Meet Wake Forest’s New-Look 2026-27 Men’s Basketball Roster

Wake Forest men’s basketball will look very different when the Demon Deacons return to LJVM Coliseum this fall, with head coach Steve Forbes blending proven transfers, international size and a talented freshman class into the 2026-27 roster.

The headline addition is Kevair Kennedy, who became the first player in MAAC history to win Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season after averaging 18.4 points and 4.2 assists at Merrimack. Kansas transfer Jamari McDowell brings 66 games of college experience, while Monmouth transfer Justin Ray arrives as a 40.8-percent career three-point shooter.

Wake also added size through Northern Colorado forward Ring Nyeri, seven-foot Virginia Tech transfer Antonio Dorn and Belgian forward Xander Pintelon. Freshman Gavin Placide is a consensus top-50 prospect at 6-foot-11, while twin brother Gallagher Placide is also part of the incoming group. Slovenian guard Lukas Bojovic, whose addition TTN previously covered, gives the backcourt another international piece.

The new group will try to extend Wake Forest’s strong recent home run. The program says the Deacons have won 74 games at LJVM Coliseum since the 2021-22 season, tied for seventh-most nationally over that span. Wake opens the regular season Nov. 2 at home against Maryland Eastern Shore and later faces West Virginia in Greensboro on Dec. 19.