Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Wake Forest (Projected: 3rd in ACC)
In just four years, Steve Forbes has completely rebuilt Wake Forest and has had the Demon Deacons consistently in the top half of the ACC. He hasn’t gotten over the hump and into the NCAA Tournament yet though, something that should be the expectation this season. This roster has top-end talent, high-potential transfers, and play in a conference that will be wide-open this season outside of UNC and Duke.
If there’s one reason for you to buy into this Wake Forest team, it’s returning senior guard Hunter Sallis (18 ppg). Sallis would likely be a top two conference player of the year candidate in any conference outside of the ACC and SEC, but he unluckily plays in the same conference as RJ Davis and Cooper Flagg. The return of Sallis not only gives the Demon Deacons a great boost of experience, but truly elite scoring at all three levels. With Sallis back, this team has second-weekend potential headlined by one of the best scorers in college basketball.
Sallis isn’t the only player back though, as Cameron Hildreth (14 ppg, 5 rpg) and Efton Reid III (10 ppg, 8 rpg) also return from last season’s starting lineup. Hildreth adds more scoring to the backcourt alongside Sallis, along with his ability on the defensive end. Reid returns after getting a late start to last season before the transfer ruling was changed, transferring in to Wake Forest as a two-time transfer. Reid was elite on the boards for the Demon Deacons and was efficient from the field (54.6% FG) throughout the season. Rounding out Forbes’ list of returners are sophomores Parker Friedrichsen (5 ppg) and Marqus Marion (1 ppg).
Five players left Wake Forest this offseason, most notably starting point guard Kevin “Boopie” Miller (16 ppg, 4 apg). The other loss in the backcourt was senior guard Damari Monsanto (5 ppg). In the frontcourt, the Demon Deacons lost Andrew Carr (14 ppg, 7 rpg), Matthew Marsh (2 ppg) and Zach Keller (2 ppg).
Steve Forbes landed five transfers from the portal this offseason, with a primary target of high-potential incoming sophomores. The guy I’m most excited about in the class is Ty-Laur Johnson (9 ppg, 4 apg at Louisville). It is a bit scary to hype a guy who was a part of that disastrous Louisville team last season, but Johnson’s ability to defend and to create for his teammates excites me, especially when you think about the fact that he’ll share a backcourt with Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth. If Johnson can become a more efficient scorer with better talent surrounding him, the sky is the limit for this Wake Forest backcourt. Davin Cosby Jr. (4 ppg at Alabama) is the other guard arriving via the transfer portal, another high-major recruit transferring in after his freshman season. Cosby Jr. saw just eight minutes per game last season at Alabama, but with more time as a sophomore, he could develop into an important piece for the Demon Deacons.
The frontcourt also saw its fair share of newcomers, highlighted by Appalachian State transfer TreVon Spillers (13 ppg, 9 rpg at Appalachian State). At just 6-7, Spillers was an impressive rebounder in his lone season for the Mountaineers after transferring up from the JUCO level. If he can continue to be a force inside, his partnership with Reid could be one of the best in the ACC. Another pair of sophomores round out the transfer class for Forbes, with Omaha Biliew (2 ppg at Iowa State) and Churchill Abass (4 ppg, 4 rpg at DePaul) entering the program. Both Biliew and Abass didn’t quite have the freshman seasons they would’ve hoped for but are looking for a new beginning and should have a role in the Wake Forest frontcourt.
Two incoming freshmen complete the Wake Forest roster for 2024-25. Juke Harris (4*, NAT 91) should have an impact in the backcourt from day one, likely taking over as the face of the backcourt after Sallis and Hildreth graduate this spring. Mason Hagedorn (Unranked) was a late commitment to the program, committing to Wake Forest just two and a half months ago. He’s unlikely to be a factor in the frontcourt as a freshman, especially when you consider how full the rotation already is.
Steve Forbes has done a terrific job to get Wake Forest basketball back on track since he took over. The only knock on his resume with the Demon Deacons right now is that he has yet to reach an NCAA Tournament, but I have to believe that changes this season. With Forbes at the helm, Wake Forest should be a competitive team in the top half of the ACC, and with the number of sophomores he just brought in via the transfer portal, he has a talented core for the next three seasons already in his hands.
We know the guy who will be the guy at Wake Forest this year, and there’s no doubt that it is Hunter Sallis. For this team to really be dangerous though, some of the incoming sophomores need to take a big step up from their freshman campaigns. Ty-Laur Johnson is my pick to be the X-factor for the Demon Deacons, an extremely talented guard who will thrive in finding open looks for Sallis and Cameron Hildreth. As I mentioned earlier, if he adds his own consistent shot to the mix, this Wake Forest team could be scary good on a national level.
The ACC is much weaker than the Big 12, SEC, and Big Ten going into 2024-25 in my eyes. This isn’t a slouch at Wake Forest, but it can definitely benefit from a softer conference, getting its inexperienced sophomores up to speed for postseason play. I’ve got the Demon Deacons finishing 3rd in the ACC, behind only their in-state rivals, Duke and North Carolina.