Grace Oliver Gives the Lady Deacs a Leader They Need Going into the Season

Grace Oliver transfers into Wake Forest and is already making a strong impact on the team

Oct 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest player Grace Oliver answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

This week at ACC Basketball Media Days, we got a chance to sit down with Grace Oliver and talk to her about her experience and thoughts on this year's team. Grace transferred in from Colorado, where she spent just one season with the Buffaloes. Despite only being a sophomore, Grace's leadership stands out as she heads into her first season with a Wake Forest team that is very young.

Grace said she decided to transfer to Wake Forest because she wanted to play in "the best conference in the country (the ACC)." This will be an opportunity for her to get to play night-in and night-out against the best of the best. She also mentioned the stellar academics at Wake as another reason for her move.

Oliver Brings Leadership to the Lady Deacs

In our element ✨ pic.twitter.com/eD0BXANmEp

— Wake Forest Women's Basketball (@WakeWBB) October 6, 2025

In terms of her leadership, Grace has already imparted wisdom on her teammates about playing Power Five basketball since she is the only transfer to have that experience under her belt. When talking about playing Power Five basketball, she said, "Every day isn't a given...every single time you step on the court it could go either way." The competitiveness of these high-level conferences is definitely something Grace will have to help a Wake team with only four upperclassmen navigate.

When talking about the team specifically, culture was a big thing for Grace. She hopes to be a building block for this new culture and said, "Creating a culture like that will really translate in ACC play." She holds every one of her teammates to a high bar, including the young ones, as she said, "I hold even the freshmen to a very high standard." This is exactly the kind of teammate you want as a young player in the ACC, someone who has been in high-pressure situations before and will push you to be the best you can be. Grace had high praise for her teammate, Raven Preston, saying she is a solid player and very capable of filling up the stat sheet.

Overall, Grace seems like a great addition to the Demon Deacons. It seems like she is a very capable player who can come in and make a strong impact right away. We'll just have to wait and see what the future holds for this team!

What's Next?

The Wake Forest women's basketball team kicks off its 2025-26 campaign Monday, November 3, at 5 pm ET against Radford. The game will take place at the Joel and will be followed by the men's basketball season debut.