Wake Forest Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Demon Deacons
By Caleb Hall
Wake Forest Potential Starting Lineup
Point Guard: Kevin Miller
Kevin Miller will likely start for Wake next season as a transfer from Central Michigan. He only played in 4 games last season but in those 4 he averaged 18.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. In the season before that Miller averaged around the same numbers except with 13 ppg instead. Miller looks to be a proven ball handler and scorer with an ability to distribute the ball while also being able to cut to the basket and shoot the three effectively. Miller will have to adjust to playing in the ACC, but he should be able to be at least a good enough starter at the point guard position for Wake this season.
Shooting Guard: Cameron Hildreth
Cameron Hildreth will be the best returning starter for Wake this season and he will likely be the leading scorer for the 2023-24 season. Hildreth averaged 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, while shooting 46.5% from the floor and 32.8% from three last season. He was the 2nd leading scorer on the team last year and showed a lot of good ability to cut to the basket and although his three point percentage isn’t outstanding, he can shoot the ball from the outside. I would expect Hildreth to take another step forward this season, and he will be one of the most important players on this Wake Forest roster.
Small Forward: Damari Monsanto
Damari Monsanto will likely start for the small forward position for Wake this season and will look to be a good 3 & D player for them in 2023-24. Monsanto averaged 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1 steal a game last year for the Deacons. The most impressive thing about Monsanto is his ability to shoot the three. He shot 40.5% from three last season while also attempting around 8 a game. That is very efficient and because of that you can expect to see him outside the arc a lot this season. Monsanto will also likely be out till October so expect Hunter Sallis or Abramo Canka to possibly step up in the time until he comes back.
Power Forward: Andrew Carr
Andrew Carr is another returning to Wake this season and should look to start at the power forward position in 2023-24. Carr averaged 10.7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 0.9 blocks, while shooting 48.9% from the floor and 31.1% from three last season. Carr had some fantastic moments at Wake last season, the most notable being his buzzer beating winning shot over App. State last year. His size at 6’9 and his ability to score the basketball is what makes him stand out above others on the roster. Carr will be a good stretch 4 for Forbes and the Deacons next season as he looks to be a solid piece to this more experienced team.
Center: Matthew Marsh
Matthew Marsh looks like he will be getting the starting spot for Wake coming into the season. Efton Reid is still waiting on a ruling from the NCAA to see if he will be able to play this season, and even if he does he will likely be competing for equal minutes with Marsh. Marsh averaged 6.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, while shooting 88.3% last season. Marsh is an extremely efficient player and he attempted a fair amount of shots last season to go along with that (83 of 94 made FG). Marsh’s size is also something to take note of. He comes in as 7’1 and 250lbs, just based on his size alone he will be a decent rim protector based on the fact of how tall he is and how we can defend inside the paint. Marsh looks to hold down the center position for now for Wake Forest.