NCAA Basketball: Which 2018 recruiting classes could be most influential?

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Class ranking: No. 22 nationally

Wake Forest has reached the NCAA Tournament just one time in the last eight seasons. It has been a really rough stretch of years for the Demon Deacons but there is hope on the horizon. Danny Manning has not been incredibly successful in his leadership of the program but will this recruiting class be a changing of the tides for him?

At the forefront of the class, 6’8″ forward Jaylen Hoard (No. 21) is going to be an absolute nightmare to cover in the ACC. Duke gets a lot of credit for their ridiculous recruiting class but Hoard might be the most important incoming freshman in the conference. He is an active defender who can score in a variety of ways. Along with senior Bryant Crawford, who is declared for the NBA Draft without an agent, there could be an excellent scoring duo for the Demon Deacons.

Another versatile wing, Isaiah Mucius (No. 91) is another top-100 recruit with plenty of upside. He is a face-up forward with the ability to shoot the ball from distance or attack the basket and finish. Mucius runs the floor very well and should be a valuable asset on both ends of the floor for Coach Manning.

Two underrated guards are also in the class. While they might not be instant performers in Winston-Salem, Jamie Lewis (No. 270) and Sharone Wright Jr. (No. 288) will hopefully develop well in their time on campus. Wake Forest has fairly solid guard play returning from last season but adding some fresh faces is never a bad thing. The last commit in the class is 6’10” big man Christian Lorng (No. 355). Although not a highly ranked recruit, Lorng received interest from several other high-major programs, including Creighton and South Florida.

With five recruits coming in, this will hopefully be the group of players that allows Coach Manning and the Demon Deacons to return to prominence in the ACC.