Busting Brackets
Fansided

Wake Forest Basketball: Analyzing Demon Deacons’ 2021 incoming recruiting class

By Cooper Watson

WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 25: A Wake Forest Demon Deacons basketball before their game against the Duke Blue Devils at LJVM Coliseum Complex on February 25, 2020 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 25: A Wake Forest Demon Deacons basketball before their game against the Duke Blue Devils at LJVM Coliseum Complex on February 25, 2020 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
NCAA Basketball
Steve Forbes at East Tennessee State (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

4. Damari Monsanto

Monsanto had surgery in June to repair his torn Achilles. He will miss the entire 2021-22 season. Having said that, his addition is still noteworthy moving forward for a program in the middle of a rebuild.

Monsanto was originally recruited by Steve Forbes back at ETSU in 2019. After redshirting as a freshman, Monsanto put together an impressive season last year, averaging 11.8 points and 7.3 boards per game. He was the consensus Southern Conference Freshman of the Year as well as a member of the All-SoCon Third Team.

With program and coaching uncertainty throughout last season, Monsanto decided to make the jump to the ACC, playing for his former coach in a system he’s at least partially familiar with.

Monsanto is listed as a 6’6″ guard, although with his physicality and rebounding ability he can easily play a traditional small forward role in Forbes’ system.

3. Alondes Williams

The 6’5”, 210-pound shooting guard started 14 games for Oklahoma last season before contracting COVID-19 which kept him out for three weeks and had a visible impact on his eventual return. Despite this challenge, he was still effectively the Sooners’ sixth man, averaging 18.5 minutes and 6.7 points per game, both sixth on the team.

Williams is a ridiculous athlete, ready and willing to go straight over the defense to finish at the rim. He also has the ability to finish with either hand, making him an excellent slasher and open-court player. Williams shot 83.9% from the free-throw line but just 16.7% from deep—a clear area for potential improvement.

Hopefully, Williams has had a productive summer, battling off any potential long-term effects and fully returning to basketball shape. If that is the case, he will play a major role for Wake Forest this season, either as a starter or as a high-impact role player.

Home/Wake Forest Demon Deacons