Wake Forest Guard Daivien Williamson: “We’re Ready to Play Ball”
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the group of guards on this year’s roster. Headlined by captains Daivien Williamson, Jao Ituka, and Tyree Appleby, Forbes has several guys at his disposal who can shoot it from deep and play up-tempo basketball. And that’s exactly how they like it.
“For me, it’s great,” Appleby said. “You really want to go to a school that does that. Pushing the pace — I think that gives us a lot of freedom to do what we need to do, and it creates more space and translates to the NBA game.”
But it’s not just the skillset that makes this group so promising. Forbes has said on several occasions that the team has outstanding chemistry — which was definitely helped by the team’s summer trip to Europe. Strong guard play can carry a team, and if these guys can play well off of each other, it will really elevate this team.
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“I think we all complement each other’s games really well and we can build off each other’s strengths,” Williamson said. “Basketball is always fun when you’re around a lot of good guys. I think playing with this great group of guards is going to make this season exciting and fun.”
Williamson is a veteran of Steve Forbes system — he spent two seasons playing for him at East Tennessee State before following him to Wake prior to the 2020-2021 season. For Florida transfer Appleby and the other newcomers, Williamson’s experience has been invaluable.
“He’s definitely helped me out,” Appleby said. “I hit him up before I even came here. He gave me great feedback. That was one of the reasons I chose Wake, to come to play for a great coach and play alongside Daivien.”
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The trio of guards are on the smaller side - all generously listed at 6’1”. Two of them will likely be on the court most of the time this season. If all three played simultaneously, the speed and ball handling brought to the table could force other teams to play small.
As of this writing, the Forbes’ team is over 60 practices deep in this offseason. The season opener is just a few weeks away — as one grind draws to a close, another is set to begin.
“We’re ready to see new faces at this point,” Williamson said. “We’re ready to get the season started. We’re ready to play ball.”
Ben is a managing editor and lead contributing writer for Deacons Daily. Ben has a year of experience as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black, and a year of experience as the publication’s print managing editor. He has a journalistic profile of over 40 published news and sports pieces for the Dayton Daily News.