Wake Forest Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Demon Deacons

Starters

G Brandon Childress (6’0, Sr., 14.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 36.8 3pt%) — If your point guard is your team’s best player, your team is at the very least not a total disaster. If that player is also a senior, even better. Childress is still the type of player that a team can count on to lead it: he’s strong, sturdy and isn’t afraid of driving into traffic, as evidenced by his 4.9 free throw attempts per game, and he also averaged 2.4 treys and 1.5 steals. The son of Wake Forest legend Randolph Childress, he could start on most teams of his choosing, but he’s also probably the only Deacon for whom that’s true.

G Andrien White (6’3, Rs. Sr., 15.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 42.8 fg% in 2017-18) — White sat out last season after transferring from Charlotte. He was the 49ers’ second-leading scorer, but his efficiency from 3-point range fell off — a 40 percent 3-point shooter in his first two seasons, he hit just 32 percent in 2018. He’ll have more help around him this season, and after impressing as a scout team player last year, he’ll slot in alongside Childress and give the backcourt great chemistry.

G Chaundee Brown (6’5, Jr., 11.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 32.3 3pt%) — For a guard, Brown is physically overwhelming at 220 pounds, and he started to put that on display down the stretch last season. With his combination of size and scoring, he averaged 14.3 points and 8.1 rebounds over the last seven games. Brown can be this team’s second-best player, and him consistently playing like he did late last season could be the missing piece — well, one of many — for the Deacons.

F Isaiah Mucius (6’8, So., 6.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 23.5 3pt%) — In an ideal world, Mucius wouldn’t have played much last season. He weighed just 190 pounds, and it was clear in his play that more time in the weight room would come in handy — he shot just 32 percent from the field on seven shots per game. Still, Mucius, a consensus four-star recruit in 2018, has the skill set and high motor to play an important role.

C Olivier Sarr (7’0, Jr., 6.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg) — Last season, Sarr took the step forward that the Deacons hope Mucius can take this year. After shooting just 35 percent from the floor as a freshman, Sarr bulked up to 255 pounds, knocked down 47 percent of his shots and started half of Wake’s games. He’ll have to really cut down on his fouls (5.3 per 40 minutes) to truly anchor this team inside, but his outside shooting and defensive potential are intriguing.