In about seven months, we’ve gone from Damari Monsanto being out for the season to it being newsworthy that coach Steve Forbes said Monsanto won’t play in either of Wake Forest’s games this week.

Quite the journey from a torn Achilles in the summer that was ruled, at the time, a season-ending injury.

“He’s released for full practice activity, he hasn’t been released to play,” Forbes said Monday afternoon. “That’s coming.”

Monday was the first day that Monsanto was cleared for full practice – he’s been practicing in a non-contact capacity for about three weeks.

Monsanto’s return to this point has gone from impossible to unlikely to, at this point, it seems more likely than not that he makes his Wake Forest debut this season.

Though, Forbes isn’t getting too far ahead of himself.

“As long as he keeps progressing the way we expect him to progress – that’s a tough injury. You know, an Achilles is a rough one,” he said. “And so, I’m not going to put the cart ahead of the horse.”

When Monsanto was cleared to return in a non-contact capacity, Forbes said he would have conversations with Monsanto and his parents about him returning so quickly after an Achilles tear – rehab times vary, but typically take somebody about a year to fully recover.

One such conversation occurred in Miami after the Deacons’ loss last weekend.

“I spoke to his dad in Miami for probably 20 minutes after the game,” Forbes said. “We’ll have another conversation probably (Monday) or (Tuesday) with him.”

If – and it’s looking like that word is going to turn into “when” soon enough – Monsanto returns this season, he’ll be the closest thing there is in college basketball to a midseason trade acquisition.

Wake Forest would suddenly have at its disposal a 6-6, 225-pound wing player who was the Southern Conference freshman of the year last season at East Tennessee State. Monsanto averaged 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season – his first after redshirting at ETSU in 2019-20, Forbes’ last season at the helm of the Buccaneers – and shot 35.8% on 3-pointers (49 of 137).

Monsanto transferred to Wake Forest after Jason Shay resigned as head coach of ETSU -- with Shay later joining Forbes at Wake Forest as an assistant coach.

In a video posted Monday – of walk-on Miles Lester being awarded a scholarship, which will be covered in a later story – Monsanto was wearing No. 30. He was No. 12 at East Tennessee State and as of Monday afternoon, his number was unlisted on Wake Forest’s roster.