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Saturday, June 23
Team preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
ESPN.com
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The lowdown
2000-01 record: 19-11; 8-8 in ACC (5th)
Final Ranking: NR
Postseason: Lost to Butler 79-63 in first round of NCAA Tournament.
Three Questions for 2001-02
1. Need to adjust to Skip Prosser while Prosser needs to alter his style to the Wake Forest personnel. The Demon Deacons are accustomed to a certain style and Prosser might not be able to mess with it for a season.
2. Point guard play has been erratic. Hicks should be more mature as a senior and still has a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. But he needs to become more of a leader with Darius Songaila.
3. The Demon Deacons have the personnel in place to make a run with Craig Dawson, Josh Howard, Hicks and Songaila but they were still unable to strike a consistent streak later in the season. How do they get the consistent post play they need throughout the season so they don't fall apart again?
Three Key Facts
1. For the first time in school history, Wake will play in the Preseason NIT. The Deacons will open the season at home against UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 12. The winner faces the winner of Arkansas vs. Maine.
2. Skip Prosser led Xavier University to six 20-win seasons and six postseason tournament appearances in seven years.
3. Wake's international flavor will continue with the arrival of Vytas Danelius, who joins fellow Lithuanian Darius Songaila on the Deacons' roster. Sophomore Dshamal Schoetz is from Cottbus, Germany. Ironically, Prosser who first started recruiting Danelius while still in charge at Xavier.
Andy Katz's Scenarios
Best case: The Demon Deacons are in the thick of the ACC race for second and a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
Worst case: They struggle to score and start to drop to the middle of the pack in the ACC and go back to being a bubble team.
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Key Players Returning
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Player
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Yr.
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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Josh Howard
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Jr.
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F
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6-6/207
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PTS: 13.6 | REB: 5.9 | AST: 1.8
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Darius Songaila
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Sr.
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F
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6-9/243
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PTS: 13.2 | REB: 6.0 | AST: 1.7
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Craig Dawson
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Sr.
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G
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6-5/206
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PTS: 12.5 | REB: 2.2 | AST: 2.0
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Broderick Hicks
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Sr.
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G
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6-1/177
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PTS: 6.9 | REB: 1.9 | AST: 2.6
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Key Losses
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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Robert O'Kelley
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G
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6-1/184
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PTS: 12.6 | REB: 1.5 | AST: 2.6
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Josh Shoemaker
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C
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6-9/237
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PTS: 6.0 | REB: 7.4 | AST: 1.7
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Wake Forest Signings
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht.
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High School/College
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Vytas Danelius
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F
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6-7
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Indianapolis-Park Tudor (Ind.)
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Jamaal Levy
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F
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6-8
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Homestead-Berkshire (Fla.)
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Tayron Downey
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G
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6-1
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Fork Union Military Academy (Va.)
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