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Going Over That Hump
Deacons' women will rely on an experienced backcourt
Alex Tchangoue averaged 11.4 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.
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Published: November 14, 2008
The many losses that Mike Petersen has experienced in four seasons as the women's basketball coach at Wake Forest do not include his sense of humor.
"The two geographic figures I have come to dislike the most are the hump and the corner," Petersen said. "You've got to get over the hump, and you've got to get around the corner.
"Humps and corners. I've decided I don't like humps or corners.
"But that's part of it."
Petersen's record at Wake Forest is 54-66. Against ACC competition, it's 8-48. The fact that the two coaches who preceded him went 12 seasons without a winning record has provided no comfort for Petersen.
But the progress he has seen since he recruited this year's two seniors, Corrine Groves and Alex Tchangoue, has.
"I think we were in a position to turn the corner a year ago before our injuries," Petersen said. "And I think we're in a position to turn the corner now.
"But the thing is, in this profession, the corner moves. And that's a good thing. You make your own problems, and we need to make or own problems."
The Deacons were 12-2 last year rolling into January and had wins over Indiana and Texas A&M on neutral courts, over UNC Charlotte at home and over Northwestern on the road.
But that was about the point that the Deacons lost their point guards. Tiffany Roulhac, who had nine assists against Northwestern and six against Indiana and UNCC, suffered a concussion that limited her availability against ACC opponents Maryland, Virginia and Georgia Tech. She suffered another concussion Jan. 17 at Florida State and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
Her first replacement, wing guard Camille Carter, suffered a season-ending stress fracture four games later against North Carolina.
That forced Tchangoue to the point for the final seven games, and the Deacons won only two of those.
Roulhac, a 5-6 junior from Fayetteville, has recovered. She will be supported by Brooke Thomas, a 5-4 freshman from Orlando, Fla.
"She was not only playing point guard, she was playing it very well," Petersen said of Roulhac. "She also is a very good defender, and she also dictates our pace."
Roulhac's return allows Carter to move back to her natural position on the wing.
The Deacons' most imposing defensive presence last year, 6-4 Mekia Valentine, transferred to California-Santa Barbara. Valentine had 44 of Wake Forest's 93 blocked shots last season.
"We're going to be much more of a full-court defense," Petersen. "A year ago, we were a very good half-court defense. When we beat the good teams that we beat, we beat them with our defense.
"This year's team will be able to extend up floor and put a little more pressure on teams."
The nucleus will be Groves, a 6-3 senior forward from Black Mountain, and Tchangoue, a 5-11 senior guard from Orleans, France, and Forsyth Country Day. Groves led the Deacons last season with 11.5 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. Tchangoue averaged 11.4 points and 6.8 rebounds.
As much as Petersen would love to turn the corner or get over the hump for himself and the fan base, he wants it even more for Groves and Tchangoue.
"At the end of the day, for me anyway, you want to have team success so that your players are rewarded," Petersen. "And if this team is able to finish what last year's team started, it would be fitting that they would be rewarded with some team success that has eluded them at this point."
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