There has certainly been some progress made at Wake Forest in recent years but all Steve Forbes has to show for six years in Winston-Same is three trips to the NIT. The Demon Deacons finished just 18-17 last season and took a major step back by finishing 13th in the ACC race. Forbes and company desperately want to break that NCAA Tournament drought and that’s not going to be an easy task.
The roster will look almost unrecognizable going into next season. Top scorer Juke Harris transferred to Tennessee, Myles Colvin headed to Cincinnati, and a number of other players either left town or ran out of eligibility. The most notable returner for the Demon Deacons is Isaac Carr, who barely saw the court as a freshman last season, while Vincent Ricchiuti hopes to play more significant minutes in this new-look frontcourt.
There’s clearly been an influx of talent this offseason, starting with 4-star forwards Gallagher and Gavin Placide. Forbes and his staff really busied themselves in the transfer portal as well, adding numerous names into the quation. 7-footer Antonio Dorn comes after spending a single season at Virginia Tech while Ring Nyeri and Xander Pintelon have great potential after time at Northern Colorado and Florida Atlantic respectively. Much attention will likely be paid to Jamari McDowell, the Kansas transfer who’ll slide into a major role in this backcourt.
It’s another new likely starter in that backcourt that gets our attention today by way of Kevair Kennedy. A 6-2 point guard out of Philadelphia, he’s fresh off a remarkably bright freshman season at Merrimack, averaging 18.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Not only was he his league’s top scorer, Kennedy was named both MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year and was a significant presence all over the court.
When you’re throwing together a new lineup, it’s important to have a competent point guard who can be an effective leader and playmaker. Kennedy isn’t some veteran weapon pulled from another power conference program. He put up monster numbers in the MAAC but life in the ACC is another ballgame. Wake Forest really needs him to make that big step forward as a sophomore as he adjusts to much stingier opposition.
Kennedy doesn’t need to match his production from Merrimack to be successful. The 1-2 punch of him and McDowell give the backcourt the potential to make noise in this league though a lot of things have to come together for Wake Forest. We won’t have many of these questions answered until the games start being played in November, but can some of these other transfer additions live up to their potential and help break what’s about to be a decade-long NCAA Tournament drought?
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