A Wake Forest basketball team hurting for depth, size and experience will get a healthy infusion of all three Sunday when it plays UNC Wilmington at the Greensboro Coliseum.
At long last, Nikita Mescheriakov will be able to play.
Mescheriakov is a 6-8, 215-pound junior forward who transferred from Georgetown at the end of the 2009 fall semester. After sitting out two semesters in accordance with NCAA rules, Mescheriakov will not have to sit much longer. The Deacons will return from a break for exams to play the Seahawks at 2 p.m.
Coach Jeff Bzdelik said he plans to work Mescheriakov right into the substation rotation.
“He will make an immediate contribution, and we are really looking forward to him being on the court,” Bzdelik said.
Mescheriakov, a native of Minsk, Belarus, has been practicing with the Deacons since late December 2009 and has been watching a lot of games from the bench.
“I’m really tired of it,” he said of his role as a spectator. “I’m ready to get the suit off.
“It’s much more exciting to be in a uniform and be out there playing for this team instead of sitting on the bench and watching the game from the side.”
Mescheriakov played mostly as a wing at Georgetown, where he started eight games but averaged only 13.9 minutes and 2.7 points as a sophomore. The Deacons are well stocked with guards and wing forwards, but are in dire need of big players strong enough to play inside.
And to Bzdelik, Mescheriakov will fill the bill at power forward.
“He will be a welcome addition,” Bzdelik said. “He brings experience, toughness, a great ability to shoot the basketball.
“It helps us at a position that we need help in, and that’s power forward. He gives us an experienced, mobile (power forward) who can really shoot the ball.”
During the spring semester of last season, Mescheriakov and center Ty Walker participated in a weight-training regimen that required them to lift weights four days a week, apart from the rest of the team. Mescheriakov said it made him better equipped to handle the physical rigors of playing in the lane.
“I didn’t get much bigger, but I got much stronger in the weight room,” Mescheriakov said. “All of my weights have gone up.
“I’m pretty comfortable with this position. I’m more comfortable defending big guys because they’re a little bit slower, and I have an advantage.”
Freshman forward Melvin Tabb has missed the past four games while concentrating on his academic progress. Bzdelik said that Tabb’s final exam of the semester was yesterday and that he will meet with Tabb to determine how much progress has been made.
Only then will he decide whether to reinstate him.
Tabb averaged 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds against Hampton, VCU and Stetson.
dcollins@wsjournal.com
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