Wake Forest is wasting no time putting its new identity on the floor.
Steve Forbes has spent the preseason pushing one message: his team has to be tougher, more physical, and better at absorbing contact. That test arrives Monday night when the Demon Deacons open the season at home against Maryland-Eastern Shore in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The preseason offered a couple of early warning lights, with Wake Forest falling by 17 points to Georgetown and then losing by nine at Southern Carolina. Forbes made clear afterward where he wants the next step to come from.
"We have to do a better job of playing through physicality," Forbes said.
Wake Forest went 18-17 a year ago, but the roster looks very different now. Sophomore guard Isaac Carr is the only player back who handled a significant role, and Forbes believes he can grow into a major defensive piece.
"I think he can be a really high-level defensive player," Forbes said. "He's a really good athlete. He's in elite condition."
Carr said the new group is already starting to click, both socially and competitively.
"I think the guys we have on our team, we get along really well," Carr said. "I think that's a big part for us. We also got some good size this year, but I think the biggest thing is just how competitive we are in practice and how together we are."
The Deacons also bring in some new faces with clear roles. Kansas transfer Jamari McDowell is expected to start on the wing, while Merrimack transfer Kevair Kennedy steps in at point guard after a standout season in which he averaged 18.4 points and 4.2 assists and won Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors.
Forbes said Kennedy brings exactly the kind of edge he wants.
"I think that he embodies a lot of things that I believe in -- grittiness and toughness and relentlessness," Forbes said.
Wake Forest fans will also get their first look at freshman twins Gavin Placide and Gallagher Placide, with Gavin listed at 6-foot-11 and Gallagher at 6-9. Forbes singled out Gavin’s rebounding as an early area to sharpen.
"I think Gavin is a really good player," Forbes said. "We just need him to go rebound more."
Maryland-Eastern Shore arrives with its own reset in progress after a 9-23 season. Still, coach Cleo Hill Jr. is leaning into a difficult nonconference slate, one that includes three games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents and road trips to Rhode Island, DePaul and Saint Joseph's among 12 non-conference away games.
"We wanted to be intentional about our schedule," said coach Cleo Hill Jr., who begins his third season. "It's a matter of us adjusting."
The Hawks do have a few pieces to watch. Guard Saadiq Moore, a transfer from Triton College, could be one of the key names in the backcourt.
Sophomore forward Levi Beckwith, a Raleigh, N.C., native, is the lone returnee from last season’s rotation after starting 24 games and averaging 2.0 points and 2.9 rebounds. Moore, who also spent a year at Boise State, may handle point guard duties.
Hill also knows the area well. Before taking over at Maryland-Eastern Shore, he coached six seasons at Division II Winston-Salem State.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Suddenly Looks Like A Real ACC Threat
Wake Forests latest surge has turned a promising season into something much more serious. The Demon Deacons rolled past Virginia 51-7 for their fourth straight blowout win, and the performance only strengthened the sense that this team has found its stride on both sides of the ball. Carlos Hernandez and Gio Lopez helped drive the offense again, while the defense smothered Virginia from start to finish as Wake Forest moved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the ACC.
For a program that has spent the fall climbing into the league conversation, the margin of victory was almost as striking as the result itself. Wake Forest now sits in a strong position to stay in the hunt for the ACC Championship Game, and the next question is whether this run is a hot streak or the start of something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]