Wake Forest lands former Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis

Wake Forest added a former five-star prospect from the transfer portal on Wednesday.

Wake Forest men’s basketball and head coach Steve Forbes picked up a major addition from the transfer portal on Wednesday. Gonzaga transfer guard Hunter Sallis announced his commitment to the Demon Deacons. The Omaha, Nebraska native chose Wake Forest over multiple programs including the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Sallis, a former five-star recruit committed to the Bulldogs over offers from Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, UCLA, Auburn, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, and others. He leaves Gonzaga after two seasons. In his two years, he played in 69 games, averaging 4.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist a game.

In Forbes’s third year with the program, the Demon Deacons went 19-14 overall including 10-10 in conference play. It was a slight step back for the Demon Deacons after going 25-10 in 2021-2022, though the program has come a long way from their 6-16 record in his first season in Winston-Salem.

Sallis will look to form a strong backcourt duo with rising junior guard Cameron Hildreth who averaged 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists this past season. The Demon Deacons will, however, be losing senior guard Tyree Appleby who was the leading scorer this past season. Appleby in 33 games, averaged 18.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists a game.

Sallis is the second commitment the Demon Deacons have picked up from the transfer portal this offseason joining point guard Kevin Miller who joined the program after leaving Central Michigan. They’ve also seen a trio of players leave the program via the portal in power forward Davion Bradford, and guards Lucas Taylor and Robert McCray.

[mm-video type=video id=01gww6e34xe77vhy7fwp playlist_id=01gq2fszf7mxxc88k4 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gww6e34xe77vhy7fwp/01gww6e34xe77vhy7fwp-2de40ab97d4c27364b1739c826c9eb6b.jpg]