Wake Forest chasing elusive NCAA bid entering Steve Forbes’ 6th season as coach
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Wake Forest (21-11, 13-7 ACC)
The Demon Deacons are chasing their first NCAA Tournament bid under sixth-year coach Steve Forbes after being a bubble team multiple years. Four starters are gone from a team that faded with five losses in its last eight. Forbes is hoping to repeat past transfer-portal success after twice adding guards who became The Associated Press league player of the year (Alondes Williams in 2022, Tyree Appleby in 2023).
Wake Forest is picked to finish 11th in the 18-team ACC.
Players to watch
Nate Calmese (senior, PG, 6-2, 181, 15.2 ppg). He’s on his fourth school in as many seasons and thrived last year at Washington State.
Tre’Von Spillers (graduate, F, 6-7, 215, 9.9 ppg). The returnee started all 32 games, averaging a team-best 7.6 rebounds.
Mekhi Mason (senior, G, 6-5, 202, 9.9 ppg). Mason spent two seasons at Rice and last year at Washington, where he shot 40.2% from 3-point range.
Departures and arrivals
Hunter Sallis is the biggest departure as a two-time AP all-ACC guard. Veteran guard Cameron Hildreth (14.7) and big man Efton Reid (8.8) also departed.
Transfer additions include big man Cooper Schwieger (Valparaiso), and guards Sebastian Akins (Denver) and Myles Colvin (Purdue). The 6-10 Schwieger averaged 14.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while making 62 3-pointers over two college seasons.
Akins averaged 12.7 points as the Summit League freshman of the year, while Colvin hit 65 career 3s in his two-year reserve role that included playing for the Boilermakers in the 2024 NCAA title game. They join with returnee Juke Harris (6.1) in providing backcourt depth.
Wake Forest also added assistant Nick Friedman, who has worked in recent years in the NBA and G-League. Forbes pointed to Friedman’s impact showing in areas such as spacing and passing to create better looks.
Top games
Wake Forest opens Nov. 3 at home against American in a nonconference slate that includes No. 7 Michigan (Nov. 11) and a matchup with No. 10 Texas Tech (Nov. 20) to open the Baha Mar Championship tournament in the Bahamas.
The Demon Deacons visit N.C. State on Dec. 31 to open an ACC schedule that features trips to No. 25 North Carolina (Jan. 10) and No. 6 Duke (Jan. 24), and a home game against No. 11 Louisville (Feb. 7).
Facts and figures
Wake Forest ranked 353rd of 355 Division I teams in 3-point percentage last year (28.5%). … Forbes has won at least 19 games overall and 10 league games in four straight seasons. … The Demon Deacons have been to the NCAA Tournament once since 2010, coming in a 2017 First Four appearance under Danny Manning.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball