Wake vs. Fairfield: Final Thoughts

The night may have started on a somewhat somber note, but we won one for Skip and that is something to be proud of.

The Deacs played a nearly flawless first half of basketball, making the shots they’re supposed to make, completing good crisp passes, and playing hard on the defensive end. The good play continued into the second half, even if some of the intensity seemed to be lacking. I suppose when you’re up by 25 on Fairfield it’s not too surprising.

James Johnson started off his Wake Forest career the way we all hoped he would, scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for what promises to be the first of many double doubles. Jeff Teauge showed flashes of brilliance with 5 steals and four assists. Watching him walk around it appears his ankle is just fine - just re-rolled it from a previous injury. I was able to see Gary Clark shoot the ball for the first time, and I was very impressed. With he and Harvey shooting the ball well, the Deacs should have a good season from behind the arc.

Speaking of Harvey, 5 of 6 from beyond downtown is exactly what we’re hoping for. When he gets on a roll it’s a beautiful thing, but as Dino said after the game, he doesn’t get frustrated when he isn’t getting shots. He stays patient and waits for the opportunity he’s looking for.

Amazingly I’ve made it this far without even mentioning L.D. Williams. Although he was somewhat quiet in the 2^nd half, he showed flashes of spectacular play in the first, and the combination of he and James Johnson promises to be special.

After the game Coach Gaudio talked about the difficult emotions that went into the preparations for this game. Although he had showed the team the video yesterday, it didn’t totally relieve the painful emotions everyone felt before the game started. He said he felt a lot of pressure to get this win for Skip, and that it was a relief to get the job done. He was also very impressed with the way the players handled everything.

Regarding the game, Coach was very happy to see that the team scored an average of one point per possession, however he thinks they need some work to prevent the opponent from having .7 ppp in the future. Coach was proud of the team’s diligent work on the defensive end, but believes they need to work on closing out on three point shooters. He also noted that the team didn’t work hard enough boxing out on the boards. Thankfully, he said, the team has nine days before the next game, which should allow some time to clean some things up.

Overall I was very satisfied with the way the team performed tonight. As long as they do “clean some things up” I expect the team to keep winning games in the fall and really be able to compete come ACC play in January. I know it’s early, but so far all signs are positive.