By Kenneth Cross
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons were subsequently mugged when the NCAA Selection Committee didn’t place them in the NCAA Tournament despite 25 wins and a 13-7 ACC record which was good for fifth place in the 15-team league.
Coach Steve Forbes’ squad shot 58.5 percent from the two-point line (4th/CBB) as the Deacons were solid off the dribble and at different shooting angles near the basket.
Wake Forest loses a bevy of talent in Alondes Williams (18.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Jake LaRavia (14.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) as well as two other starters in Isaiah Mucius (9.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Dallas Walton (9.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg). Both Williams and LaRavia were the team’s top two scorers and shot over 60 percent from the field. They had solid moves around the basket as they combined to take 338 of the team’s 681 free throw attempts.
LaRavia was picked on the first round with the 19th pick by the Memphis Grizzlies while Williams signed a two-way contract with the Atlanta Hawks.
Forbes brings in two freshman posts in 6-10 Zach Keller and 6-10 Bobi Klintman to go alongside 7-1 Matthew Marsh (2.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg), who played in 13 games.
The transfer portal was friendly to WFU as well as 7-0 center Davion Bradford came over from Kansas State and 6-9 forward Andrew Carr averaged 10 points and 5.1 rebounds last season at Delaware. Bradford is generally known to play with his back to the basket and as a rebounder. Carr can step on the perimeter and make the three as he made 40.5 percent of his triples last season.
Daivien Williamson and Damari Monsanto will be a solid duo in the backcourt as they both are solid three-point shooters. Monsanto made 71 and Williamson hit 62, posting them as the team’s top two three-point makers last season and they each ironically shot 39.5 percent from behind the line.
Williamson played for Forbes at ETSU as he has a deep knowledge of his coach’s system and expectations. Monsanto made his way into the lineup in January after he had surgery on an Achilles injury from June, 2021.
Sophomore Cam Hildreth (3.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg) shot 46.3 percent from the field last season and he will figure in the rotation as he averaged 13.5 minutes per game last season.
Two other guards will be a major lift as transfers in former Florida sharpshooter Tyree Appleby and former Marist point guard Jao Ituka.
Appleby was the Gators’ third leading scorer at 10.9 ppg. while he led in assists with 3.7. He also took the most three-point shots with 5.6 and tied with Myreon Jones in making 1.9 per night. Appleby has been a 35.5 percent three-point shooter in two seasons at Cleveland State combined with the two at Florida.
Ituka (15.3 ppg) led the Red Foxes in scoring last season as a freshman as he shot 41 percent from the three-point line and he was also made 109 of 142 free throws (76.8%). Ituka was the MAAC Rookie of the Year as he was second-team all-MAAC.
Ituka was a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award which is presented to the top freshman in college basketball each season.
The Demon Deacons will host Georgia and join Georgetown, Loyola Marymount, and LaSalle in the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic in November.
Wake Forest opens ACC play on Dec. 20 and Dec. 31 with home dates with Duke and Virginia Tech, respectively.