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2023-24 Wake Forest Basketball Season - 21-14 (11-9) - KP#29 / NET#43

PaddyWF said:
This is the best image I can find of the inside of the War Memorial Coliseum. It sort of looks like VT's Cassell Coliseum? I have not been to either in person. Honesty, looks better than LJVM. I like the cross-arches a lot.

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I tried Googling for pics earlier and it’s hard to do considering the replacement arena has the same name
 
Pilchard said:
OK, the following teams were ranked over the last two seasons, don't see how its made a material difference in their program:

  • VT
  • NW
  • AZ State
  • WV
  • Davidson
  • Boise State
  • Loyola (IL)
  • Murray State
  • Wyoming
  • Seton Hall
What matters is making the NCAAT. It would be nice for WF to pop into the top 25 at some point in the coming weeks, but if WF doesn't make the tournament, like the teams listed above, being ranked is at best a very temporary benefit. Also, 2014 SMU and 2004 Utah State were ranked in the final AP poll before the tournament was announced. So, even getting ranked in the final poll does not guarantee a bid.
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That being ranked doesn't matter seems like a pretty silly position to take. No one said it was the end-all, be-all or would materially impact the program in the future. But, being a known and recognized commodity as a "good" basketball team is a good thing, no? The first thing any college basketball fan looks at the beginning of every week is the rankings - who moved up, who moved down, who got in... etc. If we pop into the list we will automatically be back on people's minds as a basketball school - somewhere we haven't been for a long time.
 
scooter84 said:
That being ranked doesn't matter seems like a pretty silly position to take. No one said it was the end-all, be-all or would materially impact the program in the future. But, being a known and recognized commodity as a "good" basketball team is a good thing, no? The first thing any college basketball fan looks at the beginning of every week is the rankings - who moved up, who moved down, who got in... etc. If we pop into the list we will automatically be back on people's minds as a basketball school - somewhere we haven't been for a long time.
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Yeah. Ten years ago I might not have cared about being ranked but best believe I care about it now.
 
JuiceCrewAllStar said:
my parents were 80-84 at Wake and know they were going to GSO for games during that stretch at some point
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I was at Wake 82-86 and IIRC early season/non-conference games were played at Memorial at least the first season I was there. But all ACC games were at Gboro because I was one of the only girls on my freshman hall who had a car and I'd put many many people in it to go to games.
 

Wake Forest Basketball[edit] Winston -Salem War Memorial Coliseum​

Wake Forest moved its entire home basketball schedule to the Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem for the 1956-57 season, although the team did play two games in the facility one year earlier. The historic building was not popular with Deacon followers in its final years, but no one could argue with the success Wake Forest teams had here. The Demon Deacons won 250 games in Memorial Coliseum and lost only 94 for an impressive 72.7 winning percentage. The Coliseum, which has been leveled and replaced by a parking lot adjacent to LJVM Coliseum, had a capacity of 8,200.

Here are some notable games at the old Coliseum (Source: Wake Forest Media Guide):

  • February 12, 1962: Len Chappell scores a then school record 50 points against Virginia.
  • December 11, 1966: North Carolina State and Wake begin what becomes the longest game in ACC history after the lights at the Coliseum are blackened due to a transformer fire with 10:02 remaining in the first half. The two teams resumed the game on February 23 with State taking a 101–75 win.
  • February 15, 1969: Charlie Davis scores a school record 51 points in a game against American.
  • December 17, 1985: Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues ties a school record he set earlier in the month for the most steals in one game, 8, vs. Georgia Southern.

References​

 
DeacsATS said:
"The Mit Shah Mile" - A first of its kind moving walkway that connects the campus to LJVM.

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The monorail drawings I've seen are way better than that.
deacon14 said:
On this team, Damari isn't going to be shooting eight 3s a game like he did last year. Dude might break 50% on threes playing on this team if he just takes his four best looks per game.
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CONeill said:
But I just can't see him ripping 4-5 3s per game.
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Oh, after waiting half the season to get on the court, he's ripping 4-5 3s in the first two minutes and 8 in the first half... He "might" slow down after that.
 
wakegrrl said:
I was at Wake 82-86 and IIRC early season/non-conference games were played at Memorial at least the first season I was there. But all ACC games were at Gboro because I was one of the only girls on my freshman hall who had a car and I'd put many many people in it to go to games.
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Wasn't it a game against MD one of those years when there was a big snowstorm and one the hardy few of use braved the trip? Seems like they let everyone move down around the court?
I was there for that one, as well as the 4 OT game against NCSU.
 
scooter84 said:
Wasn't it a game against MD one of those years when there was a big snowstorm and one the hardy few of use braved the trip? Seems like they let everyone move down around the court?
I was there for that one, as well as the 4 OT game against NCSU.
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That was at the Greensboro Coliseum during the Staak years??? Crazy game.
 
Memorial Coliseum was a band box. The seats were close to the floor. The student seating went from midcourt and wrapped around one end zone. The nicer students sat along the sidelines. The more obnoxious, bellicose students sat behind the baskets where you could get nose to nose with the players, all the better to insult and annoy. You could feel the physical nature of the game. By halftime there was always a layer of smoke above the floor, just as the pictures show. Day games added the lighting of the sun through the windows and generally resulted in a louder crowd. The Coliseum was old enough that it seemed to vibrate when the decible levels made it hard to hear the person next to you. Everyone went to games, it was the best entertaiment available. I saw CD score 51 in front of a small crowd of 2500.

The game I remember best was against Carolina on a Saturday afternoon in February 1970. The Deacs had upset the #7 Heels in Chapel Hill a couple of weeks earlier 91-90 in a Charlie Scott-Charlie Davis shootout. Scott had 40+ points and Davis went for over 30. These were the two most dynamic scorers in the ACC and had every shot concievable in their arsenal. That game was televised so the State of North Carolina got the best show of the season up to that point. There had been a lot of bad blood in the first game and Dean Smith had put on a nonstop whine. So the stage was set for Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum. It would also be televised.

This was a game that everyone arrived early. It gave the Wake fans an opportunity to insult the Carolina players and staff during pregame shooting. Warm up for the game. By game time there was a SRO crowd and it was plenty warm inside despite a cold February day. The second best shootout I have ever attended. CD and Scott were making one unbelievable shot after another. The crowd was electric. When Dean made his attempt to gain control of the game in the second half, it seemed like every fan jumped out of their seat in protest. Insults were screamed I have never heard before or since. Then CD and Scott took it to a whole different level. Charlie finished with 41 and Scott was in the 30's. The Deacs prevaled at the end 88-85 and the roar of the crowd was probably heard on campus. Tobacco Road at its finest.
 
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I was there for the games BlackjackMc mentioned and agree with everything he said. I'll add that after warm-ups for the Feb, 1970 game one of our cheerleaders asked the crowd to ignore the Heels when they came back out, figuring it would un-nerve them as they were expecting boos. Everyone thought it was a great idea, but we couldn't control ourselves when the first Hole uniform was sighted. The eruption of boos was deafening.

After John Roche was voted ACC Player of the Year in 1970 over Charlie Scott, Scott stated that a black man would never win the award. That made CD's selection the next even sweeter.
 
Great place to watch a game. Remember Rod lighting it up many times, good memories. Definite home court advantage there- really did not like going to Gboro for games.. The floors did rock/vibrate behind the basket.
 
wakegrrl said:
I was at Wake 82-86 and IIRC early season/non-conference games were played at Memorial at least the first season I was there. But all ACC games were at Gboro because I was one of the only girls on my freshman hall who had a car and I'd put many many people in it to go to games.
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Me too!
 
Deaclaw said:
In the mid 1980s, Kenny Greene and Tom Hammonds went to war at the old Colosseum. That was the best game I’ve ever seen in person.
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Yes, even during the GSO Coliseum years it was the norm as I recall to at least have 1 ACC game in Winston....usually seemed to be Ga Tech or Maryland.
 
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