Deacons bringing in five transfers to go with five returners and one incoming freshman
Over the last five days, Wake Forest has officially announced all five of its incoming transfers to its men’s basketball team.
It’s more or less housekeeping; the players all committed in the previous two months.
Within the announcements, you can get the sense of a common theme — or as much of one that can be gleaned from press release quotes. It’s clear that this time around in recruiting the transfer portal, coach Steve Forbes wanted to find versatility, defensive prowess and competitiveness.
Most of what’s below is self-explanatory. The “likely role” designations are tough to pin down five months before a game is played, though they’re easier now that we know Wake Forest has three returning starters in Hunter Sallis, Cameron Hildreth and Efton Reid III.
Here is each incoming transfer in a snapshot:
Ty-Laur Johnson (Louisville)
Size: 6-foot, 160.
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Years of eligibility remaining: Three.
Likely role: Instant offense off the bench, additional ball-handling, provide pesky defense on opposing point guards.
Last season stats: 30 games, 8 starts, 23.1 minutes/game | 8.7 ppg, 3.6 apg, 1.8 rpg | 37.4% FG, 19.4% 3-pointers (12-62), 82.4% FT (89-108) | 95.2 ORTG, 31.0 Assist Rate, 22.7 Turnover Rate (KenPom).
Wake Forest connection: He’s one of two incoming transfers to have played the Deacons last season. Johnson had three points, three rebounds and three assists in Wake’s 90-65 win over Louisville in January (otherwise known as Damari Monsanto Day).
Forbes quote: “Ty-Laur possesses elite end-to-end speed and quickness on offense and defense. He is very unselfish with the ball and is very disruptive on defense. Watching Ty-Laur this past season at Louisville, I was very impressed with his competitiveness and his unwillingness to back down to anyone he played against.”
Davin Cosby Jr. (Alabama)
Size: 6-5, 205.
Hometown: Richmond, Va.
Years of eligibility remaining: Three.
Likely role: Floor-spacer, instant-long-range shooting off the bench.
Last season stats: 22 games, 7.8 minutes/game | 3.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg | 36.6% FG, 34.4% 3-pointers (22-64) | 111.0 ORTG, 52.1% eFG, 9.6 Assist Rate, 10.3 Defensive Rebound Rate (KenPom).
Wake Forest connection: The Deacons were the runners-up for Cosby in his high school recruitment, so when he entered the portal, that familiarity led to a speedy reacquaintance. Cosby also knows Reid, coming from the same hometown, and played with the same AAU program as incoming freshman Juke Harris.
Commitment story link. | Commitment feature story.
Forbes quote: “Davin is an outstanding shooter who possesses deep range on his jumper. He can score the ball off the catch and off the bounce. He brings tremendous positional size to our backcourt on both offense and defense. Our staff developed a very close relationship with Davin and his family during the time we recruited him out of high school, and we are very excited to have the opportunity to now have him and his family in our program.”
Omaha Biliew (Iowa State)
Size: 6-8, 225.
Hometown: Denison, Iowa.
Years of eligibility remaining: Three.
Likely role: Probable starter with some versatility to play the 3-position or the 4; enticing potential, given he was a 5-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American.
Last season stats: 20 games, 7.5 minutes/game | 2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg | 51.7% FG, 0-3 on 3-pointers, 60.7% FT (17-28) | 110.7 ORTG, 8.9% Offensive Rebound Rate, 5.5 – both fouls committed per 40 minutes and fouls drawn per 40 (KenPom).
Wake Forest connection: Played on the same AAU team with rising sophomore Parker Friedrichsen.
Forbes quote: “Omaha is a versatile offensive player who has the ability to score off the catch, off the bounce, and with his back to the basket. He competes with great energy and passion on defense, giving him the ability to guard multiple positions on the floor. Omaha has an infectious smile and personality making him someone that people naturally gravitate towards.”
Tre’Von Spillers (Appalachian State)
Size: 6-7, 205.
Hometown: Charleston, S.C.
Years of eligibility remaining: One.
Likely role: Somewhere between probable and possible starter, it’ll be interesting to see how much and how well he meshes with Biliew in the frontcourt; no matter whether he starts or comes off the bench, he’ll provide some rim protection and a lot of rebounding, along with relentless energy and effort.
Last season stats: 34 games, 30 starts, 29.0 minutes/game | 12.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg | 60.4% FG, 0-1 3-pointers, 68.5% FT (63-92) | 126.3 ORTG, 11.1 Offensive Rebound Rate, 19.9 Defensive Rebound Rate, 4.0 Block Rate, 1.8 fouls committed per 40 minutes (KenPom).
Wake Forest connection: The other player Wake Forest saw in action this past season, Spillers had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first round of the NIT, which Wake Forest won 87-76.
Forbes quote: “Tre’Von helped lead Appalachian State to a program-record 27 wins and a Sun Belt Conference regular season championship this past year. He plays with tremendous energy and confidence on both ends of the court, and I love his desire to compete and his commitment to winning. These qualities are indicative of his overall record of 57-11 over the past two years at App State and Moberly. Tre’Von brings versatility, athleticism, and valuable winning experience to our program.”
Churchill Abass (DePaul)
Size: 6-9, 250.
Hometown: Edo State, Nigeria.
Years of eligibility remaining: Three.
Likely role: Backup center to Reid, learning without the pressure of being a major contributor on a team with lofty expectations.
Last season stats: 30 games, 13 starts, 15.8 minutes/game | 3.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg | 57.8 FG%, 45.8% FT (22-48) | 89.6 ORTG, 19.3 Defensive Rebound Rate, 25.8 Turnover Rate, 6.3 Block Rate, 4.6 fouls committed per 40 minutes (KenPom).
Wake Forest connection: This one … escapes me. There’s probably something I’m missing between a staff member and Abass.
Forbes quote: “Churchill is only scratching the surface of the player he is going to become. Everyone I talked to in the Big East spoke very highly of him. He is an extremely competitive person who possesses an intense desire to improve every time he steps on the court. He brings an athletic and physical presence to our frontcourt.”
