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June 18th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Wake
Forest Demon Deacons
Overall Rank:
#143
Conference
Rank: #12 ACC
2005-06:
17-17, 3-13, 12th
2005-06
postseason: NIT
 It wasn’t pretty
last year for Wake Forest. And with the top four scorers gone,
it could get even worse. The good news is that the recruiting
class is decent and will fill some major holes; however, the
freshmen can only do so much. Skip Prosser stuck around North
Carolina after rumors swirled about the possibility of his
departure for Cincinnati and that is a good thing for Wake
Forest fans. The expectations are low this year, but with the
talent Wake Forest has, a year or two of experience will turn
things around in a positive direction just as quickly as things
went south over the last couple of years.
Who’s Out:
Justin Gray averaged a team high 18.2 points and 4.3 assists
during his senior campaign. Eric Williams’ 16.3 points and 8.9
rebounds will be missed under the basket, as will the teams’
second and third leading rebounders, Trent Strickland and Chris
Ellis.
Who’s In:
Ishmael
Smith might not be the most highly touted recruit heading to
Winston-Salem, but the point guard is a welcome addition for
Wake fans. Smith is most noted for his blazing speed. He will
drive and dish with the best of them in the class of 2006. The
outside shooting is a concern, but the 6-0, Concord, NC native
just needs to keep the turnovers down and drive the lane. A
trio of big men will provide some much needed depth up front.
Jamie Skeen is the best of the bunch, but the 6-8 forward wants
to spend time at the 3-spot instead of the four. Skip Prosser
could use him at both spots. Skeen likes to run and can help
out on the glass. Chas McFarland needs to gain some strength,
but the 7-0 center could see some minutes. Casey Crawford is a
battler. He isn’t a great athlete, but he’ll make up for it
with toughness. The key to Crawford being a productive player
is his ability to play facing the basket. While the inside game
isn’t polished, Crawford can easily get the opposing defender
out of his comfort zone by stepping back and hitting a three.
Anthony Gurley is one of the best shooting guards coming into
NCAA basketball this year. He’s a tremendous shooter and his
ballhandling has improved so much that it isn’t out of the
question for him to run the point. Even if he doesn’t crack the
starting five, Gurley will see plenty of minutes and Wake fans
hope he’ll drain plenty of three’s. L.D. Williams will fill in
some minutes at the shooting guard and small forward spots.
Williams is a typical athletic wing type and has plenty of
potential. Power forward David Weaver, who redshirted last
season, will see his first action this season and will provide
more depth up front.
Who to Watch:
With
the mass exodus of quality rebounders, the work on the glass
will fall to Kyle Visser and Kevin Swinton. Visser started 17
games last year, averaging 5.0 points and 4.3 boards. The 6-11
senior should see a drastic increase in minutes, and the
production needs to increase in order for the Deacons to hold
their own in the paint. Swinton, a 6-7 sophomore, had an
effective freshman campaign and the expectations are rising for
this season. He’s a tough, hardworking player on the defensive
glass, but could use some work on his offensive game.
Final
Projection:
This is a young
team. Luckily, players tend to improve a lot between their
freshmen and sophomore seasons. Look for Harvey Hale, Shamaine
Dukes, and Cameron Stanley, along with Swinton, to be more
productive members of the team. Somebody has to finish 12th
in the conference, and the Demon Deacons have the most question
marks and unproven talent.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected
Starting Five:
Ishmael Smith,
Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Harvey Hale,
Sophomore, Guard, 5.6 points per game
Michael Drum,
Senior, Forward, 5.5 points per game
Kevin Swinton,
Sophomore, Forward, 2.8 points per game
Kyle Visser,
Senior, Center, 5.0 points per game
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