Q&A WITH DEACON FOOTBALL COACH DAVE CLAWSON
Ariel Stephenson off to a fast start for WFU women
FRESHMEN
IN FOCUS Point guard Bryant Crawford makes early splash as playmaker for Deacon men
JANUARY 2016
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CONTENTS
Gold Rush is published eight times a year in August/ September, October, November/ December, January, February/ March, April, May/June and July by IMG College in conjunction with Wake Forest Athletics. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, NC 27102 and at additional mailing offices. The price of an annual subscription is $20. Members of the Deacon Club receive a one-year subscription as part of their membership. Persons wishing to subscribe to Gold Rush should send a check or money order (credit cards not accepted) to: IMG College 540 N. Trade St. Winston-Salem, NC 27101 All material produced in this publication is the property of Wake Forest University and IMG and shall not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. POSTMASTER: Please send all address changes to the attention of Stephanie Hudson, Wake Forest Athletics, 519 Deacon Blvd. Winston-Salem, NC 27105. The appearance of advertising in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser and/or the advertiser’s product or service by Wake Forest or IMG. The use of the name of the University or any of its identifying marks in advertisements must be approved by WFU and IMG.
// J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6
SOCCER TEAM¹S NCAA RUN ENDS IN ELITE EIGHT: The top-seeded Wake Forest men’s soccer team fell one victory short of making it to the College Cup after losing to Stanford on Dec. 5 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship. The Deacons had beaten Charlotte and Indiana in the first two rounds of the tournament. WFU finished the 2015 campaign with a record of 17-3-2, posting the most wins in a season since the 2009 campaign.
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// 6 IMMEDIATE IMPACT Freshman point guard Bryant Crawford has stepped in and played a key role in Wake Forest’s 6-2 start.
// 12 MULTIPLE THREAT Although Ariel Stephenson leads Wake Forest in scoring, she has also shown an ability to pass and play defense as a freshman.
// 16 Q&A WITH DAVE CLAWSON Deacon head coach notes improvement for his young team despite no change in the record from last year.
ON THE COVER Freshman Bryant Crawford has averaged 12.9 points per game and leads the WFU men¹s team with 34 assists through eight games, (Photo by Donnie Roberts); Ariel Stephenson has paced the Deacon women¹s team in scoring through eight games with an average of 13.1 points per game. JANUARY 2016
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FROM THE A.D.
// R O N W E L L M A N
WFU places three teams in nation’s top 5 in the fall Dear Demon Deacons, As we enter the holiday season, we have much for which to be thankful personally and about our program. This fall has produced good competitive results with every reason to anticipate similar results this winter and spring. Wake Forest was one of three schools in the country (along with Stanford and Southern Cal) with three teams ranked in the top five nationally. Men’s soccer was ranked No. 1, field hockey was ranked No. 5 prior to the tournament. and men’s golf was ranked No. 2. The men’s soccer team lost a heartbreaker against Stanford in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and just missed out on advancing to the College Cup.
RON WELLMAN DIRECTOR O F AT H L E T I C S
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Although the football team won the same number of games as last year, there was noticeable improvement. Practically every statistical category improved this year, and our team was much more competitive. With the youngest team in the country, there is every reason to anticipate the future enthusiastically. Next year should produce more wins and another step in our climb back to the top of the ACC. The Athletic Department portion of the Wake Will Campaign is going exceptionally well. We have raised more than $146 million and are making steady progress on the matching gift from Bob McCreary and Ben Sutton for the Sports Performance Center. That matching gift opportunity closes in March. To start construction this summer, which is really important for football and all of our programs, we need to succeed in raising the remaining $9 million to qualify for Bob and Ben’s matching gifts. If you haven’t pledged (all pledges do qualify for the matching gift), I encourage you to consider helping us make this critical project a reality.
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When McCreary Field House, which is the indoor practice facility, and the Sports Performance Center, which will be our strength and conditioning center as well as football and basketball offices, are completed, we will have some of the best facilities not only in the ACC but in any conference. In fact, someone who is very familiar with all college athletic facilities stated that our facilities will be one of the top three overall in the ACC and SEC. If not for your generosity, this would not be possible. Everyone in our department is extremely appreciative of your willingness to support our program and give our coaches and athletes the opportunity to compete for the very best recruits for Wake Forest as well as compete for ACC Championships and national honors. It is no coincidence that the three highly ranked programs that I mentioned earlier (men’s golf and soccer and field hockey) all have outstanding facilities. There is a high correlation in the quality of facilities and the competitiveness of that particular program. We are determined to support our coaches and athletes with the very best facilities. The results of that support will be enjoyed by all Demon Deacons. May you and your family enjoy this special time of the year…and may 2016 be a fabulous year for you and the Demon Deacons!
Go Deacs! Ron Wellman
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LEARNING
ON THE FLY FRESHMAN POINT GUARD BRYANT CRAWFORD MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT
By Sam Walker
I
n just eight games, Wake Forest freshman point guard Bryant Crawford has played more minutes than he probably ever anticipated. As a highly regarded prospect coming out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. and with Wake Forest’s roster needs, there wasn’t a question of whether he would play, but more a matter of how much.
Circumstances brought Crawford immediate minutes and opportunities that can be both exciting and daunting. However, in the early going, Crawford has proven to be a talented guard and contributor leading a tougher and resilient team.
The Deacons entered the 2015-16 season with senior guard Codi Miller-McIntyre rehabilitating a fractured foot, and sophomores Cornelius Hudson and Rondale Watson being suspended for the first five games. Point guard duties fell squarely onto the shoulders of Crawford and sophomore Mitchell Wilbekin. From a player perspective, there were lots of minutes for an eager freshman wanting to play but also the pressure to perform. From a coach’s perspective, there’s the uncertainty of handing playmaking duties to a freshman. Crawford was one of three top-100 recruits in this year’s freshman class and was ranked by Scout as the No. 10 point guard in the class. He was named the 2014-15 District of Columbia Gatorade Player of the Year and was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and Scout. All the accolades on the resume are great, but they have never been truly reliable indicators of just how well or how fast a freshman will adjust to college basketball played at the highest level. But Crawford handled Wake Forest’s season-opening situations admirably. He has made his share
of mistakes but has also shown signs of being the playmaker the Deacons will need to take the program forward. “We put a lot on his plate, there’s no doubt about that, but that’s part of the reason we got him,” Deacon coach Danny Manning said. “He’s a freshman, so he’s going to do some really good things, and he’s going to do some JANUARY 2016
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MEN’S BASKETBALL things that he needs to learn from. Against Richmond, he needed to learn from the seven turnovers and making sure we did a better job of taking care of the ball. But he’s a competitor and a fighter, and he’s only going to get better. We still know he’s a freshman, but we’re going to continue to expect a lot of him and coach him and try to make him better.” Crawford immediately helped Wake Forest win. He hit two free throws to put the Deacons up 77-71 with under a minute to play in a hard-fought victory over UMBC in the season opener. Crawford finished the game with nine points and two assists in 32 minutes, but he also had to leave the court during the game after cutting his finger so badly it required stitches and a protective guard. In the first road test at Bucknell, he led the Deacons with 21 points and seven assists. In a tough 91-82 loss at home against Richmond, Bryant tried to help the Deacons rally late with a deep three-pointer that cut the deficit to two with 3:08 remaining and led the team with another 21- point outing. In the Maui Jim Maui Invitational Tournament, Crawford hit two baskets in the final 24 seconds to lift the Deacons to an 82-78 victory over the 13th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers. His driving basket with three seconds left gave the Deacons a one-point lead, and fellow freshman John Collins hit two free throws with a second left to seal the win. In the Deacons’ second game of the tournament against 19th-ranked Vanderbilt, Crawford again led the team with 15 points and five assists, but the Deacons lost 86-64. Crawford did not play in Wake Forest’s 80-77 win over UCLA in the tournament’s third-place game after contracting the flu, but by then he had established himself as a developing and talented guard against some tough competition. Crawford found his niche against a physical and pressuring Arkansas team with nine assists against seven turnovers in the team’s return home to the Joel. His mistakes have been aggressive, but he has been committed and decisive learning on the fly. “I feel like every game for me is a learning experience,” Crawford said. “With this being my first year, I have to learn to be consistent, not committing turnovers and at the same time being effective in the game. They want me to stay in attack mode, and they trust me with the ball, so right now sometimes I make the right play and sometimes I don’t. I have to work on passing the ball and working on my mistakes.” Hudson, only in his second year in the program, said that he and his teammates believe in the first-year player. “If it’s turnovers, Coach isn’t going to take him out because he does great things on
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and off the court,” Hudson said. “He’s smooth enough to get to the rack or shoot a pull-up jump shot. Bryant’s confident like that. Coach Manning puts us out there to make plays and puts us in those positions, so that’s why we’re a tougher team.” Crawford was intrigued by the possibilities Manning has brought to Wake Forest, and the chance to play in the ACC was attractive. “On my visit, the coaches were really welcoming and I liked that plus I watched how he (Manning) turned around the program at Tulsa, and I felt like I wanted to be part of doing that here,” he said. “That, and being part of ACC basketball were my reasons for coming here. I mean, Coach Manning is one of the greatest of all time, so
BRYANT CRAWFORD HOMETOWN: Silver Spring, Md. YEAR: Freshman POSITION: Guard MAJOR: Undeclared Chose Wake Forest after receiving offers from SMU, Georgetown, Memphis, Marquette, Indiana, N.C. State and Tenessee TOP ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS: 2014-2015 District of Columbia Gatorade Player of the Year: Ranked as a four-star recruit by Rivals, ESPN and Scout and one of the top point guards in the country in the 2015 recruiting class; Participated in the NBPA Top-100 camp, the LeBron James, Kyrie Irving skills academies and the Under Armour Elite 24 game in Brooklyn
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he has the knowledge I can learn from. So we just have to listen to him and allow him to coach us.” When the Deacons get their complete roster intact, Crawford’s minutes may or may not decline as the team develops chemistry. Either way, Wake Forest has learned he is one player who embraces the big moments, isn’t afraid to take a big shot or create opportunities for others. All those attributes are hallmarks of the kind of team Manning wants at Wake Forest. Wilbekin who has spent plenty of time in the backcourt with Crawford, said the freshman has met the challenge in his rookie year. “He’s had to step up for us, and I think he’s been doing well,” Wilbekin said. “He’s going to have lapses and make mistakes. We all make mistakes, but we have to depend on the upper classmen to keep his head in the right place and let him know when he’s doing something good and know when he shouldn’t be doing something. I’m proud of the way he’s played so far. He’s a confident player, and he knows what he can do, and he does it well. That’s what you need in a point guard – someone who can go out there and make plays.”
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QUICK START FRESHMAN ARIEL STEPHENSON LEADS WFU IN SCORING IN EARLY GOING By Jay Reddick
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riel Stephenson has always been good at attracting attention.
As a high-school basketball standout in Prince George, Va., she grew used to college coaches visiting her games, visiting her classes and even watching her eat lunch.
On the court, her skills as a slasher and outside shooter are intended to draw the focus of opponents and help drive the Deacons’ offense. Even so, the guard said one of her biggest surprises of her freshman year at Wake Forest has been the notice she has gotten from opposing benches. “After my first game, I started to see other teams had scouting reports about me,”
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Stephenson said. “It happened in high school, but not like this – it’s funny to realize they tell everything about my game.” The 5-foot-10 freshman has been worth all the fuss in the opening weeks of the 2015-16 season – she scored 21 points in her Wake Forest debut and was tops on the team in scoring through the first seven games. Deacons coach Jen Hoover said she was thrilled with Stephenson’s output in the early going, as well as her poise. “She’s a sponge,” Hoover said. “She’s somebody who talks non-stop on the court and I love that. One thing I always harp on is, be a communicator, call for help, call out screens, make your teammates better. She does that probably better than anyone.” Stephenson fits perfectly into one of Hoover’s biggest offensive goals for the season: making up for the loss of All-ACC post player Dearica Hamby by staying active, driving to the basket from the wings and finding shooters when they’re open.
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ARIEL STEPHENSON
“I’m always in attack mode,” Stephenson said. “A lot of times, that means slashing and getting my own shot, or getting my teammates involved. It really depends from game to game, but I always want to help the team any way I can.”
CLASS: Freshman POSITION: Guard INTENDED MAJOR: Health and Exercise Science
Stephenson’s enrollment at Wake Forest was the fulfillment of a dream, not only for Ariel but for her parents, Juan and Adriene.
CAREER PLANS: “Hopefully a physical therapist.” FAVORITE BASKETBALL MOMENT: Winning the conference title in her junior year at Prince George High. “That had to be the most rewarding moment. No one thought we could do it, but we played as a team and overcame adversity.”
Juan Stephenson kindled his daughter’s love affair with basketball, giving her a LeBron James jersey in first grade and practicing with her as she attended her first basketball camp three years later. Juan passed away in 2011, just before Ariel’s freshman year at Prince George High, and she said she still thinks of him daily. “He had always dreamed of college for me,” Ariel said. “He saw things in me I didn’t know I had, so when he passed right before my first varsity season, it drove me to do better.”
FAVORITE FOOD: Her mom’s spaghetti FAVORITE BOOK: “Toughness,” by Jay Bilas FAVORITE SPORTS MOVIE: “Coach Carter”
Juan Stephenson was a beloved referee and basketball stalwart in the county – so much so that the high school’s holiday tournament is still named in his honor.
national prospect, she earned a reputation as an offensive juggernaut at Prince George, becoming the top scorer (boys or girls) in school history. She was good enough to get offers from several high-level programs but committed to Wake Forest just before her junior year.
Expectations were high for Stephenson coming to Winston-Salem. As a top-50
“Recruiting was a little hectic,” Stephenson admitted, “especially during my sophomore
FAVORITE ATHLETES TO WATCH: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ANY ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? “My dad. I know he would have given me so much honest feedback over the past four years, and I miss that.”
year. I came to Wake Forest twice. The first time, I didn’t know a whole lot about it, but being here and meeting the people really
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opened my mind up to the possibilities. By the second time, I knew this was the place for me, where I belonged. “Committing felt really good. It let me just worry about basketball instead of all the other stuff.” Stephenson would go on to average 27 points per game in her junior season, leading her team to an undefeated regular season and a conference championship that she still calls her proudest moment as a ballplayer. “We watched her play a lot in AAU ball and high school,” Hoover said. “She would score in the 20s and 30s one game, and in another she might get only 10 points, but would get nine assists. I wish all of our perimeter players had her ability to take her defender off the dribble, finish or dish. The lane is not quite as clogged in our offense now, and it’s made a huge difference.” Hoover said that Stephenson’s biggest challenge, as with many of her teammates, is defense. She has drawn the assignment of guarding the other team’s top wing player several times in the first few games, and her size and athleticism have helped her succeed. “We’re athletic enough to throw some different looks at people, and she really helps us with that,” Hoover said. “She likes challenges, and she’s been working hard at it, but we all need to get better.” Stephenson added: “When I saw in our first game (a Nov. 13 victory over LSU) that I was guarding their top guard, it’s like Coach told me – ‘Welcome to college basketball.’ And that’s exactly what it was.” Stephenson’s potential as a multiple threat calls to mind that James jersey she received as a youngster, but lately she has identified with a more seasoned superstar. “As I’ve grown and watched Kobe Bryant more, I really like his mentality,” Stephenson said. “He never stops attacking, never stops moving forward. That’s how I want to be.” A young player who thinks like a veteran? Sounds like just what the Deacons need. JANUARY 2016
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// Q & A W I T H D AV E C L AW S O N
GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE
Q&A WITH
DAVE CLAWSON ‘THERE’S NO DOUBT WE WERE AN IMPROVED FOOTBALL TEAM’
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cursory glance at Wake Forest football in 2015 shows a 3-9 record, the same as 2014. But anyone who has watched the Deacons play in the last two seasons can see the development throughout the program. This year’s Deacons got two victories on the road – the first time that has happened since 2011. Both of those wins also came on the game’s final play – a closing field goal at Army and a goal-line stand at Boston College.
The young Deacs responded to coach Dave Clawson in his second year in Winston-Salem, with the promise of even better times ahead. Clawson hit the recruiting trail the day after the regular season ended, but he took time to talk to Gold Rush’s Jay Reddick. Gold Rush: What is your mindset coming out of the season? Is it optimism, hope, disappointment? Clawson: I think it’s a mixture. There’s no doubt we were an improved football team. Every statistical measure improved. We were good again on defense. We’ve got some really exciting young players in the program. But I’m disappointed that didn’t show up in our record. I’m very hopeful and optimistic about what we have coming back. We were the youngest team in America – our two-deep was younger than anybody. We’re adding 14 guys who redshirted, and we had very few seniors. We’re excited for next year already, and we feel we have a chance to make a big step.
Gold Rush: If you look at the season results game-by-game, the record had chances to be better than it was. Clawson: It did. Five games were one-score games in the fourth quarter. If you break down the season, we had the lead at Syracuse; we had the ball at the end against Indiana with a chance to tie; same thing against Florida State; we had the lead at halftime against Louisville; we had a chance late against Duke. JANUARY 2016
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Three games got away from us, and two others we battled back and made it competitive. Right now (at the end of the regular season), four of our losses are to four of the top 10 teams in the country. We made strides, we improved. Two of our games we won on our last play, but I’m disappointed we couldn’t find a way to win a couple more. Sometimes we beat ourselves with turnovers. Gold Rush: Did you feel good about the way the players continued to adjust to your system in your second season at Wake Forest? Clawson: The system’s been established, and it’s certainly getting stronger. We’re getting a lot of cultural buy-in from the players. A lot of very good young players learned the hard way what it takes to win, and hopefully those lessons will pay off next year. Gold Rush: The number of redshirts also has to help, with more mature guys to carry it through. Clawson: We always like to redshirt half or two-thirds of the class. It lets players learn without learning on the job, and a guy can help us a lot more when he’s ready.
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Gold Rush: The team ended up with three All-ACC selections, one from each position group (linebacker Brandon Chubb, punter Alex Kinal and tight end Cam Serigne). What do those honors mean to you? Clawson: Brandon Chubb had an incredible year for us, and I would have been really disappointed if he didn’t make first team. He deserved that honor – and I really believe Alex Kinal did, too. The stat we focus on is net punt, and his net punt numbers were incredible. Number one in the conference and one of the best in America. Cam Serigne was a great contributor to our passing game, and we’re really glad he gets to continue on beyond this year. Gold Rush: The senior class was small but mighty, with nine players finishing their Wake Forest careers against Duke on Nov. 28. What has that group meant to the program? Clawson: I’m going to miss those guys. What guys like Dylan Intemann, Brandon Chubb, Alex Kinal, Hunter Williams and more have meant to our program can’t be measured. There’s not a lot of them, but they’re all highcaliber student-athletes. When they come in as high-
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character men, it’s really good to turn them out that way, too. It says a lot about recruiting people to fit the school. Gold Rush: You seemed to adapt very quickly to recruiting good people who fit the Wake Forest philosophy.
Woo d-fired Kitch en A Noble Gri lle
Clawson: That’s because it’s been the same as my philosophy everywhere. I think we look for guys who love football; who are committed, serious students; and who are high-character people. That’s never going to change. It’s never going to be perfect, but we’re very diligent in that process of finding the right men and the right character. Gold Rush: As you enter the offseason, what goals do you have for the players? Clawson: In the short term, we expect them all to be stronger when they report back in January, obviously. It’s not just about getting ready for spring football anymore. We divide the offseason into three different phases – winter conditioning, spring football and summer conditioning. The foundation of every good season starts with those, and we’re just now jumping into phase one. Gold Rush: As coaches, how will you spend the time between now and then? Clawson: We’ll spend December and January analyzing all of last season, really breaking it down and seeing what we did well and what we need to do better. It’s about researching, then figuring out what we can do to improve here or improve there, and what fits our personnel. It’s an ongoing process.
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So Long November As fall rumbles past its midway point, I know it’s coming. I can’t stop it – even if I wanted to. I love it and, in a way, hate it at the same time. It’s something I dread, yet, I look forward to it every year. November.
S TA N COTTEN VOICE OF THE DEMON DEACONS
My family calls it the “dreaded overlap,” when football season and basketball season share the spotlight and dad becomes that man who is home just long enough to grab a quick meal, get a little rest and head back out to who knows where. It’s that sports junkie time of the year when football is hitting its home stretch, and basketball is just getting warmed up. And it’s when the schedule could care less that there’s say, oh I don’t know, a basketball game on Friday night in WinstonSalem, a football game on Saturday afternoon in South Bend and another basketball game on Sunday afternoon – in Pennsylvania. And I’m supposed to be at all of them.
I’m certainly not in this alone. Every team out there has one of me, and every year one of the first things we all do when the basketball schedule comes out is overlay it on the football schedule to see what travel challenges there are, how many conflicts arise and, generally, how many games we’re going to have to miss. It’s indeed rare for me to get through November without having to miss a basketball game or two or three. And, when conflict arises, I always stick with football. The way I look at it, you start with one sport, and you stay with it until it’s over, even if that means missing a basketball game. And I hate that. One of the strangest things I do is sit at home or in some hotel and listen to someone else call a Deacon basketball game on the radio while I’m somewhere else taking care of football. That’s “my” team. That’s “my” job. Yet, sometimes I can’t do what I’m paid to do. I mean, I know technology has made huge advances, but you can’t be in two places at the same time. Not yet anyway. The craziest day I’ve ever had going all out to not miss a game came in my days at Marshall when, on the same day, I flew in an Ashland Oil company plane from West Virginia to Louisiana to do a noon football game for the Thundering Herd and then got on the same plane right after the football game and got back to West Virginia that evening just in time to go on the air and broadcast a Marshall basketball game. Fun but crazy. My recent three games in three days in three states with Wake football and basketball reminded me very much of that long day at Marshall 20-plus years ago now. No way did I want to miss the Deacons’ basketball opener with UMBC this season on
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Friday the 13th, but the challenge was getting to South Bend for the football game with Notre Dame the next afternoon. And there was no way I was going to miss the football game. And while I was at it, Wake played basketball the next day, Sunday, at Bucknell. In the afternoon. I started to co-conspire with team physician Dr. David Martin in early October. We’ve made some strange trips together before to make it to games, truly my “planes, trains and automobiles” partner over the years. But this was a big bite to try to take, and we needed some big-time help. Enter Johnny Foster, a Wake alum and former student manager. Johnny is president of Skytech, Inc., in Baltimore and can be found at generally every Wake Forest football game wherever it may be. He flies there, he’s his own pilot, too, turns back the clock and becomes a manager all over again working the game – really – and then heads home. Every week. I huddled with him in the hotel lobby before Wake’s football game at Boston College and tossed out the idea of making three games in three days in three states. His response? “No problem.” And it wasn’t. We made all three games with ease and were right there for basketball wins over UMBC in North Carolina and Bucknell in Pennsylvania with Wake’s football matchup with the Fighting Irish at storied Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana in-between. Thanks, Johnny! This past November will be one to remember. Or forget. Ten games, 18 days, six states, five time zones and more than 12,000 miles. It was long month. It was a hard month. It was a little bit crazy, and it was a whole lot of fun. It was November. I’m glad it’s over. And I’m already looking forward to next year when the best, worst month on the calendar rolls around again.
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INSIDE THE DEACON CLUB
Supporting the Sports Performance Center
BA R RY FA I R C L O T H A S S O C I AT E AT H L E T I C DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT & SALES
We are at a defining moment in the history of Wake Forest Athletics. With three months left in the Sports Performance Center match, we are at 85 percent of our overall project goal of $58 million, having raised more than $49 million. These numbers are astounding and represent more than 1,000 gifts that range from $100 to $15 million. A huge thank you to everyone for all of the generosity that has been dedicated to this important project. We have three months to raise the final $9 million in order to receive the full amount of the Bob McCreary/ Ben Sutton match and break ground on the last phase of the Sports Performance Center. As our development staff and coaches have traveled the country speaking about the importance of the match, the reception and generosity that we have received from our loyal donor base has been heartwarming. In my mind, it really comes down to a few key points as to WHY NOW? It is widely acknowledged that we have the best team of coaches in our Athletic Department’s history, all of which are committed to winning the Wake Forest way. We must support these coaches and provide them with the tools they need to attract and develop the country’s most talented studentathletes. However, it is difficult to make this possible when we handicap our coaches by not providing them with the facilities that are necessary to succeed. Bob McCreary – One of our very own former student-athletes has given $12.5 million toward this
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project. Bob is doing this because he wants to win. Bob believes so much in this project that he has given sacrificially in order for this dream to become a reality. From humble beginnings, Bob credits much of his success to Wake Forest and the development he received as a student and former football player. I have heard Bob say many times, “if you want to win, you have to give.” Ben Sutton – Ben is one of the foremost leaders in college athletics. Ben has seen more college facilities and games than perhaps anyone in the industry. Ben’s $15 million commitment to the Sports Performance Center is a statement that we can do this at Wake Forest. In Ben’s opinion, the Sports Performance Center, when completed, will catapult Wake Forest into the top two or three schools in the ACC and SEC and arm our coaches with the facilities they need to succeed. If we all join together and support the Sports Performance Center match and complete this project, we will undoubtedly have some of the best facilities in the country. We have proven that when provided state-of-the-art facilities, recruiting reaches another level of success and more talented teams typically produce exceptional results. Wake Forest golf is a great example of this. We are constructing the final phase of the Arnold Palmer Golf Complex, which will be regarded as one of the top golf practice facilities in the country. In the past two years, the men’s golf team has had two of best recruiting classes in the past 20 years. As a result of this impressive young talent, Wake Forest men’s golf was a top-ranked team this past fall and will contend for the ACC and NCAA Championships this spring. The Sports Performance Center will provide all of our sports a critical piece of the facility puzzle and elevate our sports to another level of success. May all of this success bring us more opportunities to roll the Quad and celebrate our successes together! Let’s get ready to roll. For more information on the Sports Performance Center, please visit wakewill.wfu.edu/lets-roll
INSIDE THE DEACON CLUB
RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YEAR-END TAX BENEFITS Now is the perfect time to make your gift count by renewing your Deacon Club membership. You will not only be supporting Wake Forest student-athletes, but you can take advantage of the potential tax benefits associated with your year-end charitable giving. Make a gift by Dec. 31 to be eligible for deductions on your 2015 taxes. Gifts can be made online at DeaconClub.com/donate or by calling (336) 758-5626.
Keep up with the Deacon Club on Facebook, Twitter and NOW Instagram! For the latest news and information from the Deacon Club and to connect with other members, be sure to find us on Facebook, Twitter and NOW on Instagram! @WFUDeaconClub NEW! Facebook.com/WFUDeaconClub @WFUDeaconClub @DeacOnTheRun @BarryFaircloth
Recruit a Deac. Get a Signing Bonus. Have you heard about the exciting new Deacon Club referral program “Recruit A Deac?” With just two easy steps, there’s no better way for you to make a lasting impact on Wake Forest Athletics. STEP 1: Recruit for Us
Keep up with “Recruit A Deac” on the Deacon Club’s social media accounts for updates on the leaderboard and exciting prizes.
STEP 2: Get a Visit deaconclub.com/referrals to submit your Signing Bonus Earn priority points for any new or referrals or send by phone, email or mail. increased giving to the Annual Fund by • 336.758.5626 | DeacClub@wfu.edu one of your recruits. Earn 1 point for every • 499 Deacon Blvd. $100 donation and 5 additional points for every 5 new members you recruit. Winston-Salem, NC 27105
Deacon Club Appreciation Day, Feb. 28, 2016 We invite you to join fellow Deacon Club members, Wake Forest coaches and staff in celebrating your generous support of Wake Forest Athletics on Sunday, Feb. 28, prior to the men’s basketball game vs. Virginia Tech at 6:30 p.m. More information will be provided via email. We hope to see you there! JANUARY 2016
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DONOR PROFILE
// T H E T W I L L E Y S
Twilleys help shape future of WFU golf program with generous gifts
F
or the past 40 years, Mike Twilley has been a passionate fan of and donor to Wake Forest Athletics. Twilley remembers first hearing about Wake Forest as a high school senior in Timonium, Md., when a friend came back to his high school raving about his first couple months as a Wake Forest freshman. “In high school I ran track and played soccer,” he said. “I was running at a track meet at the Naval Academy my senior year and a gentleman walked up and started talking to me — it was the Wake Forest track coach. A month or so later, I went to College Park to watch the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Afterward, I jumped into a van with the Wake Forest track team and came back to Winston-Salem to visit Wake. I knew then that Wake Forest was where I wanted to be.” Twilley ran track at Wake Forest for two and a half years, placing in the top 5 in the ACC Championships in the 600-yard run indoors and the 800 meters outdoors. His best times were 1:12 in the 600 and 1:52 in the 800 meters. An
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accounting major, he eventually decided to focus on his studies, but his passion for Wake Forest Athletics remained strong. Throughout his time as a student at Wake Forest, Twilley was an avid fan, recounting, “I had a great group of fraternity brothers, and we went to all of the football and basketball games, including the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando in 1979.” Upon graduating from Wake Forest in 1980, Twilley decided to stay close to Wake Forest, moving to Greensboro to work for Peat Marwick (KPMG). “There were several Wake Forest graduates I worked with, including Ken Miller, Matt Dyer, Jeff Kentner and Steve Holcombe,” he said. “They were a couple years older than me and also passionate fans, so it made it easier for me to stay close to Wake Forest Athletics.” Over the years, Twilley began to develop a particular passion for the Wake Forest men’s golf team. “My wife, Jeanne, and I are members at the Old North State Club, and for the last 15 years or
so the ONSC has hosted the ACC Men’s Golf Championship,” he said. “We would come out and watch the Wake Forest golfers, and eventually we knew the team and became friends with Coach Jerry Haas.” As their passion for Wake Forest golf continued to grow, Mike and Jeanne made the decision to help shape the future for Wake Forest golf by making two very generous gifts. First was a significant gift to Haddock House, the new golf facility that will serve as the home for the men’s and women’s golf programs. The Haddock House will be situated in the southwest corner of the Arnold Palmer Golf Complex and will feature coaches’ offices, locker rooms, team meeting areas and a Heritage Room that will showcase the history of Wake Forest golf. Construction of the Haddock House is expected to be completed in early 2016. For their second gift to Wake Forest golf, the Twilleys were “looking to do something that would be long-lasting and directly benefit a student golfer, and could be passed down through generations.” With this in mind, they
following the Wake Forest graduates at those events. We felt strongly that if we were to get involved, it had to be something we both are passionate about, so it’s great that we both feel so connected to the Wake Forest golf program.”
made the decision to endow the Twilley Family Golf Scholarship. “Over the last several years, both Jeanne and I have become very fond of the golf program,” he said. “We’ve really enjoyed getting to know the golfers and truly feel that our gifts have been deeply appreciated by both the men’s and women’s golf programs.”
As far as Twilley is concerned, Wake Forest men’s golf has a bright future ahead. “In my opinion, both the short term and longterm future of the golf program is really good,” he said. “I’m very interested to see how the guys perform in the spring. They certainly have an opportunity to be in the hunt for the 2016 ACC and NCAA Championships. Coach Haas and Coach Walters have done a great job of getting Wake Forest golf back on the map, so that’s very exciting. They won three events this fall, are ranked No. 2 in the country and have three guys ranked in the top 50 individually in the country.”
Mike and Jeanne accompanied the men’s golf team to Hawaii this past November as they competed in the 2015 Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational. While on the trip, they had the opportunity to meet freshman Cameron Young, the current recipient of the Twilley Family Golf Scholarship. As it turned out, Cameron won the Warrior Princeville Makai individual title and Wake Forest finished second as a team. “Having the opportunity to join the team in Hawaii was such a fun and fulfilling experience,” Mike said. “We already knew some of the guys — Will Zalatoris, Paul McBride and Davis Womble — and having the opportunity to meet Cameron and fellow freshman Kyle Sterbinsky was terrific. Watching the tournament and being with the guys, Coach Haas and Coach Walters, some of the parents and several other Wake Forest supporters was an experience that we’ll never forget.”
The Twilleys still call Greensboro home. “Being in the area has been really pivotal to our continued involvement,” Mike said. He served on the Deacon Club Board of Directors for several years, and he and Jeanne have two children, Stephen and Shannon (’14). In closing, Twilley noted, “our support of the Deacon Club, the Haddock House and now an endowed scholarship comes from our love of Wake Forest and the friendships we’ve developed within the golf program. I truly feel that we’ve gained more than we’ve given and we continue to feel so appreciated for our gifts.”
When it comes to the Twilleys’ relationship with golf, “It’s a family deal. We’ve been to several Ryder Cups, U.S. Opens and numerous PGA events, and we both particularly enjoy
deacon club photos Deacon Club members are encouraged to submit photos for publication in the Gold Rush. Send your photos in digital format to deacclub@wfu.edu. Submission of a photo does not guarantee that it will be published. Thanks for showing off your Demon Deacon pride!
1
1 Long time Deacon Club donor Dick Sawyer (’49) celebrating his 90th birthday at the Wake Forest basketball game vs. UMBC.
2
2 Deacon Club loyal supporter Wilma Pettyjohn with Devin Thomas (’16).
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3 Cathy Kenneth and Chris Harper supporting Wake Forest basketball in Maui for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
JANUARY 2016
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
//
ALAN DICKENS
I
n each issue, Where Are They Now showcases a former Wake Forest student-athlete. Alan Dickens was a member of the Wake Forest men’s basketball team from 1985-88. He appeared in 47 games for the Demon Deacons, averaging 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game for his career. Dickens made 16 starts, including 10 during his junior season, and scored a career-high eight points twice, once against Michigan State and once against Lehigh during the 1986-87 season.
Alan Dickens When did you graduate from Wake Forest? Undergraduate in 1987, Medical School in 1991 What was your major and/or minor? Chemistry major; Spanish minor What does being a Demon Deacon mean to you? It means I am a part of a very special family. Demon Deacons are loving, kind, passionate and compassionate people. Why are you still involved in Wake Forest Athletics? It’s a way of staying connected to the University. I also have three daughters there now — a freshman, a sophomore and a senior. We love combining trips to visit them with athletic events. Why do you feel it is important to give back to the University? To help pass on the legacy that I have been blessed to be a part of.
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What is your current occupation? Ophthalmologist What is your favorite memory of your time at Wake Forest? Beating Clemson in the first round of the ACC Tournament my senior year when they were a No. 2 seed. We were down so much that the TV network switched to another game. We came storming back led by our All-World point guard Muggsy Bogues. That was a great day. What makes you most proud of Wake Forest? The uniformly positive reaction I get from folks when they hear that I am a Wake Forest graduate. Wake is a special place. The combination of great athletics and even greater academics puts us in a small fraternity of schools. When you come back to Wake Forest, you always… Take a stroll on the quad, enjoy a meal at Village Tavern and take in a ballgame.
I was there when… There was only one co-ed dorm, visitation hours were strictly enforced, and the tuition was $10,000. Who is your favorite coach at Wake Forest, current or past? Coach Manning is rapidly becoming one of my favorite coaches at Wake Forest. He has reached out to all of the old basketball players and has made us feel welcome at practices and around the basketball office. He wants us to sense that we are a part of one big Demon Deacon basketball family. He treats his players with respect, and I admire him greatly for it. I’m no prophet, but I get the sense that he’s going do great things at Wake Forest.
JANUARY 2016
29
DEACONS IN THE COMMUNITY
Tennis Player Enjoys Helping Others Luisa Fernandez, a junior on the women’s tennis team, effortlessly stands out in a crowd by virtue of her unwaveringly cheerful demeanor and her long red hair. Always smiling and eager to help others, she serves as a representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a leader in promoting community outreach programming among her teammates and peers. One particular organization with which Luisa has been consistently involved is “Help Our People Eat,” more commonly known as H.O.P.E. This organization delivers healthy meals to underprivileged families in the Winston-Salem community every Sunday, and several of the food truck’s destinations are dominated by Spanish speakers. H.O.P.E. recently developed a mobile application that lists a variety of valuable resources such as nearby food and clothing banks, shelters, tutoring opportunities and medical clinics within Forsyth County. During one particular shift at H.O.P.E. last spring, Luisa had an important realization; she realized that the organization’s phone application was written solely in English, which undoubtedly prevented Spanish-speaking groups from benefiting. Luisa herself grew up in Mexico, where she lived for the first 10 years of her life and learned to speak fluent Spanish. Moreover, Luisa’s Spanish-speaking father started a mobile application company during his time in Mexico. Thus, she figured that he might be the perfect candidate to assist H.O.P.E. in creating an application tailored toward Spanish speakers. When Luisa returned home for the summer, her father initially agreed to the task; yet, he soon realized that the application could not simply be replicated in Spanish. It had been created by an existing company called Footprints, and therefore every individual component of the application would have to be translated individually. Luisa is not one to back down from a challenge, however. After contacting the company and gaining access to its website, she took the initiative herself to translate all 150-plus of the application’s entries after copying and pasting them into Microsoft Word. Although the task was at times daunting and time-consuming, Luisa enthusiastically insists that “it was fun in that I was helping others… in that way it wasn’t a burden at all.” And through this project, Luisa explains that she was able to witness just how many places there are in Winston-Salem dedicated to helping others combat poverty. After the lengthy translation process, Luisa inserted the individual descriptions of each food bank, shelter and so forth in its proper location. Then she finally downloaded the application in Spanish herself, and her excitement radiates as she describes the end result, excitedly exclaiming that singular moment when “It worked!” Now, those who download H.O.P.E.’s mobile application can select a Spanish-
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speaking option; and if their phones are already set to Spanish, the application automatically downloads and updates itself in that language. Although it may seem as if she has successfully completed her intended project, Luisa maintains
that the task is not quite finished. Now it is imperative that the application be downloaded by as many individuals in need (English and Spanish speakers alike) as possible. Luisa urges that this resource be promoted and passed along to all who might benefit, and she intends to eventually create fliers to pass along to various sites within the community as an effective way to advertise the application. Luisa’s initiative in translating H.O.P.E.’s application, as well as her desire to ensure that it be utilized to the benefit of as many populations as possible, reflects an admirable spirit of “Pro Humanitate” and an estimable selflessness. One can follow Luisa’s example by volunteering with H.O.P.E. on Sunday afternoons and by simply spreading awareness of the new-and-improved H.O.P.E. mobile application. For more information about H.O.P.E., visit its website at http://www.hopews.org/ or download the food source locator application through the App Store.
DEACONS IN THE PROS
BASEBALL COACHES/SCOUTS Ross Atkins Neil Avent John Hendricks Michael Holmes Kevin Jarvis Bill Masse Matt Price Mike Rikard Eric Schmitt Ross Atkins Danny Borrell
MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB
Adam Wogan George Greer Tommy Gregg
MLB MLB AAA
Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Oakland A’s Area Scout New York Mets Area Scout Oakland A’s Assistant Scouting Director Boston Red Sox Pro Scout Seattle Mariners Area Scout Kansas City Royals Pro Scout Boston Red Sox Director of Amateur Scouting New York Yankees Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting Cleveland Indians Vice President of Player Personnel New York Yankees Minor League Pitching Rehab Coordinator Boston Red Sox Area Scout St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Offensive Strategist Kansas City Omaha Storm Chasers Hitting Coach
MAJOR LEAGUES Tim Cooney Allan Dykstra Mac Williamson
St. Louis Cardinals Free Agent San Francisco Giants
MINOR LEAGUE RANKS Pat Blair Michael Dimock Jack Fischer Brian Holmes Connor Kaden Conor Keniry Matt Pirro
Tampa Bay Rays San Diego Padres Detroit Tigers Houston Astros San Francisco Giants Washington Nationals Washington Nationals
WOMEN’S GOLF Laura (Philo) Diaz Jean Chua
LPGA Symetra
Nannette Hill
LPGA
Natalie Sheary Michelle Shin
LPGA Symetra
Cheyenne Woods LPGA 17 events this season Marissa Dodd Cactus
Played in 21 tournaments in the 2015 season Made 13 starts, best finish t-28th at Tullymore Classic Played in 14 tournaments in 2015, t-9th at Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic Retained to LPGA Tour in 2015 Played in 10 events in 2015, t-8th at PHC Classic Finished T24th at JTBC Founders Cup, played in
Earned her first pro victory at Stallion Mountain; made LPGA debut at Marathon Classic Olafia Kristinsdottir LET Plays on the Ladies European Access Tour Allison Emrey SunCoast Advanced to third stage of Qualifying School
MEN’S SOCCER Anthony Arena Cody Arnoux Corben Bone Brian Carroll Sam Cronin Austin da Luz Chris Duvall Chris Estridge Sam Fink Akira Fitzgerald Tolani Ibikunle Stephen Keel Michael Lahoud Collin Martin Justin Moose Ben Newnam Ike Opara Sean Okoli Michael Parkhurst James Riley Jalen Robinson Wells Thompson Ross Tomaselli Jared Watts
Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL) Wilmington Hammerheads (USL) Wilmington Hammerheads (USL) Philadelphia Union Colorado Rapids Carolina Railhawks (NASL) New York Red Bulls Charlotte Independance (NASL) St. Louis FC (USL) Carolina Railhawks (NASL) Ekenas Sport Club (Finland) FC Dallas Philadelphia Union D.C. United Wilmington Hammerheads (USL) Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL) Sporting Kansas City New England Revolution Columbus Crew Colorado Rapids D.C. United Carolina RailHawks (NASL) Wilmington Hammerheads (USL) Colorado Rapids
WOMEN’S SOCCER Aubrey Bledsoe Kim Marshall Annick McBryar Katie Stengel Kelsey Zalimeni
Sky Blue FC/Fortuna Hjorring (Denmark) Boston Breakers (Reserves) Boston Breakers (Reserves) Bayern Munich Crystal Palace Ladies FC
MEN’S BASKETBALL Al-Farouq Aminu Tim Duncan
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Portland Trail Blazers San Antonio Spurs
James Johnson Chris Paul Ishmael Smith Jeff Teague Coron Williams
NBA NBA NBA NBA D-League
Justin Gray Belarus C.J. Harris Poland Jamaal Levy Argentina Travis McKie Luxembourg Nikita Mescheriakov Sweden Ty Walker Poland David Weaver Turkey Eric Williams Poland
Toronto Raptors L.A. Clippers New Orleans Pelicans Atlanta Hawks Maine Red Claws Tsmoki-Minsk Rosa Radom Bahia Basket T71 LF Basket AZS Koszalin Afyon MKS DG
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Dearica Hamby Lakevia Boykin Sandra Garcia Chelsea Douglas Alex Tchangoue
San Antonio Germany Puerto Rico Germany France
WNBA Wolfenbuettel FoA Freiberg Lyon
FOOTBALL Tommy Bohanon Josh Bush Tyson Clabo Chris Givens Josh Harris Justin Jackson Kevin Johnson Joe Looney Merrill Noel Kenny Okoro Calvin Pace Zach Thompson Nikita Whitlock Kyle Wilber
NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL Arena NFL NFL NFL NFL
FB S OL WR RB LB CB OL CB DB LB DL FB/DL LB
NY Jets Denver Free Agent Baltimore Free Agent Dallas (IR) Houston Tennessee Buffalo San Jose NY Jets Baltimore (IR) NY Giants Dallas
Coaches/Staff Jim Caldwell Charlie Dayton Pat Flaherty Joe Kenn Ricky Proehl John Spanos
NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL
Brad White NFL Jeff Triplette NFL James MacPherson NFL
Detroit Carolina NY Giants Carolina Carolina San Diego Indianapolis Chargers
Head Coach Vice President Offensive Line Coach Strength Coach Wide Receivers Coach Executive VP of Football Operations OLB Coach Referee Scout
MEN’S GOLF Billy Andrade
Champions
Bill Haas
PGA
Jay Haas
Champions
Gary Hallberg Scott Hoch
Champions Champions
Len Mattiace Kyle Reifers
PGA PGA
Webb Simpson
PGA
Curtis Strange
Champions
4th in Charles Schwab Cup, Three titles this season on the Champions Tour Member of United States Presidents Cup Team; 27th in the FedEx Cup Standings Captain of United States Presidents Cup Team; 64th in Charles Schwab Cup Has played in 11 events in 2015 38th in Charles Schwab Cup, T10th at U.S. Senior Open Has played in six events in 2015 78th in FedEx Cup Standings; Runner-Up at the Barracuda Championship T6th at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro; 48th in the FedEx Cup Standings Made cut in all five starts in 2015
FIELD HOCKEY Lauren Crandall (Captain) Michelle Kasold
USA National Team USA National Team
MEN’S TENNIS Noah Rubin
ATP
LiveFearlessNC.com
SM, ® Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. U11058, 8/15
WITH THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE A PLAN THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
JANUARY 2016
33
COMPLIANCE CORNER
// T O D D H A I R S T O N
Giving … from the NCAA standpoint
TODD HAIRSTON A S S O C I AT E AT H L E T I C DIRECTOR, COMPLIANCE
The holiday season is now upon us, and while Christmas is the season of giving, what does that mean from an NCAA standpoint? Many people ask if it is permissible under NCAA rules to provide a student-athlete with Christmas gifts, and in most cases, the answer is no. Providing gifts to a studentathlete at Christmas or any time of the year would be considered an impermissible benefit, unless the individual providing the gift is someone with whom the studentathlete has a pre-existing relationship. So, what exactly constitutes a pre-existing relationship? Unfortunately, like so many things where the NCAA is concerned, there is no clear-cut answer to this question. Whether a relationship is considered to have been pre-existing is often times a case-bycase analysis of the specific circumstances, however, the NCAA has provided some general guidelines to help us in our analysis.
1 Was the relationship with the studentathlete (or their parents) initiated prior to the individual becoming a prospective student-athlete? Under NCAA rules, a prospective studentathlete is anyone who has started classes in the ninth grade. Therefore, even if an individual is not actively participating in sports at that time, they would still be considered a prospective student-athlete for NCAA purposes. 2 Did the relationship with the studentathlete (or their parents) develop as a result of the individual’s participation or notoriety in athletics? To answer this question we would need to examine how the individual and the athlete came to know each other. For example, if a donor or an alum were to initially meet a student-athlete as a result of serving as student’s youth coach, this would likely still not be considered a legitimate “pre-existing relationship” even if the individual had not yet started ninth grade because the origin of the relationship had to do with athletic participation/notoriety. Further, if a relationship does meet the standard to be considered “pre-existing,” the pattern of benefits provided to the student must remain consistent throughout the duration of the relationship. So if an individual had regularly provided a $50 Christmas present to a student with whom he had a pre-existing relationship since middle school, he could not then begin providing $500 Christmas gifts once the student entered college. However, it would be permissible to continue providing gifts of similar value. While these guidelines are helpful, each situation is unique. Because the penalties associated with providing impermissible benefits to prospective and current studentathletes are severe, please contact Todd Hairston in the Athletics Compliance Office at hairstct@wfu.edu with questions related to this issue.
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From rookie to Rookie of the Year. Wake Forest Baptist Health offers athletes of all ages and skill levels a full range of orthopaedic treatment and physical therapy delivered by the region’s most experienced sports medicine team. Our new Stratford location now has extended and weekend hours. And we’re a proud partner of D1 Sports Training. To make an appointment with a physician or a physical therapist, call 888-716-WAKE or visit WakeHealth.edu/SportsMedicine.
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