2022-23 Record: 19-14, 10-10 ACC (8th)
Coach: Steve Forbes, Fourth Season
Departures: Tyree Appleby, G (Graduation)
Daivien Williamson, G (Graduation)
Bobi Klintman, F (Pro)
Davion Bradford, C (Transfer)
Lucas Taylor, W (Transfer)
Arrivals: Hunter Sallis, G (Transfer from Gonzaga)
Kevin "Boopie" Miller, F (Transfer from Central Michigan)
Abramo Canka, W (Transfer from UCLA)
Efton Reid, C (Transfer from Gonzaga)
Parker Friedrichsen, G (Freshman)
Aaron Clark, W (Freshman)
Marqus Marion, W (Freshman)
Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Hunter Sallis
SG: Cameron Hildreth
SF: Domari Monsanto
PF: Andrew Carr
C: Matthew Marsh
Roster Breakdown
Steve Forbes will be looking to make his first NCAA Tournament since moving to Winston-Salem, and he's got a good returning core to help him do it. Four of the top six scorers return, and I would expect all of them to start. Cameron Hildreth and Domari Monsanto will man the wings while Andrew Carr and Matthew Marsh are back in the front court. Hildreth hails from England, and he stepped into a starting role last year as a sophomore. He put up 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He's a crafty ballhandler who is really good at finding angles to get past his man and get into the paint and score. Hildreth is also a very pesky defender, getting 1.2 steals a game and using his 6'4" frame to bother opposing guards. He only shot 32.8% from deep on just 1.8 attempts a game. Becoming more of a threat from distance at higher volume is the next step in his development in my opinion. However, if it doesn't happen, he doesn't have to worry, because Monsanto is a lights out shooter. He's made 38.6% of his threes across his first three seasons and made 40.5% of his 8 attempts per game last year. He's more than just a shooter though, scoring 13.3 points a game to go along with 3.6 rebounds, and at 6'6", he's got good size and is a solid defender as well. Carr and Marsh are somewhat similar players. Both are big men who are mostly operating inside the paint, although Carr can defend on the perimeter if need be. He transferred in from Delaware prior to last season, and actually improved his numbers in the ACC. He put up 10.7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block, and 0.9 steals a game. As you might imagine, he's got active hands on the defensive end, and at 6'9", he's big enough to play some small ball center. He can stretch it a little bit offensively, he shot 31.1% from deep, although he made 40.5% his final year at Delaware, but he is most effective down low. Marsh, like Hildreth, comes over from across the pond, and he put up 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds a game last year. Despite being 7'1", he's not a prolific shot blocker, and that could be the next step in his development defensively, while on the offensive end, he is mostly just finishing from the block. Jao Ituka, a transfer from Marist prior to last season, returns after suffering an injury that kept him out of most of last season, but with the new additions, he'll likely be a depth guard. Although, if his stats in the MAAC are anything to go by (15.3 points on 41% shooting from three), he could provide an offensive spark off the bench. In the front court, Zack Keller is back as well. He was the #131 recruit in the 247Composite in 2022, and actually started 6 games as a freshman, putting up 2.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 10.8 minutes last year. He'll likely see an increase in minutes this season, as he can play both the four and the five, and could be a bit of a breakout candidate for the Demon Deacons. They also bring in four new players from the transfer portal and three more from high school. Hunter Sallis and Efton Reid were both five star prospects in the 2021 class and are both transferring into the program from Gonzaga. Sallis is a tantalizing mix of size and skill, standing 6'5" and having the potential to operate as a point guard. He's an exceptional athlete who flies in the open court and has some great bounce, and his size and length make him a defensive disruptor. However, he never quite put everything together on the offensive end over his two years in Spokane, averaging 4.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1 assists while really struggling to shoot, making only 25.8% of his threes. Meanwhile, Reid actually played his freshman year at LSU before transferring to Gonzaga for his sophomore season. However, that move didn't work out, as he wasn't a key member of the rotation, only playing 4.6 minutes a game. This came after starting all 34 of the Tigers' games as a freshman, putting up 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. He's certainly skilled, with a wide array of post moves and decent touch on a jumper that is currently best in the mid range. His defensive impact mostly comes from his size, he's 6'11" and has a good frame, and he needs to improve as a shot blocker. However, there are questions about his eligibility, as he is a second time transfer and the NCAA has been more stringent with those waivers this year. Also joining out of the portal is former Central Michigan guard Kevin "Boopie" Miller, who has the best nickname on the team and potentially the ACC. He made the MAC All-Freshman team in 2011-22 after averaging 13.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals a game while shooting 36% from three. He got hurt after 4 games last year, but was averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 boards, and shooting 37.5% from three. He's a skilled ballhandler who's really good in ball screens, and he's quick with the ball in his hands. He's only 6 feet tall, so defense could be an issue at the ACC level, but I think the offense will translate. Finally, wing Abramo Canka joins from UCLA. He's 6'7" and super long and athletic, making him an impact defender. The Italian didn't find the court much in Westwood, playing only 5.4 minutes a game. His offensive game still needs to develop, but his defensive chops could get him on the court. Out of high school, Parker Friedrichsen joins in the backcourt and Aaron Clark and Marqus Marion join as wings. Friedrichsen is the #123 recruit per 247, and has a reputation as a strong shooter. He also attacks close outs well and gets into the mid range or to the rim, but he needs to add strength to his frame. Clark checks in at #135 in the class, and he's got more size at 6'6", but also needs to develop his body. He's not the same caliber of shooter as Friedrichsen, but he's skilled and can get to the rim or shoot it from deep offensively, and projects well on the defensive end as well. Marion is another international prospect, joining the Deacs from Denmark. He's 6'8" and was playing in the Danish league before committing. He, like the other two guys in the class, will need to get his body ready before he can contribute, and may be more of a long term play for Steve Forbes than an immediate contributor.
My Thoughts
I'm actually a bit down on the Demon Deacons this year. The narrative I've seen a lot is that Steve Forbes is going to work his transfer portal magic on a lead guard after Alondes Williams and Tyree Appleby flourished in his system. However, I'm somewhat skeptical that Hunter Sallis will have the same success. He's much more similar to Williams than Appleby, as neither Williams nor Sallis is a good shooter and have bigger frames, so there is some hope that Sallis can look similar. However, outside of Williams, basically everyone else in the rotation in 2021-22 was an above average shooter from deep, which allowed Williams to attack the rim and make plays with a well spaced floor. Meanwhile, when you look at my projected starting lineup, Domari Monsanto is the only guy I would consider to be an above average shooter in that group. Miller and Friedrichsen can definitely help off the bench, but they have questions defensively. I think we need to see Cameron Hildreth get up above 36% from deep and on higher volume for the floor spacing to be where it needs to be. As currently constructed, I think Sallis will be more of an open floor playmaker, while Hildreth runs the half court offense, as I think he's more effective there than Sallis currently is. Hunter is actually a strong off ball cutter, and could find a solid role in the halfcourt doing that. One of my hottest takes around this team is that there is a world where Boopie Miller is the starting point guard by the time we get towards March. He's a better fit for this offense in my opinion, with his ability to operate in ball screens and shoot from deep. I just haven't seen anything to sell me on Hunter Sallis being a lead guard yet, and I'm very interested to see how it plays out this year. The other big question comes around Efton Reid. I have less questions about how he'll translate, he showed as a freshman at LSU that he is at least a rotational big at the high major level. However, I'm pessimistic on his waiver given what we've seen thus far from the NCAA on two time transfers. That leaves the front court relatively sparse with Andrew Carr, Matthew Marsh, and Zack Keller (and maybe Marqus Marion) as the only guys I would expect to play. I'm actually pretty bullish on Keller taking a step forward this year because he had solid recruiting pedigree and Steve Forbes developmental track record at Wake Forest has been strong, with players like Hildreth, Marsh, and Monsanto continuing to improve year over year. Keller could be the next success story, and he can play both front court spots. I wouldn't be shocked to see him playing close to 20 minutes a game and putting up something like 6 and 4 in those minutes. I haven't mentioned it yet, but this should be a good defensive unit. Sallis has the potential to be absolutely elite on that end, and Hildreth, Monsanto, and Carr are all good defensively as well. Overall though, I have some questions about the fits on this team on the offensive end, and that, for me, has me slightly worried about what this team can accomplish this season.
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