Courtesy of Sports InformationSports Editor
Courtesy of Sports Information
Head Coach Dave Odom was last season's ACC Coach of the Year.
After winning an ACC Championship last season and earning a final ranking in the Associated Press poll of three, fans might think that the Demon Deacon men's basketball team had reached its full potential. With the extraordinary loss of Randolph Childress, '95, to the NBA, the Deacons have some big shoes to fill.
However, the expectations on the Demon Deacons this year are bigger. The preseason AP poll has the Deacons ranked No. 8 in the country. Why? Simply put, junior Tim Duncan. He is the player who is expected to take the Deacons to another ACC title; he is the player expected to lead the team farther in the NCAA Tournament than last year's Sweet 16 appearance. The Deacons finished at 26-6 overall, 12-4 in the ACC last year, and this record will be tough to repeat. The Deacons' out-of-conference schedule is much more demanding, with big road tests coming early in the season against Oklahoma State, Massachusetts and Florida plus home matchups with Utah and St. Louis.
Duncan, 6-10, has been named the preseason national player of the year by virtually every publication. He is also the consensus ACC Player of the Year pick. Last year, the All-American was the NABC's National Defensive Player of the Year, particularly due to his shot blocking abilities. He tallied 4.2 swats per game last year, as well as tallying 12.5 rebounds a game, which marked him fifth in the nation.
Offensively, Duncan shot 59.1 percent from the floor while averaging 16.8 points per game.
This year it is almost guaranteed that Duncan will be even more dominant. Besides a year of maturity and growth, Duncan will no longer have to deal with ACC big men such as Joe Smith and Rasheed Wallace. The only legitimate experienced center that Duncan will match up with is N.C. State's Todd Fuller.
"In the frontcourt, Duncan is a fixture," Head Coach Dave Odom said.
Odom also said that there are several facets of Duncan's game that he has improved, and he is bigger.
"If you think of Duncan compared to what he was a year ago today, he's a whole level better," Odom said. "He's a little bit better than he was at the end of the season. He's bigger. Since practice has started he's put on four pounds."
At the end of last year, Duncan weighed 226 pounds, and at the beginning of this year he weighed in at 238. Since then, Duncan has put on the four pounds and weighs 242.
While the phenomenal talent of Duncan is a given, the real success of the Demon Deacons this season will hinge on the supporting cast around him. While there is little doubt that Duncan will not be shut down by anyone in the nation, when he is double and even triple-teamed, the players around him will have to step up to put the ball in the basket.
Traditionally, Odom has run a defense-oriented team with a strong inside man and a strong outside man. Obviously, Duncan is the inside force, but with the loss of Childress, the gray area is who will fill the dominant outside role.
"We have developed a style of play over the last five or six years that I'm comfortable with, and I think our job right now is to try to find a player or players that can fit into that style at that position," Odom said. "If that particular approach doesn't work, then we're going to reverse it."
Nevertheless, Odom would rather not have to change his style of play to fit the players he has around him. He sees sophomore Tony Rutland filling the point guard position vacated by Childress.
"I'm very comfortable with Tony Rutland," Odom said. "I think he's got the inroad to that spot. It's his to lose. I think he's developing nicely."
The major weakness to Rutland's game at this point is his penchant for turnovers. This is something that can be corrected, though.
Also a part of the Deacon style of play, besides a strong point guard, is the three guard rotation.
"I like three guard rotations," Odom said. "Rutland certainly is going to be a part of that, (sophomore) Jerry Braswell eventually will be part of that, and (senior) Rusty LaRue eventually will be part of that."
However, with the recent revelation that Braswell is academically ineligible for the semester and possibly the entire year, and the fact that LaRue still has an obligation to the football team until after this Saturday, Odom will be forced to rely on several freshmen to step in at guard.
The likely starter in place of Braswell will be freshman Joseph Amonett. His offensive skills will be his asset. The other freshman contributor in the backcourt will be Armond Wilson, who is a pure point guard.
LaRue is the only senior on the squad since the retirement of Barry Canty. His three-point bombs and leadership will be relyed on more heavily this season with such a youthful backcourt. Although he saw most of his action as a sixth man last season, he will be expected to play more this year. Odom would like to see LaRue spend more time at the guard position, instead of wing forward.
"I'd like for him to spend 75 percent of his time in the backcourt this year (instead of behind junior Ricky Peral at small forward)," Odom said. "That's his natural position. He earned that."
Do not be surprised if LaRue makes a quick transition to basketball from football. LaRue's dedication and hard work are no surprise to Odom.
"In an era when college athletes are saying, `There's too much pressure on me,' and they're looking for less to do, He (LaRue) is always looking around to see if he can do more," Odom said.
At small forward, Peral, 6-10, will be looked at to step up his game. A player with outside shooting prowess and solid defensive skills, Peral will outmatch most opposing players simply because of his size advantage.
"Peral is a fixture," Odom said. "He'll be better. He's more comfortable. I want him to rebound a little bit better. He doesn't think rebound, and that bothers me."
At power forward, things begin to get a little fuzzier. The spot vacated by Scooter Banks will most likely be filled by junior Sean Allen.
Allen, 6-8, is a junior college transfer who was redshirted last season after a bout with mononucleosis. "Sean Allen is a terrific defender, a very good rebounder and a good ball handler. He doesn't score a lot." Odom said. "On the other hand you've got (sophomore) Antonio Jackson, who thinks the way into any lineup is through a shot."
Jackson, 6-8, saw limited action last season but has the offensive skills to do the job. However, he will probably see action in a reserve role for now, because his defense needs to be improved. Other players who will see reserve action are sophomore swingman Steven Goolsby, who will back up Peral, and highly-touted freshman William Stringfellow. Freshman Rodney West will most likely be red-shirted this season.
As usual, Odom expects that his team will be one of balance. He has his strong inside player in Duncan, but the dominant outside player is yet to be determined.
"We're hoping that guys like Rutland, LaRue, Goolsby and Braswell can shoot the ball well enough to give us that balance," Odom said. "We hope that Peral can do it inside and outside."
Most importantly for the Deacons, though, is not to look back at last season. Odom said, "I talked to our team the first day of practice, and I said, `The first step in replacing Randolph is not to talk about it.' We're not going to continue to refer back. We're going to look forward."
The future does look bright for the Deacons. A repeat conference title is
certainly a possibility. An NCAA Tournament berth is expected. They will go
farther than the Sweet 16 if that balance can be achieved.
Courtesy of Sports Information
The 1995-96 Demon Deacons