This upcoming season Wake Forest University is celebrating 30 Years of Demon Deacon Basketball at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. There’s been lots of excitement, incredible NBA-caliber talent, phenomenal buzzer-beaters, and high-quality ACC and NCAA Tournament basketball played since the dedication ceremony was held on August 28, 1989. Wake fans will recognize some of the great names that have displayed their talent on the parquet floor of LJVM Coliseum, including Tim Duncan, Rodney Rogers, Randolph Childress, Josh Howard, Chris King, Darius Songaila, John Collins, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu, James Johnson and, of course, our hometown hero himself, Chris Paul, just to name a few. Many of those players went on to make an impact in the NBA, including World Championships for one in particular. Of course, the coliseum has also been the host for superstars like Elton John, and the setting for Hollywood films such as Eddie (1996), starring Whoopi Goldberg, and The Longest Ride, (2015) based on Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel.
The namesake of this great sports facility is Lawrence Joel, a native of Winston-Salem who served as a medic in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor, displaying immense bravery while helping wounded soldiers on the battlefield. The monuments that stand at the entrance to the coliseum honor the Forsyth County veterans lost in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, and the Persian Gulf.
Head Coach Danny Manning and Director of Athletics John Currie are excited to get the ball bouncing on this new season of Demon Deacon Basketball. This year the ACC implements for the first time the 20-game conference schedule, which includes 10 home ACC games. The home season kicks off on Sunday, November 10th, when the Deacons host Columbia University from the Ivy League just before the Lions take part in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic. Next up on Wednesday, November 13th, the Bulldogs of UNC-Asheville out of the Big South Conference come into Joel. After two games in Charlotte (UNCC and Davidson) and a trip out west for the Wooden Legacy Tournament in Anaheim, California, followed by a game at Penn State, the Deacons come back home to face the Wolfpack of NC State for their first ACC game on Saturday, December 7th. On Saturday, December 14th, it’s the Musketeers of Xavier out of the Big East, followed by the Aggies of North Carolina A&T on Saturday, December 21st. Then the full ACC home schedule begins with Florida State (Wednesday, January 8th), Virginia Tech (Tuesday, January 14th), Boston College (Sunday, January 19th), and the 2019 NCAA National Champion, Virginia (Sunday, January 26th) to finish out the month of January. The February home slate includes Clemson (Saturday, February 1st), UNC (Tuesday, February 11th), Georgia Tech (Wednesday, February 19th), and Duke (Tuesday, February 25th). The final home game of the season and Senior Night is on Saturday, February 29th, against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Wake Forest Athletics is happy to provide a number of promotional days this season. These include the LJVM Classic with discounted admission for active-duty military, veterans, and their families (Nov. 10th). Other promotions scheduled for the season include the return of two very popular nationally renowned halftime shows, the Red Panda (vs. NC State) and Christian and Scooby (vs. North Carolina). For updated promotions, log on to GoDeacs.com or follow @WakeMBB on Twitter. For inquiries about any of these promotional days, please call Wake Forest Athletics at (888) 758-DEAC (3322) extension 1.
To commemorate this special anniversary season, Wake Forest Basketball is offering unique Season Ticket Packages, including the popular Value Plan at just $120 for one; or the Value Bundle, including four season tickets for $320 while supplies last. Additional packages include the Big Four Package—a three-game package featuring games vs. NC State, North Carolina, and Duke, and the Best Darn Package, which includes the Big Four schools plus defending National Champion Virginia and Notre Dame. New for this season is the Skip Prosser Classic 4-pack for the contest with Xavier. This package includes four tickets, four concession vouchers and a parking pass (for the first 100 packages) for just $59. A variety of other attractive ticket options are available, as well. For more information, visit the Wake Forest athletics website at GoDeacs.com/tickets, or call 1-888-758-DEAC (3322). Tickets for select contests can also be purchased in person at the Bridger Ticket Office, located at BB&T Field.
Purchase your season tickets early to celebrate the 30th anniversary of LJVM Coliseum and support the Triad’s ACC team, our Wake Forest Demon Deacons!
GO DEACS!
