Enhanced expectations await Wake Forest

All five starters return for Deacons

So much is different around the Wake Forest men's basketball program now.

Guards Ish Smith and Jeff Teague have melded into an electrifying backcourt duo.

Forward James Johnson understands the grind of a full season.

There are three freshmen -- Al-Farouq Aminu, Tony Woods and Ty Walker -- who some have called the best recruiting class in the country.

Defense is once again a priority.

And there is coach Dino Gaudio, now in his second season, well along in the process of restructuring the Wake Forest program after an emotional year following the death of his friend Skip Prosser.

If last season was defined by uncertainty, this 21st-ranked Wake Forest team's season -- which begins Friday against N.C. Central -- is framed by enhanced expectations.

"When I go to the grocery store or when I go to the movies, everybody says the same thing -- they're looking for a big year from us," senior guard Harvey Hale said. "I say that's what I'm looking for, too."

The Deacons were a surprise last season when they went 17-13 against the backdrop of Prosser's sudden death. A late-season fade cost the Deacons a chance at the NCAA Tournament.

This season, the Deacons have back all five starters, a handful of key reserves and the three talented freshmen, the shortest of which is 6-foot-9 Aminu, from whom the most is expected.

No one is ready to confuse the Deacons with Duke or North Carolina just yet, but they're a force again.

"Our first goal is to win the ACC," said Smith, who missed the preseason recovering from a broken bone in his foot. "Our other goal is to get back to the NCAA Tournament and make some noise."

To do so, the Deacons will need to continue the defensive improvement they showed last season.

In Prosser's last season, the Deacons' were victimized by their inability to contain the opposition. They got beat up and down the floor and in half-court sets.

Gaudio reversed the trend last season, and the Deacons jumped from 141st to 58th in scoring defense.

There is still a need to improve transition and three-point defense this season, Gaudio said, but he is encouraged by the progress.

The Deacons will apply full-court pressure at times, Gaudio said, but the emphasis will be on half-court defense, which he expects to improve significantly.

"You are who you can guard," Gaudio said.

Ask Gaudio to list the critical areas for his team, and he quickly ticks off three items -- eliminating distractions, developing leadership and finding the proper chemistry.

In every area, Gaudio said, the program is headed in the right direction.

He likes the way Smith, the league's quickest point guard, and Teague have learned to play together. As a freshman, Teague wasn't afraid to be aggressive with the ball, and Smith helped spark a late-season surge by hitting winning shots against Virginia Tech and Miami.

Johnson, a 6-9 forward, was among the league's impact freshmen last year, though his production tailed off late in the season.

The arrival of Aminu, Walker and Woods has given the Deacons a jolt of new talent to help Johnson inside.

"This class is much ballyhooed but what we need to do is, one year later, evaluate where that class is," Gaudio said. "[Sophomores] James [Johnson], Jeff [Teague] and Gary [Clark] weren't in the top 30 classes, but a year later, they may be in the top five.

"This class is supposedly No. 1. Who knows, it may not be top 30? It remains to be seen."