Advertisement
basketball Edit

Deacs edge out Catawba to close out non-conference play

After a 33-day layoff due to COVID issues, Wake Forest men’s basketball got back to work with a 70-62 win over Catawba on Thursday afternoon in Winston-Salem. The Deacs were originally supposed to play Syracuse, but the Orange had their own COVID issues, so Steve Forbes phoned up the local Salisbury-based program for a game to avoid a 37-day layoff before the Deacs ACC opener at Georgia Tech on Sunday.

“It has been a long time since we have played, and it looked like it. I knew it was going to be rough. I just didn’t know how it was going to unfold. It does not take much knowledge to understand we are not a good rebounding team and that was apparent today,” Forbes said. “Go get the ball, block-out, and get the ball.”

Carter Whitt dives for a loose ball on the court
Carter Whitt dives for a loose ball on the court (Walter Unks/ACC Media Services)

Daiven Williamson led the way with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals in 37 minutes for the Deacs.

“I’m hard on him and he had some moments, he was not as good defensively and he got driven to the basket and we got too extended. When we stayed in the gaps we took the ball from them, he made a couple of bad decisions in transitions, but he led us in rebounding, but for him, that tells you how scrappy of a kid he is. It is a free year for him. He comes back next year as a junior. He knows what he has to do to get better. He has to get stronger,” Forbes said of Williamson’s play.

Williamson hit four of his nine shot attempts and five of his seven free throw attempts.

“It was great to play in front of my family, haven’t played a game in front of them since March in the SoCon Championship game,” Williamson said. “We were out for four or five weeks, getting back in-game rhythm and shape was hard, I was just ready to do that. He was right, he is hard, but he is fair, I played well at times and sometimes I didn’t. I’ll bounce back next game.”

Heralded Wake Forest freshman Carter Whitt who is a mid-year early enrollee added 11 points and four assists in his colligate debut off the bench.

“I thought he was fabulous. He should be playing in the Bojangles or Chick-fil-A fast-food tournament and instead he is playing in the ACC. He had four or five practices, but he missed everything and he came out and played with great poise and he has great vision. He did exactly what I’ve seen him do,” Forbes said. “What I saw Carter do in practice, he did it in the game. We have some other guys who do their own thing when the lights come on. I have to get that figured out. We have to play the way we teach them to play. Carter shared the ball and finished some shots.”

When Ian DuBose was out indefinitely with an opt-out, that moved up the clock on Whitt. He came in on December 21st to join the team after a graduation party.

“He gets all this experience without losing eligibility. His teammates already like him and I like him too, he passes the ball when you are open and that is a great trait,” Forbes said. “Carter can score and he has great poise and he is 6’4” and he can see the floor and has great patience with his passing. A lot of guards I’ve coached pre-determine what they do, you saw some of that today, but the really good ones have an internal clock and the game slows down and they make the right play at the right time on time and on target. The will be growing pains and he will have to make quicker decisions and put more pace on his passes, but he will do it. He has confidence in himself and that is important.”

Whitt said the nerves were not what he expected until Thursday morning.

"I've been excited all week, I didn't think I would be nervous then this morning I was nervous, but when we got on the floor I felt fine," Whitt said. "The last two or three months it was up in the air if I would play or not. They wanted me to get in shape in case I was going to play. I've worked for it and just some things let up for me to come before Christmas to play and we all felt like it was the best decision to play."

Ody Oguama made his season debut with seven points off the bench and five rebounds.

Jacobi Neath had 10 points, four rebounds and three steals before fouling out late in the game in just 20 minutes of action. Isaiah Mucius added 11 points including five points from the free-throw line and seven rebounds for the Deacs.

Terrence Whitefield led the Indians with 16 points, but he was just five for 15 from the floor. Overall Catawba shot just 35.7-percent from the floor and hit just 5 of 19 three-point attempts.

Wake Forest turned the ball over 16 times compared to just 15 for Catawba and that will be a major concern once ACC play starts later this week.

“Ten of the 16 turnovers came from guys in the four and five for us and that is a big problem. These are the things I see in practice. In the game, the lights come on and some of it goes out the door for some of them and put our heads down and go into traffic. We got up big and then we relaxed and let them in. The book on us is to drive on our guards, get to the rim and get the rebound,” Forbes said.

Forbes said the long layoff made the team look different than he expected and he has some concerns ahead of Sunday's ACC opener at Georgia Tech.

“It is not even close to where we were coming off Longwood on November 26th. We were going to have a game against Troy on Tuesday or Wednesday and then more practice time, but we lost it all. No one is going to feel sorry for us. I’m disappointed with myself and not the kids. I’m mad at myself, I’ve got to a better job of getting practice into the game. Now is not the time to beat them down, but it is time to coach them and there is a fine line there,” Forbes said.

The Deacs travel to Atlanta for a 6 pm tip at McCamish Pavilion to open ACC play on Sunday. Wake is the only team that has not played an ACC game yet this season.

Advertisement