There were many impressive performances involving Wake Forest basketball this past season, like the Demon Deacons' 27 overall wins (the most single-season wins in school history) and Wake rising to No. 1 in the national polls for the first time in school history on Nov. 22.

Just as impressive was the fan support behind the Demon Deacons. Wake attracted 209, 321 fans to Lawrence Joel Coliseum. The average home attendance of 13,083 marked the third-highest average in school history, second only to Tim Duncan's senior year of 1997 (13,710) and last season (13,197). The 2004-05 total home attendance of 209,321 was a school record.

The attendance numbers are especially impressive given the small enrollment of Wake with an undergraduate enrollment of 4,037 (6,444 including graduate students). Wake Forest averaged a crowd that is 324 percent of its student body.

"We hadn't faced a crowd like this all season," said North Carolina's Rashad McCants after the Deacons beat the future National Champions 95-82 on Jan. 15. "Some people don't think a crowd can affect anybody's game but when people are rowdy and jumping around it's hard to focus."

That is exactly what Chris Cagle and the Wake student fan club of the Screamin' Deacons hope to do at the Joel. The Screamin' Demon organization is a student run group and the leadership/committees are elected, according to the group's Web site at www.wfuscreamindemons.com.

This year the club had 2,210 people according to Cagle, or about 50 percent of the undergraduate population. They drew national recognition from publications and television shows, including a mention by ESPN's Dick Vitale. Members of the group sign a contract agreeing to attend games and can easily be seen in the now famous black-and-gold tie-dye shirts.

"We try to provide support and make Wake Forest a tough place for opposing teams to play," said Cagle, the Deacon Club Chair. "Students have really responded. The sports marketing department at the school has helped and Coach (Skip) Prosser has been very involved in helping us."

Prosser had ideas like moving the students to behind the opposing team's basket for the second half. Prosser gave the Most Valuable Player Award to the Screamin' Demons at the team's banquet. A half-dozen members of the Screamin' Demons were on hand to accept the award and received a standing ovation from the Deacon players.

"The atmosphere in the Joel Coliseum is like none other," guard Chris Paul said recently while announcing his intent to declare for the NBA Draft. "We have the greatest fans in the country. Which brings me to the Wake Forest fans and the Screamin' Demons. Our fans are the best in college basketball, I will miss them as well, and I appreciate everything they have done for me."

Cagle, who grew up a Wake fan and said he has missed only 10 home games since 1992, said the group is ready for next season. Paul may be gone and the team will have a new look, but the spirit of the Screamin' Demons is still strong.

"People are really excited about next year," Cagle said. "Chris Paul leaving is a little disappointing. Everyone realizes basketball will continue. We have a lot of great players. I'm looking forward to next year to see how the team improves and who steps up."