NCAA Basketball: SEC controls 22′ 5-star Brandon Huntley-Hatfield’s top-5
By Ian Mumm
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Demon Deacons have hit the ground running under new head coach Steve Forbes. Since taking over the program, Forbes has managed to hold together the team’s most valuable pieces, excluding center Olivier Sarr, add talented transfers Daivien Williamson and Jalen Johnson, and land a commitment from talented point guard Carter Whitt.
Coupled with his early successes, the continued presence and consideration of Wake Forest by 5-star forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is sending clear signals about the trending direction of the program.
Huntley-Hatfield would become the program’s highest-rated recruit ever, which includes the likes of Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, and Al-Farouq Aminu. His skill set and production in the frontcourt is desperately missing from the 2020 and projected 2021 rosters.
In fact, after losing the top-3 scoring options from last season’s team, Coach Forbes is looking for weapons all over the floor to rebuild with. Promising talent Ismael Massoud, Jacobi Neath, and Isaiah Mucius will certainly help to plug the holes, but the Demon Deacons would significantly improve with a frontcourt player of Huntley-Hatfield’s caliber.
His versatility on both ends of the floor will provide tremendous rotational flexibility for Coach Forbes to utilize. Most importantly he’s another ball-handling capable player on the floor and a player who will create offense through many avenues that can open opportunities for the rest of the roster.