Deacs to put big team on court tonight

By: By Dan Collins | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: November 05, 2009

Wake Forest will be looking for a big start to a big season with a big lineup in tonight's exhibition against Indiana, Pa., at 7:30 at Joel Coliseum.

Coach Dino Gaudio said yesterday that he will probably start Ish Smith and L.D. Williams in the backcourt, Al-Farouq Aminu at wing forward and David Weaver and Tony Woods in the post against the Crimson Hawks of the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference.

Chas McFarland, a 7-0 center who started 29 games last season, missed three practices recently while recovering from a concussion. He is available and will play tonight.

Gaudio said that a strength of the team should be its front-court depth and size with McFarland, 6-9 Aminu, 6-11 Weaver, 6-11 Woods and 7-0 Ty Walker.

"That's why we're starting the way we're starting, because we're really big," Gaudio said. "And we're not just playing guys because they're big guys.

"I really think our best six or seven guys are when one of the other big guys (besides Aminu and a center) is in there."

Gaudio suggested that he will use a flexible starting lineup this season. Ari Stewart, a 6-7 freshman from Marietta, Ga., is a strong candidate to start at wing forward and bump Aminu to power forward.

"It changes," Gaudio said. "Last year when we played Duke, and they're real perimeter oriented, then we play small. And when we play Carolina and they've got Deon (Thompson) and Eddie (Davis) and (Tyler) Zeller, then we'll play bigger.

"But I'd like to start out this way on Nov. 5 because I think those bigs are one of our strengths."

Another freshman who will get a long look tonight is C.J. Harris, a 6-2 combination guard from Mount Tabor High School.

"What we'll try to do is put C.J. in early and I'll put him in at (wing guard) so he can play with Ish for a few minutes," Gaudio said. "Then when he goes to point guard, his feet are a little bit wet."

Indiana lost an exhibition to Maryland 75-54 on Tuesday night, but was aggressive enough to outrebound the Terps 36-35 on the strength of 17 offensive rebounds. Julian Sanders, a 6-3 sophomore guard, led IUP with 14 points, Thomas Young, a 6-3 senior guard, scored 13, and Akida McLain, a 6-9 senior forward who began his career at Boston College, scored 12.

dcollins@wsjournal.com.

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