Tony Woods now… I agree with the earlier comment, and reiterate what I have said over the course of the season, its not the coach people, its the lack of talent.  Obviously the talent level of the freshman class has been overrated much like the ballyhooed class of Aminu/Woods/Walker… Let’s hope Coach Bzdelik can bring in some sizeable players in the middle, and unteach some of the AAU ball to get this team working well with its fundamentals. 

I do have to say today looked better than the last few weeks.  As far as losses go, this one may have be more educational as far as how fast this team is learning how to play on the collegiate level with no point guard, no centers, and no real experience.

The Deacon on 01/02/2011 (10:53 pm)

Zags outscored the Deacs by 26 points in the paint (42-16). That’s hard to overcome.

Virginia Gentleman on 01/02/2011 (10:49 pm)

Dan,

IMO, this was our best chance to beat a very good team. Didn’t make the game or see it on TV due to family obligations, so were we at all competitive or were we playing from behind the whole game?

Appreciate your work, Dan!

Ken Green on 01/02/2011 (9:15 pm)

I’ve heard many different opinions concerning the make-up of this team, but today was my first chance to watch them play.  This year’s team is missing anyone inside who can do more than collect fouls (10 pts vs. 9 fouls today) and the smaller players seem to be turnover machines.  About halfway through the game I decided to paint my bathroom since it seemed to be a better use of my time than watching this game on TV.  You can blame Coach Buzz all you want, but even Coach K would struggle to win with a team with no talented post players and limited talent on the outside. All Wake fans better pray that Coach Buzz’s reputation as a poor recruiter is incorrect; otherwise, we’re in for a long, long few years.

Mike on 01/02/2011 (8:47 pm)