Wake Forest handles business in their home opener 98-79 over a feisty Unc Asheville squad.
Winston Salem, North Carolina– I have to admit this game was a lot closer than the score tells it. Wake held a double-digit lead on several occasions during this contest, but they also relinquished the lead entirely at one point in the second half. It was a game full of runs and momentum, I truly believe both of these programs will be able to take some positives from this contest, and they will be able to build on this contest throughout the season.
First Half action- Wake came out scorching the nets from deep, for the half 70 percent in the first half, this group came out sharp, fast and efficient. If this group can maintain the level of play they displayed within the first 11 mins of this contest, they could be a fun group to watch. It was a treat to see these guys moving the rock, the Deacs showed precision passing, patience and selfless, they were able to get some really good looks and capitalize on them. After falling down by double digits early, UNC Asheville never faltered, this group got away from iso ball and began finding offense within their sets. Some hot shooting and a brutal 1-3-1 zone shift allowed this group to cut a 10+ point lead to just five heading into the half.
The second half was extremely competitive all the way up until about seven minutes remaining, the Bulldogs got hot from the perimeter and cut down on costly turnovers. They eventfully lost point guard Lavar Batts Jr for an extended period of time and I believe his absence changed the energy in this contest. The penetration and attention Batts Jr routinely drew frees up these snipers for Asheville, when Batts Jr went out looks we're tougher to come by. I would also like to acknowledge the hot shooting of Wake during two runs, one 6-0 run, and another 13-1 run that helped close this game out. There also seemed to be a shift to urgency on closeouts for Wake Forest defensively.
Wake Forest Standouts
6'0 Senior Brandon Childress (17 pts and 9 ast),' came alive in the second half, his biggest shot proved to be the dagger when Childress pulled up from deep and buried a contested three to put the game out of reach, the Deacs never looked back. Childress is the bonafide leader for this group, he's the leading returner in the scoring and assists departments. Childress did a good job balancing his responsibilities as the primary playmaker, but also remained aggressive looking for his own shot. Childress is a bulldog on the floor, he posses the moxie all small guards need to survive at the top level of college hoops. Childress is one of the best shooters in the ACC, he’s capable off the dribble especially in pick n roll sets, but Childress is absolute money off spot-ups as he proved in this contest. Childress made good decisions and he really made life easier for Wake bigs like Olivier Sarr, Ody Oguama, and the versatile Isiah Mucius.
6'5 Junior Chaundee Brown (23 pts and 11 rebs), Played his best game in a Deacs jersey up to this point, he finished with a career-high 23 points on an impressive six of eight shooting from the floor. Chaundee got started early in the first half, he connected on three field goals from behind the arc to pace the Deacs, Brown seems to be at his best off-ball roaming around the perimeter for space to get his shot off. Brown has good size at 6'5 and didn't hesitate to shooter over smaller wing matchups, Brown came in with a lot of hype and tonight we saw what Brown could be at his best. Brown also finished with double-digit boards as well, he was one of two Deacs to record a double-double. This version of Brown will be necessary if the Deacs hope to compete in true gauntlet known as the ACC.
7'0 Junior Olivier Sarr (21 pts), may have turned in his best performance in the black and gold to date as well, he finished with 21 points and double-digit rebounds. Sarr didn't miss a shot in this contest, around the rim he was automatic. Childress and these other Wake guards made a strong effort to feed Sarr on pick n rolls, he's most effective with a full head of steam running towards the basket. Sarr dunked the ball emphatically, after a somewhat soft layup attempt early on, Coach Manning lit into Sarr and he punished the rim for the rest of the game. Sarr has to be an effective inside presence for this group, his size and experience will be relied on in a somewhat thin and inexperienced frontcourt.
The X-Factors in my opinion for this group is 6'3 senior Adrien White and 6'8 sophomore Isiah Muccius, both these guys have made noticeable strides from last year early on.'
White is a potential spark plug of instant offense for this group with his three-point shooting ability, and aggressive slashes to the basket. White scored 12 points in 20 minutes early on. White is a streaky shooter that proved capable of heating up in a hurry, the Charlotte transfer is one of the better three-point shooters on the roster when Childress and Brown are off, White has to make shots from the perimeter. If White is ran off the line he isn't afraid to put it on the floor and get to the cup.
Mucius has nice upside as a two-way wing, he looks improved and more confident as a shooter, he ran the floor like a gazelle, and he was tenacious on the defensive end. Mucius had one impressive sequence where he came up with a big block on defense, then proceeded to convert a contested layup on the other end. Mucius really helped turn the momentum of this contest with both of those plays late.
UNC Asheville standouts-
6'3 Rs- Sophomore Lavar Batts (13 pts), was an absolute blur with the basketball, his first step is tremendous Batts is a blow by waiting to happen. The former four-star prospect and NC State transfer looked every part of an ACC caliber guard, Batts utilized his quickness in meaningful spurts, he's a guard that understands pace and can catch defenders off balance with his shiftiness, Batts can stop on a dime and change directions almost effortlessly. Batts has big-time athleticism at the cup he welcomed contact, he displayed exceptional body control, Batts was able to adjust his body in mid-air to evade defenders. A knock on Batts game over the years has been the jump shot, but he looked confident shooting the deep ball tonight on the big stage. I believe Batts will be one of the top floor generals in the Big South Conference this season.
6'5 Rs- Sophomore Tajion Jones (22 pts), led the Bulldogs and he almost shot them to a victory with his hot hand. Jones made big shot after shot if the defense gave even an inch of breathing room Jones lit them up. Jones has a routine fluid stroke, every time the ball leaves his hands it looks like a bucket. It didn't matter if Jones was creating space off the dribble or spotting up, he continuously found the bottom of the net. In the first half Wake went up by as much 16 points, Jones connected on consecutive tre balls, the sequence helped stopped the bleeding and it allowed this team to muster a comeback heading into the half. Jones had a few missed opportunities late in the second half, but there is no doubt he was the best player on the floor in blue tonight.
6'2 Sophomore Devon Baker (17 pts), was one third of this three-headed monster in the backcourt, Baker is in the mold of a combo guard, he can create off the dribble for himself, he can capitalize on catch and shoot opportunities as we saw in the second half, he also filled in as the lead guard and ran this offense when Batts headed to the bench for an extensive stay. Baker came into this game on a hot streak after he lit the Citadel up for 25 in the Bulldog’s previous contest, Baker wasn't timid to get his shot off in this game and he did damage in transition. Baker isn't overly athletic, but he's crafty with the rock and picks his spots wisely. Baker could end up leading this group in scoring because out of the three the defense seems to forget about him until you turn around and he's got a quiet 20 piece.
The Skinny- Both programs have a lot of doubters but have also proved the naysayers wrong in the past.
Wake Forest is having trouble inspiring Winston to believe in the program, Coach Manning has seemingly been on the hot seat for the last couple years, this may be his deepest rotation to date, but the Deacs have to lock down a reliable number one scoring option. Next up Wake will take on Unc Charlotte in the Queen City.
Unc Asheville won single digits games last year, it was a disappointing year for a program traditionally capable of winning the Big South. This group took their lumps last season, and they're still relatively young, but the core group of sophomores leading this backcourt will have something to prove this season. The Bulldogs will next see Brevard this weekend.