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Who would have thought the Wake Forest fan base, beaten and worn out by the Wake Forest football season and transfer portal paranoia, would be rejuvenated by three guys playing a different sport with names that rhyme: Boopie Miller, Hoopie Hildreth, and Soopie Sallis?
Feel the winning again through your hearts and souls. Wake beat Miami in overtime 86-82. Nine straight.
Aren’t you grateful life is not all downs but also ups, sicknesses, and recoveries, failures but also successes? Rebounds and bouncebacks are possible and do happen and this one feels especially welcome after last Fall’s football foibles.
Where did this basketball hoopie doopie doo come from? Let’s not analyze it too much. Let’s just think about the fact that the Wake hoopies extended their winning streak to nine games – hasn’t happened in 30 years or more I’m guessing – lead the ACC’s regular season standings, and are 11 and 3 – a good spot now with March Madness Selection Sunday not so far away. Cross your fingers. Could this be something special?
It strains credulity that Wake Forest is rolling through the basketball season and is, indisputably, one of America’s most surprising teams this season. In the country, that’s right. The United States including the fruited plains.
I won’t spoil all the fun by contemplating how this could all end up sometime in late March and early April because that would be jinxing the season and I would never want to do that. My credo has always been to stay in the moment and be measured.
Today Boopie bopped in 27 points, Hoopie 23 with 4 clutch free throws late, and Soupie (18 points) swished the hammer-the-game-down 3 to re-direct the Hurricanes back to Coral Cables with a loss.
Why is this team winning?
It seems to be about balance and grit and a nothing-to-lose attitude and intensity on defense. Boopie is a solid point guard, Soupie a star talent, Hoopie a tenacious all-around player, Carr a surprisingly athletic big man, and a guy off the bench named Parker who drills threes. Wake will need that kind of marksman to keep this run purring.
This squad plays together. They hit the open man. None of these guys is a ball hog. It’s just good basketball. And as a unit, they hit 80 percent of their free throws for a fifth highest ranking in America. This might be the best thing about this team that will help them in a major way as the season unfolds.
It could also be because the guys on this team aren’t from Tobacco Road so are not intimidated by the North Carolina hoop powerhouses. Boop is from Michigan, Hoop England, Sallis Nebraska, Carr Pennsylvania, Friedrichsen Oklahoma, and Keller Colorado.
Midwestern boys these are, and a Euro-stepping Hildreth. Outsiders, non-North Carolinians. Invaders into the ACC, messing with the establishment, unfazed by past traditions.
You could go back through the history books and not find many Wake Forest basketball teams that won nine straight in late December and January and sat atop the ACC standings. Could this continue? Are we on a special ride?
However the rest of this season pans out, it’s been wonderful to wallow in Wake Forest winning again.
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
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