| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
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Friday, Oct. 13
At the beginning of last season, coach Dave Odom said his team should think of itself as a team capable of winning big
games. His young squad had grown to be juniors, and they had experienced
success but not great rewards due to inconsistency.
Wake Forest finished 7-9 in the ACC, but the Deacons played very well in the ACC Tournament and
rolled through the NIT to give a preview of what to expect this season.
It will be tougher to match that 7-9 record in the ACC this season. But that record
should get an NCAA Tournament bid out of this year's ACC.
Wake Forest will be very good, but it will have to play with greater consistency to finish among the top four in the ACC. Odom is an outstanding coach who always puts a team on the floor that will play hard and together. This season, the Deacons are poised to take the next step and truly challenge the powers of the ACC.
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Frontcourt
Darius Songaila is the Deacons' best player, and he had a productive summer playing for Lithuania in the Olympics. Songaila played particularly well against the Dream Team and performed well overall in Sydney, Australia.
The only worry for Wake Forest is that his participation Down Under could result in fatigue and fouls. With the travel and the high level of competition, Songaila is bound to be tired. Odom will have to be careful
to limit Songaila early so fatigue does not catch up with him later in the season.
Rested or not, the 6-foot-9 Songaila is foul prone because he is so physical. He is not afraid to bang bodies and is allowed to do so in international competition. Songaila, however, must adjust quickly to the college game and not be stubborn about it because referees have been quick to whistle him in the past and might not be shy to continue the trend.
Songaila (13.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 51 percent FGs) is a hard worker who has a very good touch. He can score facing up or with his back to the basket, and he gets to the free throw line and hits his shots. Songaila has the talent and
experience to be an All-ACC performer if he can stay out of foul trouble.
Senior Rafael Vidaurreta is a big, strong interior defender, but he will be out with an injury to start the season. Vidaurreta (4.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 41 percent FGs) does not look to score, although he has a decent touch. Maybe it's because he's such a good passer
and rebounder. But he is really valuable on the defensive end, where he is one of the best post defenders in the ACC.
Josh Shoemaker (4.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 51 percent FGs) is another big body who can really bang the glass and defend. He plays hard all the time and sets good screens. He's tough, however, Shoemaker rarely looks at the basket and is easy to defend because of that. If Shoemaker and Vidaurreta become more aggressive with their opportunities, instead of shying away from offensive production, Wake Forest will be a much more dangerous team.
Antwan Scott (4.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 46 percent FGs) is a great athlete who improved last season and should be prepared to take the next step this season. Scott is talented but last season lacked the strength and aggressiveness that often comes only with age and experience. Dshamal Schoetz is a 7-0 freshman project.
|  | | Darius Songaila played against the best player in the world Down Under this summer -- and held his own. |
Backcourt
It seems as if Robert O'Kelley has been at Wake Forest for 10 years. Well, he is now a senior.
O'Kelley averaged 13 points a game, shooting only 35 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc. But he remains Wake's best pure scorer, despite his difficult 1999-00 season.
O'Kelley did not shoot the ball well from the field or the line but has always been
a clutch player who is fearless on the court. O'Kelley has had difficulty
at times with his decisions and his shot selection, but he remains a
dangerous player who can get hot and hand you 30-plus points on any given night.
O'Kelley has expanded his basketball I.Q. and improved his mid-range game. The result should be motivation to play to a higher level this season.
Josh Howard is a combo guard who is a long-armed gap rebounder. He finds openings and snaps up rebounds from the backcourt. He also makes plays because of his long arms and athletic ability, but he is still learning how to play. His 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds came mostly due to his speed. He gets off his feet quickly and is multi-talented. With strength and discipline, he can be a terrific player.
Craig Dawson (9.1 ppg, 44 percent FGs) is a shooter with very good range but has been hobbled the past couple of seasons with a leg injury. Dawson had a stress fracture last season, which limited his drives and finishes and made him a straight-line player. But he should be much healthier this season. Dawson can really shoot
and has great poise.
Junior guard Ervin Murray (3.3 ppg) is a good ball-handler and a clever passer with the ability to make plays off the dribble. Broderick Hicks (3.8 ppg) is a pure point guard who is one of the better backup points in the ACC. He is a super-quick penetrator who has good speed with the ball.
Murray, Hicks or O'Kelley can run the point, but Murray is the favorite to hold the job. Add in A.W. Hamilton, a freshman point guard, and there will be healthy competition for minutes.
Bottom Line
Odom is a three-time ACC Coach of the Year who has built a solid program at Wake Forest. Three years ago, this senior class worked toward the day when they would be upperclassmen and be able to take on the ACC in a fair fight. Now the Deacons are older, more experienced and ready to take Wake back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Mr. Duncan left in 1997. | |
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