Steve Forbes on Wake Forest vs Clemson: “There’s no reason not to come"
Wake Forest is set to take on the ACC-leading Clemson Tigers in perhaps their biggest game of the year to this point. Tipoff is set for 9 pm ET in the Joel, and Wake Forest will need a raucous home crowd.
“There’s no reason not to come,” Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes said. “We have a very likable team. They’re good guys on and off the court. I would expect it to be a great crowd. If it is or it isn’t, we’re still gonna play. We had a great student crowd against Florida State and I’m sure they’ll be here at nine o’clock.”
The Demon Deacons have been stellar at home this season — they’re a perfect 9-0 so far with marquee conference wins over Duke and Florida State. Having a winning tradition at home is an important part of establishing an identity as a top-tier program.
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“I’ve always believed that to have an elite program, you have to have an elite home court advantage,” Forbes said. “We lost 12 home games in five years at East Tennessee State. That’s the plan here. I think when you win at home, it gives your fans a reason to come back and watch you play.”
Wake Forest has had some great crowds this year. Against Duke, the Joel was nearly at capacity despite the students being on holiday break. During Wake’s recent 90-75 win vs Florida State, the student body occupied nearly three sections behind one of the hoops. However, there’s still room for improvement in some areas.
“I think we’re gaining momentum here,” Forbes said. “We can always be better. I don’t like seeing the opposing team in the lower bowl. That’s not good. You have a choice to come to the game. You have a choice to give your ticket to someone who cheers for Wake Forest or don’t sell to the opposing team.”
“That’s my opinion, for what it’s worth,” Forbes continued. “We’ll be back right when we don’t see blue or we don’t have the App State fans sitting in the bottom bowl. If you think I don’t notice it, I do. It’s not going to win or lose the game. But to have hunger, then we have to show up. If you have kids, it’s a late night. I understand that. There’s a lot of things. I just like seeing our fans at the bottom and put the other ones up top.”
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With Clemson now ranked at No. 19 in the latest AP poll, the stakes have risen a bit for Tuesday night’s matchup. And with No. 10 Virginia coming to town on Saturday, this is one of the most important stretches of the season for the Demon Deacons. And Steve Forbes and his team need the Demon Deacon faithful out in droves.
“It’s a big week,” Forbes said. “These are big challenges. These will be tough, physical teams. If you love basketball, if you love Wake Forest, it’s a couple of great games to come out and see.”
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