Carr is seen as a 4-star prospect who might surprise a bit. He’s generally seen as a shooter but Wake sold him on playing at the 1, 2, or 3 spot and he clearly thinks he’s not limited to just being a shooter. He has also said really nice things about the culture at Wake Forest.
Cross averaged 15.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game as a senior and hit 57 percent from the floor. His three point shooting wasn’t great at 23 percent but he could improve that with some work.
There’s not a lot of information about Beard out there so presumably he’s not expected to have a major impact this coming season.
Whether he does or not, Forbes has an interesting group. The problem for Wake Forest is this: the Deacs could be much better and still finish farther down the ACC standings.
First thing to keep in mind is that the hill is probably going to be steeper. Duke will remain difficult. UNC has built a solid roster. NC State will be a different beast with Will Wade in charge. Louisville is going nowhere. Clemson will be difficult as long as Brad Brownell sticks around. Notre Dame should be better and Miami and Virginia are on a recovery path.
If we were Wake fans, we’d be cautiously optimistic. Forbes has a solid history as a coach and as a talent evaluator. As Mike Krzyzewski once said, he has an ability to build a team quickly.
And this is important, given Wake’s history: he’s an extrovert. Bzdelik and Manning were not. Dino Gaudio was guarded. Skip Prosser was a good coach, but he was a bit remote.
Dave Odom? Quite outgoing. Media people adored him. Bob Staack? Dour and sour. Carl Tacy? Not really a warm and fuzzy guy.
It might be coincidental, but Wake Forest’s best runs have been under extroverted coaches: Bones McKinney got Wake to the Final Four. Odom got Randolph Childress and Tim Duncan to Reynolda. Prosser was not a natural extrovert but he managed well enough.
The quiet, reserved and withdrawn coaches didn’t really get the fan base. Wake is a passionate basketball school that struggles to keep up with Duke and UNC and, at times, NC State. Having a leader they can look up to is a really big deal.
Forbes provides a lot of that and his personality will allow Deacon fans to be more forgiving than they were with Manning or, God forbid, Bzdelik
There still seems to be good will for Forbes and there will be more if he makes the tournament this year, but ultimately the bottom line is winning. And Wake hasn’t done enough of that lately. It’s probably time to get it done.
