Former Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis has committed to Wake Forest, he told On3 on Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
How Sallis fits at Wake Forest
Well, if we’ve learned anything the last two offseasons, it’s that Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes knows how to identify high-upside guards. Just look what he did with Alondes Williams and Ty Appleby; neither guy was on the national radar before joining the Demon Deacons, but both ended up having All-ACC seasons. (And Williams turned himself into a legitimate pro.) Knowing all that, it’s easy to get excited about Sallis as Forbes’ latest reclamation project. The former Gonzaga guard has always had potential — see his five-star ranking out of high school — but never put things together consistently with the Zags.
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At Wake Forest, though, he’ll have the chance to be a missing link, of sorts. With Andrew Carr, Cam Hildreth, Damari Monsanto — who is still recovering from a torn left patella tendon in February — and potentially Bobi Klintman back, Forbes’ team really just needed another lead guard to tie things together. Sallis should have every chance to do so, and if he lives up to his vast potential, we’re almost definitely talking about Forbes’ first NCAA Tournament team in Winston-Salem. — Marks
What’s next for Wake Forest?
Waiting to find out if Klintman comes back. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie detailed the Klintman situation well earlier this offseason, and the upside is tremendous if he ultimately returns to college. (Klintman was not selected in Vecenie’s latest mock draft.) Basically, you have a highly-athletic but raw prospect considering jumping to the league a year early. Will a team take a chance on investing in him in the first round? That’s what we’re waiting to find out.
Whether or not Klintman is invited to the NBA Draft Combine should be a decent indicator of how this situation shakes out, but Wake Forest doesn’t currently have a one-for-one replacement for Klintman if he opts to stay in. That said, Forbes still has one available scholarship left, and Klintman remaining in the draft would give him a second. — Marks
Scouting report
Sallis was seen as a bit of a project at Gonzaga, a player with incredible athletic tools who might take some time adjusting from a bit of a lower high school level. That bore itself out, as Sallis averaged just four points per game over his two years in Spokane.
Having said that, it’s worth noting that Sallis did carve out a very strong role on this team on the defensive end, pairing with Malachi Smith to re-shape the team’s play at the point of attack. Sallis’ minutes jumped from 15 per game in the middle of the season to nearly 20 per game in the team’s last 13 games, of which Gonzaga won 12. Offensively, he can be an aggressive downhill driver but is still working through his jumper and decision-making. — Moore and Vecenie
Required reading
(Photo: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)
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