Wake Forest’s men’s basketball program is sending out plenty of familiar names as professional seasons get rolling, with former Demon Deacons spread across the NBA, the G League and leagues around the globe.
The headliners are John Collins and Jake LaRavia, both of whom are on NBA rosters as the 2026-27 season opens today, Oct. 20.
Collins is in his 10th year in the league and his first with the Detroit Pistons after signing a three-year deal in July 2026. The former first-round pick went 19th overall to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2017 draft, then spent six seasons in Atlanta, two with the Utah Jazz and one with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Across his nine previous NBA seasons, Collins has consistently produced double-digit scoring and more than five rebounds per game, and he is coming off a 2025-26 campaign in which he posted 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field.
Collins and Detroit begin the season against the Celtics today at 3 p.m. ET on NBA/Peacock.
LaRavia is entering his fifth NBA season and his second with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 19th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies has also spent time with Sacramento and Los Angeles during his career.
Last season, he averaged 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. The Lakers open against the Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 10 p.m.
ET on ESPN.
Wake Forest’s NBA footprint goes well beyond those two names. The school points to a long line of pro success that includes Tim Duncan and Chris Paul, and 15 Demon Deacons have been first-round NBA Draft picks.
The pipeline continues in the NBA G League, where five more Wake Forest alumni are currently on rosters with four different organizations. Cameron Hildreth is with the Noblesville Boom in the Indiana Pacers system, Damari Monsanto and Alondes Williams are with the Capital City Go-Go tied to the Washington Wizards, Hunter Sallis is with the San Diego Clippers in the Los Angeles Clippers organization, and Tre'Von Spillers is with the Cleveland Charge, part of the Cleveland Cavaliers system.
Wake Forest’s influence also shows up in team staff roles around the NBA and G League. L.D. Williams is on the Chicago Bulls coaching staff, Ikenna Smart is on the Portland Trailblazers coaching staff, Tommy Eanes works in the Memphis Grizzlies front office, Mitchell Wilbekin is the GM of the Memphis Hustle, Ish Smith scouts for the Washington Wizards, Bob Staak scouts for the Miami Heat, Billy Schmidt works in analytics for the Los Angeles Clippers and Olivia Summiel is in the Utah Jazz front office.
Internationally, more than 20 Wake Forest alumni are playing professionally across Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The list includes Tyree Appleby in Greece, Chaundee Brown in Japan, Andrew Carr in Australia, Brandon Childress in Turkey, Bryant Crawford in Israel, Ian DuBose in Denmark, Cornelius Hudson in Dubai, C.J. Harris in Greece, Jaylen Hoard in Israel, Tariq Ingraham in Slovakia, Bobi Klintman in Italy, Codi Miller-McIntyre in Greece, Dinos Mitoglou in Greece, Isaiah Mucius in Poland, Efton Reid III in Lithuania, Olivier Sarr in Spain, Darius Songaila in Lithuania as a coach, Khadim Sy in China, Lucas Taylor in Finland, Terrence Thompson in Thailand and Daivien Williamson in Mexico.
Wake Forest’s 2026-27 season begins Monday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m. against Maryland Eastern Shore at LJVM Coliseum.
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Wake Forests Next ACC Test Now Carries Extra Halloween Stakes
With Wake Forest on a bye week, the ACC has now put the Demon Deacons' next conference test in plain view: Virginia will come to Allegacy Financial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, with a midafternoon kickoff and a national-TV window attached. It gives the program a little extra time to regroup before diving back into league play, and it also adds a bit of seasonal intrigue to a matchup that already carries some familiar ACC weight.
The Cavaliers have been a steady benchmark in this series, and Wake Forest has reason to feel good about how the last meeting unfolded. The Deacons edged Virginia 16-9 in that game, with Carlos Hernandez providing the spark on a punt return touchdown, and now the rematch arrives with both teams looking to make their next move in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forests 6-1 Start Suddenly Feels More Real For One Reason
Wake Forests 41-7 win did more than pad the record, it gave a deeper statistical jolt to a start that already had people around the program taking notice. Pro Football Focus handed out strong grades across the board, a sign that the Demon Deacons are not just winning games, but stacking evidence that the performance level is rising with the results. Quarterback Gio Lopez drew especially high marks, while tight end Dominick Barry, linebacker Vincent Firenze and offensive lineman Clinton Richard all stood out in the grading process for the kind of contributions that usually say more than a scoreboard ever can.
The encouraging part for Wake Forest is how broad the praise was. It was not just one hot hand or one isolated breakout showing up in the numbers, but a collection of players getting recognized for doing their jobs at a high level, from pass protection to defensive impact to production in the passing game. The next question is whether that individual recognition becomes a regular part of the weekly conversation, because if it does, this 6-1 start may look even more sustainable than it already does. [Read more 🡒]