Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 13, 1993 TAG: 9302130245
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FRANK VEHORN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WITH CHILDRESS BACK, SO ARE DEMON DEACONS
Randolph Childress grew to despise the knee brace that replaced his gold and black Wake Forest uniform during all of last season.So, last September when doctors finally permitted Childress to remove the brace and get back to playing basketball without feeling he was on a crutch, he did more than simply take it off and slam dunk it in a trash can.
"I burned it," Childress recalls gleefully. "I took a match and burned it."
Really, the brace itself wasn't what Childress hated so much.
It was just the visible symbol of a knee injury that required reconstructive surgery and kept Childress from playing the game he loves with a passion.
"I was so happy to get out of that brace," Childress said.
"That was like the final straw. You know, `This is it. You are finally recovered, and no one can tell you that you are not.' "
Friends and teammates rejoiced with Childress during the brace-burning, their smiles masking whatever doubts they had about Childress being able to return with the quickness and aggressiveness that made him one of the ACC's best freshmen in 1991.
Like the brace, those doubts have gone up in smoke.
Childress is the hottest scorer in the ACC, leading the conference with a 21.3 average, and the sparkplug in the Deacons' unexpected bid for the regular-season title.
The ninth-ranked Deacons, who had won seven straight games before Wednesday's loss at Florida State, hope to regain their momentum today in a 4 p.m. game at No. 3 Duke.
Wake Forest coach Dave Odom described Childress' recovery from the right knee injury he suffered during a pickup game in June 1991, as "short of amazing."
"The knee is fully recovered, and Randolph is much, much stronger physically," Odom said. "He hasn't lost any of his quickness . . . or his speed."
The Deacons won 17 games last season, enough for a second straight trip to the NCAA playoffs, before other coaches figured out how weak they were on the perimeter without Childress.
When opponents threw up zone defenses and neutralized Rodney Rogers inside, the Deacons had no way to retaliate.
In the opening round of the NCAA playoffs, the Deacons shot 36 percent from the field and lost to Louisville, 81-58.
It was tough for Childress to watch from the bench. He shouted and pleaded with his teammates and offered advice to the coaches, but he couldn't put on a uniform and give them what they really needed from him.
"It really got to me sometimes," Childress said. "Just when I thought I had accepted the injury and being out a season, things would get worse."
Odom recognized Childress was going through emotional "mood changes" last season. "But he handled it well, and each time he bounced back quickly," Odom said.
"I've never seen anyone work as long and who was more devoted to making a complete recovery."
Childress had his jump shot back on target by the time the season began. Teams that tried zoning the Deacons found things had changed.
Childress hit six straight 3-pointers, scoring 18 points in less than four minutes, in a victory over North Carolina.
"Randolph has surfaced as one of the best players in our league, and he's been a godsend for us," Odom said.
"He has made everyone better. Teams can't double up on him or Rogers because on any given night, one or the other is capable of scoring in the 20s."
As difficult as last season was for him emotionally, Childress admitted that it has made this season more enjoyable.
"When you sit out a year like that, you look forward to the next time you can walk on to the court, feel the excitement, and hear the cheers from the crowd," he said.
"To have something taken away that you love so much, and still be able to have it again, it just makes it that much sweeter."
Odom could say the same about having Childress back in uniform.