ACC Basketball 2022-23 Preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Steve Forbes has brought a winning culture to Winston-Salem
© Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach: Steve Forbes (3rd season)
2021 in Review
Record: 25-10 (13-7)
ACC Finish: 5th place
KenPom Ranking: 35 (41 offense, 42 defense)
ACC Tournament: 82-77 OT L to Boston College
NIT: 74-64 W vs Towson, 80-74 win vs VCU, 67-52 L vs Texas A&M
The Demon Deacons haven’t been relevant at all in the last decade, except for 2017 when John Collins carried the team to their only NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010. Last year’s campaign was re-energizing for the Wake Forest program and their fan base.
In just his second year at the helm, head Coach Steve Forbes proved that he knows how to win — and recruit. Forbes brought in two under-the-radar transfers that had amazing seasons and are now in the NBA. ACC Player of the Year Alondes Williams (18.5 PTS, 6.4 REB, 5.2 AST), a former JUCO player who spent the last two seasons coming off the bench for Oklahoma, and Jake LaRavia (14.6 PTS, .384 3PT), who came in from Indiana State. Either Williams or LaRavia led the team in scoring in every game but one last season. Led by the two star players, the Deacs became one of the biggest surprise teams in the nation. They had the looks of an NCAA Tournament team, but a killer overtime loss to Boston College in their first ACC Tournament game pushed them to the wrong side of the bubble.
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Wake went 10-1 in non-conference play, notching wins against Oregon State and Northwestern that looked decent at the time but ended up being meaningless. Their toughest test was against LSU, and they lost 75-61. According to KenPom, the Demon Deacons non-conference schedule was the 9th weakest in the nation. Wake finished with a winning record in the ACC (13-7) for the first time since 2010, and 25 total wins for the first time since 2004. In Danny Manning’s six year tenure, he won six ACC road games. Forbes won five last season.
Following a heartbreaking loss to No. 8 Duke in Cameron on Jan.12, Forbes’ squad went on a tear. The Deacs won seven of their next eight games, a stretch that included a dominant home win over NCAA Runner-Up North Carolina and road victories against Virginia, Georgia Tech, Florida State and NC State.
The Deacs accepted an invite to play in the NIT and notched wins over VCU and Towson before getting beaten badly by Texas A&M. Missing out on the NCAA’s with a 23-9 record tainted an otherwise special season for Wake Forest. But considering where this program just was, last year was a resounding success.
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2022 Outlook:
Who’s Out: Jake LaRavia, Alondes Williams, Khadim Sy, Isaiah Mucius, Dallas Walton and Carter Whitt (Furman)
Who’s In: Bobi Klintman, Zach Keller, Tyree Appleby (Florida), Andrew Carr (Delaware), Davion Bradford (Kansas State) and Jao Ituka (Marist)
Projected Starting Lineup:
Gr. G Daivien Williamson (6-1, 180 lbs)
Gr. G Tyree Appleby (6-1, 165)
So. G Cameron Hildreth (6-4, 195)
Jr. F Andrew Carr (6-10, 220)
So. F/C Matthew Marsh (7-1, 250)
Off the Bench:
R Jr. F Damari Monsanto (6-6, 225)
So. G Jao Ituka (6-1, 196)
Jr. F/C Davion Bradford (7-0, 270)
Fr. F Zach Keller (6-10, 228)
So. G Lucas Taylor (6-5, 195)
Fr. F Bobi Klintman (6-10, 225)
So. G Robert McCray (6-4, 185)
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Coming into this season, Wake Forest lost 74% of their points from last year. Williams and LaRavia are the biggest losses, but others will hurt too. Bigs like Walton (9.3 PPG, 5.2 REB, 1.4 BLK) and Khadim Sy (6.0 PPG, 4.6 REB) provided important experience, defense, and rebounding, while Isaiah Mucius (9.5 PPG, 71 3PM) was a leader who’s floor spacing was huge for this team.
The only returning starter is guard Daivien Williamson, who averaged 11.8 points per game last season and knocked down 39.8% of his three-point attempts. Williamson is an undersized combo guard who mainly impacts the game with his ability to get to the basket and knock down deep balls. Williamson showed out in the exhibition win over Winston-Salem State on Tuesday, scoring 25 points on 70% shooting. The biggest step he can make this season is to be more of a playmaker — he averaged just 1.2 assists per game last season.
#4 Daivien Williamson is the only returning starter for Wake Forest
© Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Forbes once again relied on the transfer portal to revamp his roster. Starting alongside Williamson in the backcourt is Tyree Appleby, a grad transfer from Florida who’s had a scoring average in double figures in each of his four collegiate seasons. Appleby averaged 11 points per game with the Gators last year and has over 1,500 career points. He also led the team with 125 assists and 65 made three-pointers. At 6-1, Appleby is quick with the ball and loves to shoot from deep off the bounce. He hasn’t been the most efficient scorer, never shooting better than 45% from the field in his career.
Jao Ituka transferred in from Marist, and is another small but speedy guard who can fill it up from long range. Ituka led Marist in scoring last year as a freshman with 15.3 points per game, earning Second Team All-MAAC honors and the conference Rookie of the Year award. The sophomore will be one of the first guys off the bench this season once he returns from a minor injury that is keeping him sidelined at the moment.
Andrew Carr, a transfer from Delaware will slide right into the starting lineup. The junior started 34 of 35 games for the Blue Hens last season, averaging 10 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 56.4% from the floor. Delaware made the NCAA Tournament as a 15 seed last season and lost in the first round to Final Four bound Villanova. Like Forbes’ bigs last year, Carr has the ability to hit the deep ball as well — he hit 40.5% of his three-point shots last season. He’s a stat sheet stuffer who can impact the game in a multitude of ways. At 6-10 220, Carr could be dangerous playing as a small ball five.
Junior Damari Monsanto is a really exciting player who might be this team’s x-factor. Monsanto is a deadeye three point shooter - 86 of Monsanto’s 106 shots last season came from deep, and he connected at a 40% rate. The redshirt junior lost over 20 pounds during the offseason and looks totally different than last year. He’s gifted offensively, but either his shot selection or defensive ability seems to keep the coaching staff a little hesitant from fully letting him loose. It should be kept in mind that an achilles tear held him out until late January.
I expect Forbes to experiment with lineups a bit at the beginning of the season. At the moment, it appears that the two sophomores from England — Cameron Hildreth and Matthew Marsh — will round out the starting five. Hildreth saw action in 32 games off the bench last season, averaging 3.2 points on 46% shooting from the field. Hildreth plays really hard on both ends, has great footwork down low and offers the offensive versatility to play the one, two or three. Hildreth looked young at times last year with his decision making, and his three point shot definitely needs work (22 3PT%). I’m not sure he’ll maintain a starting role, but at the very least he’ll be an energy guy off of the bench.
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As a freshman Matthew Marsh appeared in 13 games, averaging 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds. His size, at 7-1, 250, is his biggest strength, but he’s still a pretty raw talent. He’s not a great rebounder and doesn’t have much of a post game, but he moves well for his size and when he gets the ball around the rim, he dunks everything. The one game he was forced into meaningful minutes was the road loss to Clemson, but Marsh held his own, and scored eight points in 11 minutes. Despite starting in the scrimmage, he saw fewer minutes than Davion Bradford and freshman Zach Keller.
Bradford is the other big body, a transfer from Kansas State. He played in 29 games (12 starts) for Kansas State last season, averaging just 3.3 points per game and 1.9 rebounds. After losing over 20 pounds this summer, the junior is more agile but is still a load down low. The junior is definitely more experienced than Marsh, but his lack of production while playing two years for the Wildcats makes it difficult to be excited about him. Whoever is playing the five, they won’t be a dynamic threat offensively, so the focus will be on the defensive end and on the glass.
Zach Keller is a top 100 ranked freshman from Colorado. He can really shoot the ball, and seems poised for minutes at the five spot. Forbes mentioned that he played the best in that role in the Deacs’ behind-closed-doors scrimmage against Ohio State, and he made an impact off the bench with a team-high 7 rebounds against Winston-Salem State. He’s not nearly as big as Marsh or Bradford at 6-10 220 lbs, so it’ll be interesting to see if he is able to keep up playing the five.
#22 Ty Appleby celebrates a three point make for Florida last season
© Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The final two returning guards, sophomores Lucas Taylor and Robert McCray, saw limited action off the bench in 15 and 14 games respectively last season. Forbes has raved about Taylor’s defensive ability, and if he carves out a bench role this season it will be for his 3-and-D ability. McCray is a gifted athlete who can jump out the gym, who has made a lot of progress with his shot. It appears that his decision making with the ball is the key area that needs developing.
The other freshman Forbes brought in is a late signee, 6-10 Bobi Klintman, who spent the summer playing with the Swedish national team. He’s developed far quicker than Forbes anticipated, and seems to factor into the rotation right away. The 6-10 forward can score at all three levels, and can handle and pass the ball very well for his size. He led the Swedish team in points (16.0), assists (5.1) and rebounds (10.0) per game during his stint overseas. Klintman might take more time than some Wake fans are expecting, but it’s tough not to be excited about the talent and skill level.
ACC Prediction: 7th place
I see a drop off after the top five teams in the ACC (North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Florida State, Miami). There are plenty of teams that could find themselves in the middle of the pack - including Wake Forest. Sure, there’s a ton of roster turnover, and the two stars are gone, but Forbes and his staff displayed their ability last season to piece a team together quickly. Forbes is a winner — and this roster is talented enough that I’m betting on him to figure out how to get the most out of what he has.
The trio of guards fits Forbes’ up-and-down style of play perfectly, and there are plenty of guys who can shoot the ball from deep. Appleby, Williamson, Carr, Ituka and Monsanto are all capable of being double figure scorers this year. This team will be able to score the ball, that is the one thing I have no concerns about.
Who will be the go-to guy at the end of games? LaRavia and Williams stepped up in crucial spots time and time again, and the Deacs were great in the final five minutes of games. Appleby and Williamson are the most established options, but will either Carr or Monsanto push for that role? The frontcourt is the biggest question for me. Will Bradford and Marsh provide rim protection, or at least finish inside and rebound well enough so that position isn’t a clear weakness? If Carr or Keller can hold up well enough defensively and on the glass to take on minutes at the five that would be a big boost.
I’m curious to see how the rotation comes together, because I can totally see each of these 12 guys playing meaningful minutes. It’s hard for me to imagine that this group finishes any worse than 10th in the conference, but I think 5th/6th place is definitely the ceiling.
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