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WINSTON-SALEM -- Admit it. You forgot about the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, didn't you? In the past two years, Wake became a football school, suffered a tragic loss and somehow was snubbed from postseason play in 2008.

The Deacons should be happy to re-educate you.

The July 2007 death of coach Skip Prosser masked a rebuilding effort that was already under way and led to the reluctant ascension of Dino Gaudio, who will probably never get appropriate credit for keeping things going after taking over for his friend and boss. After assuming leadership of the program, Gaudio solidified the commitments of three acclaimed and current freshmen, coaxed 17 wins from the 2007-08 team and got a good start on future recruiting.

"He puts up with nothing," junior swingman L.D. Williams said. "We mess up a little bit, and we run and do it over. And that's good. He's eliminating mistakes early."

The urgency is there in part because everybody knows a return to the NCAA tournament is likely. When point guard Ishmael Smith returns from a broken foot in a couple of weeks, the Deacs will have all five starters back, considerable depth and more really big (6-feet-10 and taller) guys than the Boston Celtics.

And perhaps an assist from the NCAA rules committee.

Yes, the 3-point line is farther from the basket this season, and the first instinct is to presume the Deacons didn't need additional challenges after ranking among the nation's worst long-range clubs a year ago. But here's the thing: If Wake limits its attempts and keeps them in the hands of the most qualified, the gap between the Deacs and the national average will narrow.

James Johnson, for example, has the strength and smarts to beat people off the dribble and convert old-fashioned three-point plays. He probably doesn't need to be jacking up long balls after making only 28 percent of them as a freshman. The new line, situated one foot farther out than the previous version, has effectively created one more foot of mid-range space.

Johnson isn't the only guy who can revel in the change. Freshman forward Al-Farouq Aminu, a high school All-American who committed before Prosser's death and never wavered, checks in at 13th on the national ratings according to analyst Dave Telep. That makes him Telep's most acclaimed Wake signee since Chris Paul (ninth) in 2003.

The vast improvement of 7-foot center Chas McFarland last season means the Deacs won't place huge expectations on two other frontcourt rookies, 7-foot Ty Walker and 6-10 Tony Woods. Their presence in the rotation does underscore this team's emphasis, however.

Of last season's regulars, only Jeff Teague (39 percent) shot better than the national average from 3-point range. Teague will play the point while Smith rehabs, and that may limit his attempts.

In all, the Deacs shot the 3-pointer as often as anybody else -- about a third of their total field-goal attempts -- while connecting rather infrequently (31 percent). Perhaps the line is sending a message.

Although huge, Wake figures to have the speed to push the tempo as well. Few backcourts are as swift as Teague and Smith, and preseason was spent ensuring everybody else can keep up.

"I tell our guys all the time that we can't have a one-man break. We have to have all five," Gaudio said.

Defense is where Gaudio's Deacons made their greatest strides from the previous season, leaping 89 spots in the Division I rankings in points allowed per possession. If they maintain that level -- 58th out of 334 ranked teams -- they'll be in position to win in almost every game.

The obvious truth of current ACC basketball is the superiority of North Carolina and the pursuit of Duke. Few realize that only those two have more top-50 signees currently in the program than Wake's five.

You may ask whether any team really deserves a preseason ranking because nobody officially has a track record in November. Don't be surprised to see the Deacs, who start the season at No. 21, work their way into a decent NCAA tournament seed.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com