Nate Calmese Talks About Taking on Role of Next Wake Forest Point Guard
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The question for a lot of Deacon fans coming into this season is whether PG Nate Calmese will be more similar to Tyree Appleby or Ty-Laur Johnson. Deacon fans have seen Steve Forbes pull off transfer portal magic when it comes to guards. Appleby, along with Alondes Williams and Hunter Sallis, were All-ACC players.
However, last season was a low point when it came to point guard play. Wake Forest brought in Louisville transfer Ty-Laur Johnson to play alongside Hunter Sallis at the point. He showed potential at times with his incredible speed and athleticism. However, most of his time at Wake was low points from undisciplined plays to poor turnovers.
This year, the Deacs look to turn the page and bring in Washington State transfer Nate Calmese to play point guard. Calmese played a season at Lamar, Washington, and Washington State before coming to Winston-Salem for his final year of eligibility.
His decision was heavily driven by Wake's head coach. "Coach Forbes called me every day, which was big for me....the plan for me to try to be that Ty Appleby, Alondes Williams, or Hunter Sallis type of player was an opportunity I couldn't turn down."
Calmese is excited about the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of some big-name players at Wake Forest while raising his usage percentage. Last season at Washington State, he averaged 15.2 points per game in the WCC. However, the year prior at Washington was a down year, only averaging 4.1 points per game.
The big question is whether Calmese can carry his scoring punch into the Power Five competition level, playing in the ACC. Hopefully, Calmese will be able to tie it all together and have a great senior season for the Deacs.
Nate is optimistic about the team mentality of the Deacs, as he said: "Every day here we go to war....I've never been at a school where we could play 10 to 11 guys." A lot of the praise from Calmese was the same we heard from Coach Forbes at media day. This team has a selfless mentality and is ready to start competing.
Calmese is also joined by transfer guard Mekhi Mason. The two are both from Gilbert, Arizona, and played on the same club basketball team growing up. When asked about being featured in the backcourt with Mekhi, Calmese said, "We both like to play fast and score the ball." This style of play should get Deacon fans excited.
Hopefully, Nate can come out this season and join the list of elite Steve Forbes transfer portal guards and maybe help lift the Deacs into the Big Dance. The full interview with Nate Calmese can be seen below:
Watch Nate Calmese at ACC Tipoff
Last week, Calmese was one of the three players who accompanied head coach Steve Forbes to the ACC Tipoff in Charlotte. His interview with Wake Forest On SI can be seen here:
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Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.