Wake Forest Basketball: Transfer Portal Recap

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Mar 11, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons head coach Steve Forbes during the second half against the Clemson Tigers at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

I was trying to wait for the Deacs to add another point guard before posting this transfer portal recap for the basketball team, but it’s the middle of June and I’m starting to think that isn’t going to happen anymore (Wake did add Dimitrije Kovacevic in the middle of August last year, so I guess there’s always a chance that they could add another player before the end of summer). As with most teams in DI basketball, Wake Forest had a massive amount of turnover in the transfer portal during the 1st month of the offseason, so here is the quick rundown of what the team looks like right now.

Transfers Out​

1. Juke Harris —> Tennessee
2. Myles Colvin —> Cincinnati
3. Cooper Schwieger—> Florida State
4. Omaha Biliew—> Grand Canyon
5. Sebastian Akins—>Washington State
6. Marqus Marion—> ETSU
7. Jaylen Cross—> Coastal Carolina
8. Dimitrije Kovacevic—> Mercer

The clear, massive loss here is Juke Harris, who accounted for nearly 30% of the Deacs’ points last season and almost 25% of their rebounds. Just losing him alone probably dropped Wake’s predicted win total next season by 5+ games. Myles Colvin is also a significant loss, as the junior was 2nd on the team in scoring and 3rd in rebounding. The rest of the transfer losses, in my opinion, aren’t really going to move the needle that much. Schwieger was either completely out of his league or asked to do things he was incapable of doing (we will find out in a few months which it was), Biliew never developed into more than a spot up shooter, Akins had moments but was far too inconsistent to start at PG in the ACC, and Marion, Cross, and Kovacevic hardly or never saw the court.

Transfers In​

1. Kevair Kennedy: PG | Merrimack | Sophomore | 6-2, 165 | Driver who gets to the line a lot.
2. Jamari McDowell: SG | Kansas | RS Junior | 6-5, 200 | Defensive specialist
3. Justin Ray: SG | Monmounth | Junior | 6-3, 175 | 42% 3-point shooter
4. Ring Nyeri: F | Northern Colorado | Junior | 6-8, 185 | Rebounder and 35% 3-point shooter
5. Antonio Dorn: C | Virginia Tech | Sophomore | 7-0, 230 | Large
6. Xander Pintelon: F| FAU | Senior | 6-11, 220| Tall, 35% 3-point shooter
7. Vincent Chaudhri: F | George Washington | Sophomore | 6-7, 190 | Probably a practice body

This class is clearly missing a splashy name like a Hunter Sallis or a Tyree Appleby. The offensive success is probably going to depend solely on whether or not Kevair Kennedy will have similar success driving to the basket as he did at Merrimack, because the Deacs don’t really have anyone else who can create offense for themselves or their teammates. If Kennedy struggles against bigger ACC defenders, Wake may have to revert to a slower tempo and rely more on set plays than the freelance motion style they are accustomed to using.

The defensive side is where I think—and hope—this team can pick up some of the slack. The Deacs added plenty of length on the perimeter with McDowell (6-5) and Nyeri (6-8) and have 2 bigs around 7 feet tall. Throw in the Placide twins (6-11 and 6-10, allegedly, their heights are blank on the official roster) and the Deacs have plenty of size to make things difficult for opponents next season. It was just 1 year ago that we saw Wake Forest finish 4th in the ACC with a 145th ranked offense that was 275th in the nation in points per game and couldn’t make a 3-pointer if their life depended on it. That team won games on the back of a top 35 defense that held opponents to 40% shooting and 68 points per game. The pivot to a slower, more defensive oriented style of play is probably in the future for Wake Forest anyways if they can’t increase their NIL budget—for the most part, great defenders who struggle to score are simply much cheaper than great scorers who aren’t good at defense.

As far as expectations go, it won’t shock me if this team has trouble putting points on the board since they lost 98% of their scoring from last season and didn’t add a whole lot of firepower in the portal. If the Deacs play defense like they did in the 2025-26 season (113th), they will probably not being making the ACC tournament. If they get back to defending like they did in the 24-25 season (34th) or the 21-22 season (42nd), I think their ceiling is probably somewhere around the middle of the pack of the conference.

Sometimes in sports the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so maybe the Deacs will surprise us.

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