Today's notebook looks at the Deacons from distance and some vets starting to heat up
Dec. 11, 2012
By Alex Botoman, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@SIDeacons)
Good Things Coming in Threes
Wake Forest found its stroke from long distance in games against High Point and Seton Hall last week, making eight 3-pointers against High Point and nine against Seton Hall to post its two highest totals of the season so far.
Wake Forest had not had a player make 5 or more 3-pointers in a game in almost two years, but Chase Fischer and C.J. Harris accomplished the feat in back-to-back games last week.
Fischer hit five shots from behind the arc against High Point and Harris made an eye-popping seven threes against Seton Hall that were tied for the sixth-highest single-game total in program history and the most since J.T. Terrell also made seven against Iowa in 2010. Harris' hot streak was made even more impressive by the fact that he had entered the game in the worst shooting slump of his career, having missed his last 14 3-point attempts before making his first one against the Pirates.
Both players' sharpshooting nights led them to career-best scoring performances. Fischer's 15 points against the Panthers, all from 3-point range, were the most of his career, while Harris poured in a career-best 28 points against the Panthers.
As a team, Wake Forest is shooting 47.7 percent from distance over its past three games.
Harris and McKie Heating Up
As the two highest returning scorers in the ACC and the most experienced players on the Wake Forest roster, senior C.J. Harris and junior Travis McKie were expected to be a major key to the Demon Deacons' success this season, but after a strong start to the year, the two had been mired in a bit of a slump in recent games. That all changed last week, as Harris and McKie came to life in the second half against High Point and followed with strong performances against Seton Hall.
Harris put up 10 points against the Panthers, eight of them in the second half, and followed with a career-best 28-point night against the Pirates to go with a season-high three steals.
McKie came up a point shy of a double-double in the High Point game with nine points and 10 rebounds and then had another solid game against Seton Hall with 16 points, seven boards and a career-high four takeaways. The junior from Richmond, Va. slammed home four dunks against the Pirates, which was a career-high.
Harris and McKie lead the Deacons in scoring this season, averaging 13.9 and 13.3 points per game, respectively.
Time to Hit the Books
It's final exam week at Wake Forest, meaning that the Demon Deacons will take a break from basketball for a few days to focus entirely on academics. The team has Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off, and on Wednesday, players can come in for voluntary workouts if it fits into their exam schedules. The Deacons will reconvene for a full practice on Thursday evening.
Wake Forest's first post-exam test comes next Tuesday, Dec. 18 when it hosts Furman at 7 p.m. at Joel Coliseum. The game will be televised on regional sports networks.
Tweets of the Week:
Andre Washington (@NBDre31)
Blessed and always proud to be a Deac
Aaron Rountree III (@DeaconTREE33)
Every day is a great day to be a Deac
Wake Basketball (@TieDyeNation)
WAKE FOREST WINS! The Demon Deacons pull away in the second half to defeat High Point 71-60
Chris Paul (@CP3)
RT @TieDyeNation: Guys all got the new @CP3 shoes today before practice!! #GoDeacs http://instagr.am/p/S6lluKoex4/ (yessirrr #GoDeacs)
Wake Basketball (@TieDyeNation)
Much better video of Madison Jones' (@PrimeTime12_) dunk vs. Richmond complete with Stan Cotten's radio call (YouTube clip)
Aaron Rountree III (@DeaconTREE33)
Hope my teachers next semester are as good as the ones I had this semester.
Andre Washington (@NBDre31)
Codi trying to order Chinese food is hilarious
Codi Miller-McIntyre (@CMM_OnTheRise)
Ordering Chinese food is the hardest task I swear. Smh
Quick Links:
Balanced Deacons overcome High Point's one-man show (Burlington Times-News)
Rountree Quickly Becoming a Fan Favorite for Deacons (Winston-Salem Journal)
Rountree Growing on Wake Fans (My Take on Wake - W-S Journal)
Demon Deacons guard tries free-spirited shots (Burlington Times-News)
They Said It:
"Oh God, I'm not going to say it in the press. Just know it's a work in progress. (It's) definitely in triple digits, I'm not that weak, but still a long way to go. I've got a little definition going on."
- 6-8, 190 lb. freshman forward Aaron Rountree on how much he can bench now after putting in extra work in the weight room. (Full interview)
