2023–24 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represented Wake Forest University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Demon Deacons were led by fourth-year head coach Steve Forbes and played their home games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

2023–24 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball
NIT, Second Round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record21–14 (11–9 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaLJVM Coliseum
Seasons
2023–24 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 North Carolina 17 3   .850 29 8   .784
No. 9 Duke 15 5   .750 27 9   .750
Virginia 13 7   .650 23 11   .676
Pittsburgh 12 8   .600 22 11   .667
Wake Forest 11 9   .550 21 14   .600
No. 14 Clemson 11 9   .550 24 12   .667
Syracuse 11 9   .550 20 12   .625
Virginia Tech 10 10   .500 19 15   .559
Florida State 10 10   .500 17 16   .515
No. 10 NC State 9 11   .450 26 15   .634
Boston College 8 12   .400 20 16   .556
Notre Dame 7 13   .350 13 20   .394
Georgia Tech 7 13   .350 14 18   .438
Miami (FL) 6 14   .300 15 17   .469
Louisville 3 17   .150 8 24   .250
2024 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The Demon Deacons started the season 1–1, defeating Elon and losing to Georgia before participating in the Charleston Classic. They ended up in sixth place in the tournament after losing to Utah in the opening round and LSU in overtime in the fifth place game. From there, the Demon Deacons went on a six game winning streak defeating five non-Power 7 foes and Florida in the ACC–SEC Challenge. Their hot streak continued as they won their first three ACC games. The team cooled off and only one two of their next six games with losses against rivals NC State and rivals North Carolina who were ranked third at the time. The team then reversed their fortunes and won five of their next seven games, with the only two losses coming against ninth-ranked Duke and twenty-first ranked Virginia. During that streak, they avenged the rivalry loss to NC State and defeated then eighth-ranked Duke. The team could not carry that momentum through the final four games of the season as they lost three of those games. Their only win came on the final day of the season against Clemson.

The Demon Deacons finished the season 21–14 overall and 11–9 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. After winning both tiebreakers, they were awarded the fifth seed in the ACC tournament. They received a bye into the Second Round where they defeated twelfth seed Notre Dame, avenging a loss from the regular season. They lost to fourth seed Pittsburgh in the Quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament and were a first seed. They defeated Appalachian State in the First Round before losing to fourth-seed Georgia in the Second Round to end their season.

Previous season

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The Demon Deacons finished 2022–23 season finished the season 19–14, 10–10 in ACC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. As the ninth seed in the ACC tournament they defeated Syracuse before losing to Miami in the quarterfinals.

Offseason

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Departures

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Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Lucas Taylor 0 G 6'5" 195 Sophomore Wake Forest, NC Transferred to Georgia State[1]
Tyree Appleby 1 G 6'1" 165 GS Senior Jacksonville, AR Graduated/signed to play professionally in France with Limoges CSP[2]
Daivien Williamson 4 G 6'1" 180 GS Senior Winston-Salem, NC Graduated
Robert McCray 13 G 6'4" 185 Sophomore Columbia, SC Transferred to Jacksonville[3]
Davion Bradford 20 F 7'0" 270 Junior St. Louis, MO Transferred to New Mexico State[4]
Bobi Klintman 34 F 6'10" 225 Freshman Malmö, Sweden Signed to play professionally in Australia with Cairns Taipans[5]
Xiaolong Xu 45 G 6'1" 180 Junior Beijing, China Walk-on; not on team roster
Grant van Beveren 52 F 6'6" 215 Senior Alpharetta, GA Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons

Incoming transfers

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Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Kevin Miller 0 G 6'0" 165 Junior Chicago, IL Central Michigan[6]
Efton Reid 4 C 7'0" 240 Junior Richmond, VA Gonzaga[7]
Abramo Canka 10 G/F 6'6" 200 Sophomore Genoa, Italy UCLA[8]
Hunter Sallis 23 G 6'5" 180 Junior Omaha, NE Gonzaga[9]

2023 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Aaron Clark
#25 SG
Easton, PA Brewster Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 24, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 82
Marqus Marion
#47 SF
Skovlunde, Denmark BMS Herlev 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Feb 7, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: NR
Parker Friedrichsen
#16 SG
Bixby, OK Bixby 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Feb 20, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Wake Forest Demon Deacons". ESPN.com.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2024 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2024 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Juke Harris
#23 SG
Salisbury, NC Salisbury High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Mar 24, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 85
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2023–24 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Kevin Miller 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS So Victory Rock Prep
Central Michigan
Chicago, IL
F 1 Marqus Marion 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr BMS Herlev Skovlunde, Denmark
G 2 Cameron Hildreth 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Surrey Scorchers Worthing, England
F/C 4 Efton Reid 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr IMG Academy
Gonzaga
Richmond, VA
G 10 Abramo Canka 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Lokomotiv Kuban
UCLA
Genoa, Italy
F 11 Andrew Carr 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr West Chester East
Delaware
West Chester, PA
G 13 Aaron Clark 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Easton, PA
G 20 Parker Friedrichsen 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Bixby Bixby, OK
G 23 Hunter Sallis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Millard North
Gonzaga
Omaha, NE
F 25 Zach Keller 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 228 lb (103 kg) So ThunderRidge Highlands Ranch, CO
G 30 Damari Monsanto 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Western
East Tennessee State
Pembroke Pines, FL
G 31 Jao Ituka 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Jr Gaithersburg
Marist
Gaithersburg, MD
C 33 Matthew Marsh 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne Cornwall, England
G 40 RJ Kennah (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Kent Denver Parker, CO
F 45 Vincent Ricchiuti (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr St. Augustine San Diego, CA
G 51 Kevin Dunn (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Choate Rosemary Hall Winston-Salem, NC
G 52 Will Underwood (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Mahtomedi Mahtomedi, MN
F 55 Owen Kmety (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So La Lumiere School Chicago, IL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Source:[10]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2023*
1:00 p.m.
No. 24 Alabama W 88–80 
 28  Hildreth   10  Carr   2  Tied  LJVM Coliseum (2,679)
Winston-Salem, NC
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
Elon W 101–78  1–0
 33  Hildreth   9  Carr   5  Hildreth  LJVM Coliseum (6,641)
Winston-Salem, NC
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN
at Georgia L 77–80  1–1
 22  Miller   8  Tied   7  Miller  Stegeman Coliseum (8,176)
Athens, GA
November 16, 2023*
9:00 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Utah
Charleston Classic quarterfinals
L 70–77  1–2
 20  Sallis   6  Friedrichsen   3  Miller  TD Arena (2,745)
Charleston, SC
November 17, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Towson
Charleston Classic consolation 2nd round
W 71–61  2–2
 25  Miller   8  Carr   3  Tied  TD Arena (3,029)
Charleston, SC
November 19, 2023*
3:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. LSU
Charleston Classic 5th Place Game
L 80–86 OT 2–3
 22  Sallis   9  Tied   8  Miller  TD Arena (2,753)
Charleston, SC
November 24, 2023*
1:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
Charleston Southern W 71–56  3–3
 21  Hildreth   10  Carr   3  Tied  LJVM Coliseum (6,702)
Winston-Salem, NC
November 29, 2023*
7:15 p.m., ESPNU
Florida
ACC–SEC Challenge
W 82–71  4–3
 24  Sallis   6  Tied   4  Tied  LJVM Coliseum (8,165)
Winston-Salem, NC
December 6, 2023*
6:00 p.m., ACCN
Rutgers W 76–57  5–3
 23  Miller   14  Reid III   6  Hildreth  LJVM Coliseum (7,692)
Winston-Salem, NC
December 9, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ACCN
NJIT W 83–59  6–3
 19  Friedrichsen   6  Tied   6  Miller  LJVM Coliseum (7,224)
Winston-Salem, NC
December 18, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ACCN
Delaware State W 88–59  7–3
 19  Sallis   11  Carr   5  Miller  LJVM Coliseum (6,423)
Winston-Salem, NC
December 21, 2023*
3:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+
Presbyterian W 91–68  8–3
 21  Carr   9  Carr   7  Miller  LJVM Coliseum (6,775)
Winston-Salem, NC
ACC regular season
December 30, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN2
Virginia Tech W 86–63  9–3
(1–0)
 20  Sallis   9  Sallis   2  Tied  LJVM Coliseum (10,055)
Winston-Salem, NC
January 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ACCN
at Boston College W 84–78  10–3
(2–0)
 21  Sallis   14  Reid III   7  Miller  Conte Forum (4,265)
Chestnut Hill, MA
January 6, 2024
2:15 p.m., The CW
Miami (FL) W 86–82 OT 11–3
(3–0)
 27  Miller   11  Reid III   5  Carr  LJVM Coliseum (8,706)
Winston-Salem, NC
January 9, 2023
7:00 p.m., ACCN
at Florida State L 82–87  11–4
(3–1)
 25  Hildreth   9  Reid III   5  Miller  Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (5,368)
Tallahassee, FL
January 13, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN2
Virginia W 66–47  12–4
(4–1)
 21  Sallis   12  Carr   7  Miller  LJVM Coliseum (9,855)
Winston-Salem, NC
January 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ACCN
at NC State
Rivalry
L 76–83  12–5
(4–2)
 28  Carr   7  Tied   4  MIller  PNC Arena (13,836)
Raleigh, NC
January 20, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPNU
Louisville W 90–65  13–5
(5–2)
 19  Sallis   11  Hildreth   6  Hildreth  LJVM Coliseum (9,261)
Winston-Salem, NC
January 22, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 3 North Carolina
Rivalry
L 64–85  13–6
(5–3)
 14  Carr   7  Tied   1  Tied  Dean Smith Center (21,175)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 31, 2024
7:00 p.m., ACCN
at Pittsburgh L 72–77  13–7
(5–4)
 22  Sallis   10  Reid III   3  Sallis  Petersen Events Center (7,769)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 3, 2023
7:45 p.m., The CW
Syracuse W 99–70  14–7
(6–4)
 24  Sallis   12  Hildreth   5  Sallis  LJVM Coliseum (11,412)
Winston-Salem, NC
February 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Georgia Tech W 80–51  15–7
(7–4)
 17  Hildreth   10  Carr   4  Hildreth  McCamish Pavilion (4,239)
Atlanta, GA
February 10, 2024
4:00 p.m., ACCN
NC State
Rivalry
W 83–79  16–7
(8–4)
 33  Sallis   7  Carr   6  Miller  LJVM Coliseum (12,571)
Winston-Salem, NC
February 12, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 9 Duke L 69–77  16–8
(8–5)
 22  Sallis   7  Miller   4  Sallis  Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
February 17, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN2
at No. 21 Virginia L 47–49  16–9
(8–6)
 12  Sallis   12  Reid III   4  Hildreth  John Paul Jones Arena (14,637)
Charlottesville, VA
February 20, 2024
9:00 p.m., ACCN
Pittsburgh W 91–58  17–9
(9–6)
 18  Miller   8  Carr   5  Tied  LJVM Coliseum (7,448)
Winston-Salem, NC
February 24, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 8 Duke W 83–79  18–9
(10–6)
 29  Sallis   6  Sallis   5  Miller  LJVM Coliseum (14,744)
Winston-Salem, NC
February 27, 2024
9:00 p.m., ACCN
at Notre Dame L 65–70  18–10
(10–7)
 16  Miller   10  Reid III   5  Miller  Joyce Center (4,698)
South Bend, IN
March 2, 2023
5:30 p.m., The CW
at Virginia Tech L 76–87  18–11
(10–8)
 21  Miller   9  Reid III   6  Miller  Cassell Coliseum (8,925)
Blacksburg, VA
March 5, 2024
9:00 p.m., ACCN
Georgia Tech L 69–70  18–12
(10–9)
 22  Sallis   6  Reid III   3  Sallis  LVJM Coliseum (7,481)
Winston-Salem, NC
March 9, 2024
6:00 p.m., ACCN
Clemson W 81–76  19–12
(11–9)
 22  Sallis   7  Tied   4  Sallis  LJVM Coliseum (12,288)
Winston-Salem, NC
ACC tournament
March 13, 2024
2:30 p.m., ESPN
(5) vs. (12) Notre Dame
Second Round
W 72–59  20–12
 17  Miller   11  Carr   5  Reid III  Capital One Arena (9,920)
Washington, D.C.
March 14, 2024
2:30 p.m., ESPN2
(5) vs. (4) Pittsburgh
Quarterfinals
L 69–81  20–13
 23  Hildreth   9  Carr   4  Sallis  Capital One Arena (14,920)
Washington, D.C.
NIT
March 20, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+
(1) Appalachian State
First Round - Wake Forest Bracket
W 87–76  21–13
 31  Miller   12  Reid III   3  Tied  LJVM Coliseum (6,733)
Winston-Salem, NC
March 24, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN2
(1) (4) Georgia
Second Round - Wake Forest Bracket
L 66–72  21–14
 31  Carr   11  Carr   3  Reid III  LJVM Coliseum (4,772)
Winston-Salem, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRVRV
CoachesRVRVRVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

References

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  1. ^ Moore, Ben (May 9, 2023). "GSU Basketball Lands Wake Forest Transfer Guard Lucas Taylor". 247Sports. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "Le meneur Tyree Appleby a signé au Limoges CSP". limogescsp.com (in French). July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Johns, Les (March 14, 2023). "Wake Forest redshirt freshman guard Robert McCray set to enter NCAA Transfer Portal". 247Sports. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  4. ^ "Aggies Land Seven-Foot Power Five Transfer Davion Bradford". nmstatesports.com. New Mexico State Athletics. September 6, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Taylor, Cody (15 May 2023). "Report: Wake Forest's Bobi Klintman has withdrawn from the draft combine". Rookie Wire. USA Today. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Addition of Miller Boosts Demon Deacon Backcourt". godeacs.com. May 8, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. ^ "Gonzaga big man Efton Reid transfers to Wake Forest". si.com. FanSided. May 4, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  8. ^ "Demon Deacons Bring On Canka to 2023 Roster". godeacs.com. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Former Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis transfers to Wake Forest: How he fits with the program". theathletic.com. The Athletic. April 26, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". godeacs.com. Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved September 25, 2023.