Defending The Wake Forest Storm
January 12th, 2009 at 2:38 pmBy Chris
Wake Forest basketball turned a lot of heads this weekend when they beat North Carolina, sending the Heels to a surprising 0-2 start. Besides the incredible play of Jeff Teague (34 huge points in the win), the intelligence of Hansbrough, and the losing “streak,” most of the post-game conversation focused on the fact the Wake fan stormed the floor after beating the Heels and whether or not it was appropriate behavior for a “big time” program from a big time conference.
The general consensus was no, Wake Forest should not have stormed the floor because of the big school status, their number four ranking, the conference they play, etc, etc.
Unfortunately, some of these arguments seem like they are missing the bigger picture:
In the past three seasons, the Demon Deacons have a 49-46 record overall, including an 0-4 against the University of North Carolina. So it’s been a little while since Wake Forest has beaten the Tar Heels, taking some of the blame away from the students. Hell, it may have been the first time a lot of those student fans have ever seen the Tar Heels get beaten by Wake.
When you consider the incredible amount of press North Carolina has received all season, it’s easy to see why the Deacon fans were so excited–especially the students. When you add the fact it was a close, hard-fought game, it’s easy to see why the level of excitement increased until it overflowed onto the court as the defeated Tar Heels were walking off the floor.
I’m guessing some of the critiques want these schools to act like they’ve been there before, but that’s the problem:
Wake’s been in a limbo-style rebuilding mode since the death of Skip Prosser, making the win an even bigger deal–again, especially for Wake Forest fans. With all of that in mind, I, for one (apparently), am willing to give the Demon Deacons a pass for their lack of court-storming etiquette. Now, if we were talking about the Randolph Childress/Tim Duncan days, then yes, the point would be completely valid.
As it stands, let the rebuilders, regardless of their current rank, enjoy a big win from time to time. If that means a storming of the floor is included in the celebration, so be it.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Traitor. I believe we clearly stated that differences of opinion will not be countenanced. Guillermo will be paying you a visit.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Now, now. We don’t need to resort to drastic measures. I recant!!! I recant!!!
January 13th, 2009 at 12:09 am
“As it stands, let the rebuilders, regardless of their current rank, enjoy a big win from time to time. If that means a storming of the floor is included in the celebration, so be it.”
These are some of the worst justifications I’ve seen. They were over .500 the last three years, not stuck in the cellar of the ACC. This isn’t the huge program turnaround you’re making it out to be.
“Wake’s been in a limbo-style rebuilding mode since the death of Skip Prosser, making the win an even bigger deal–again, especially for Wake Forest fans.”
Except didn’t they storm the court last year after they beat Duke at home? Wasn’t that the game that the media proclaimed represented Wake’s emotional catharsis after Prosser’s death?
Will Wake storm the court again if they beat Duke in a couple weeks? What if they are higher ranked? What about Clemson – they’re pretty good too? Why doesn’t Wake just storm the court after every ACC win, just because these poor students need to celebrate that their program is finally good again? It’s an insult to the years (not so long ago) when they were good and acted like it.
January 13th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Kirk:
I noticed you challenged every point I made, except for the obvious one: the students. How many times have the Wake Forest students–you know, the folks who actually rush the floor–seen a good Wake Forest team in the ACC? Seeing how their record during these same season in the ACC was a sterling 15-33, and yet, you try to excuse their record, saying they weren’t in the bottom of the ACC cellar.
I’m sorry, but if 15-33 over 3 seasons isn’t bad enough to be at the bottom of the league, your league is even weaker than advertised.
Finally, you bring up the Duke victory, like a team with a .500 record beating an average Duke team is somehow more significant than a win for team who finally looks legitimate again after beating the standard bearer for their conference. If you can’t see a difference between that and a bad ACC team beating an average Duke team, regardless of what Dick Vitale and Mike Patrick might have told you, I’m not sure what else to say.
This team hasn’t been good for a while. Let the students enjoy the big win and the fact their program is back on the college basketball map, somewhere they haven’t been since CP3 left for the NBA.