Wake Forest Basketball Ready to Take the Next Step
The 2022-2023 men’s basketball season is right around the corner, with the Deacs opening regular season play against Fairfield on Nov. 7. Head Coach Steve Forbes’ squad is coming off a strong 2021 campaign that yielded 25 wins, 13 of which came in ACC play. In the end, though, the team fell short of an NCAA Tournament bid.
“According to the experts, we didn’t win the right games,” Forbes said. “It’s not always about the quantity of wins, but the quality. And so we did upgrade our non-conference schedule. We have to win the right games to take the next step. The next step is to go to the tournament, that’s something we expect to do every year.”
WATCH: ACC Basketball Media Day: Commissioner Jim Phillips' Press Conference
With a plethora of key players departing (Alondes Williams, Jake LaRavia, Isaiah Mucius, Dallas Walton), Forbes went right back to the transfer portal in an effort to bolster the roster and keep this program headed in the right direction.
New to Winston-Salem are three talented transfers; Jao Ituka (Marist), Andrew Carr (Delaware), and Tyree Appleby (Florida). Last year’s transfers left big shoes to fill — this group will look to continue Forbes’ tradition of adding premier talent from the transfer market.
“I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m the portal whisperer,” Forbes said. “I just think that over the years we do our homework, we study it. Chemistry is important. You’ve got to find the right fit, but you don’t really know until you get them.”
READ: ESPN's FPI Predicts the Rest of Wake Forest's Season
There are no guarantees in college basketball, and everything changes once the players take the hardwood. But with enough returning talent and promising new faces in the fold, there’s reason for optimism within the Wake program.
“I’m looking forward to the season,” Forbes said. “I think we’ve got a really nice team. We’re going to get better as the year goes along. There’s going to be some ups and downs, but they’re working really hard.”
It had been a while since this Wake Forest basketball program was putting an exciting team on the floor. And while it’s tough to replace all of the talent that left, there’s still plenty of reason for Deacon nation to be optimistic. Forbes and his staff have already showed their ability not just to recruit talent - but to get guys to play winning basketball.
Follow @DeaconsDaily on Twitter and Instagram for more Wake Forest content
