ACC Basketball: Ranking of top 25 players entering 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
22. Damari Monsanto – Wake Forest
When he’s been healthy and on the court, Monsanto has been a fantastic asset for the Demon Deacons. He started his career at East Tennessee State, redshirting before a great campaign as a freshman. Monsanto moved to Wake Forest in 2021 but has played just 44 games the last two seasons, with a knee injury ending his season early last year.
Still, he averaged 13.3 points per game last season and has made more than 40% of his 3-poiners at Wake Forest. Not only is he important to this team as a scorer, but he’s one of the ACC’s most consistent long-range shooters. A healthy Monsanto puts Wake Forest in position to compete in this conference, even if not at the very top of the league.
21. Casey Morsell – NC State
Having a veteran, experienced presence in the backcourt is a major asset for any program, especially in someone like Morsell, who has four years of experience in the ACC and is a former Top 100 prospect. After spending his underclassman years at Virginia he’s been part of the Wolfpack for the last two seasons, averaging 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last year, his first season as a full-time starter.
Now in year five, Morsell will be asked to do even more for NC State, who shed a few solid pieces in the offseason. He did shoot lights out from beyond the arc, making 41% of those outside shots, and did a great job taking care of the basketball. That part of his game has improved with each passing season and Kevin Keatts will look for Morsell to score in all kinds of ways this season.