Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: ©2020 WFU/Ken Bennett
Five Questions with Head Coach Steve Forbes
11/2/2020 12:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
We're now less than a month from the tipoff of the college basketball season and the inaugural campaign for new Wake Forest Basketball coach Steve Forbes, as the Demon Deacons get things started on Nov. 25 in the first day of the Mako Medical Wake Forest Classic, a three-day multi-team event at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Forbes recently spoke with the local media in a Media Day event, and here's a Five Questions feature with some of the highlights from that event.
How is the team preparing in terms of strength and conditioning?
Forbes: "Mike Starke is our strength coach and I believe he's the best in the country. I had a hard time keeping him at East Tennessee State. Texas, Arkansas and Stanford all interviewed him while I was there, but I was able to hold on to him. We've made some really good strides since we've come back to campus in the weight room. You have to remember that from March until August, those guys weren't really able to do a whole lot. Ody Oguama has probably shown the most improvement. He played at 206 last year. He's now at 223, so he's up 17 pounds and is the hardest-playing guy on the team. He exerts a lot of energy every day. Emmanuel Okpomo has gained 17 pounds since his arrival. Jalen Johnson is a fifth-year guy and is plus-15 since getting here. Isaiah Mucius is plus-10.
"Tariq Ingraham is minus-12 coming off a tough injury. He's worked really hard and has been diligent in his rehab. He's back on the court and practicing. The last practice is the first one he hasn't practiced since we've been back. He was a little sore, but will be back full-bore today. Isaiah Wilkins has completely transformed his body and leaned himself out since we've gotten back. Mike is the best. We lift four times a week and will remain that way all year around."
How large of a rotation do you plan to implement, and how many of those players are ready right now?
Forbes: "With this team right now, if we started tomorrow and played we'd be around nine possible. I don't know if we could get to 10. I like to play a lot of guys. I like guys to play hard and then get out. But the guys who defend are the guys who are going to play the major minutes. I could see us going that deep right now. A lot of times as the season progresses, that shortens up a little bit, just depending on practice. You're either getting better or getting worse every day, and playing time, for me, is determined in practice."
How well have you gotten to know the players, given the summer away from campus with Covid-19 concerns?
Forbes: "We have great guys. One of the things we do differently than a lot of Division 1 programs is that our guys check in the office everyday before one o'clock everyday Monday thru Friday. They have to have a conversation with a coach. Jahcobi was just in here, and I told him I was prepping for this major press conference. I like that interaction. I see their smiling faces. This isn't the principal's office. This is the head coach's office. There was an article recently that was talking about my relationships with the players. Isaiah Mucius said that I'm full of tough love, and can get on him about a defensive mistake and then crack a joke with you just seconds later. He wants the best for each one of us. When a player says that about you, you feel pretty good about it. But you also know they're getting the message.
"I've tried to develop a personal relationship with each one of them. They're all different. Some are quieter, some are outgoing and some I've had to prod a little bit to get them to open up to me. They're all different, and I know that. You can't coach them all the same way. Some guys you can get on in practice, others you have to do it behind closed doors. It's just the nature of people. I think we have super guys. They have a lot of personality. They want to do better. They want to be coached. They're enjoying being coached and they want to win. They want things to change. I always tell them I have the hardest head, but I'm not changing."
Does ETSU transfer Daivien Williamson serve as sort of a coach on the floor?
Forbes: "The thing I'm most excited about him is when we're doing drills, and he's not in the drill, he'll grab guys on the court and put them in the right spots. That makes a coach smile. I don't allow the guys out of the drill to just stand there. They have to coach. I will chew out the guys on the baseline, not in the drill. It's called accountability. If you can coach it and can say it, then you can do it. Then they're encouraging their teammates. I want them to encourage each other. I can create the negative. I've always believed that a quiet gym is a losing gym. Daivien understands that, because he's been with me. When it gets tough and they don't know quite what's going on, he's been that guy to help them get to the right spots. I'm really happy he's eligible to play. He'll be around his family and he's got a wonderful mother. He's a great representative on our team and our institution."
What has you excited as we get closer to the season starting?
Forbes: "The guys are working hard. They are good guys. I've never walked in there not excited to be there coaching. I'm enjoying coaching these guys. They are going to rise to the occasion. It's going to be different for them, and you have to remember they're going through a lot. They have to deal with Covid, they lost their coach, they didn't meet this guy until July and now I'm coming with all these new ideas and ways to play. And they don't get to live a normal college life. You have to give the kids a lot of credit. They're good kids and hard workers, so I'm proud of them."
Forbes recently spoke with the local media in a Media Day event, and here's a Five Questions feature with some of the highlights from that event.
How is the team preparing in terms of strength and conditioning?
Forbes: "Mike Starke is our strength coach and I believe he's the best in the country. I had a hard time keeping him at East Tennessee State. Texas, Arkansas and Stanford all interviewed him while I was there, but I was able to hold on to him. We've made some really good strides since we've come back to campus in the weight room. You have to remember that from March until August, those guys weren't really able to do a whole lot. Ody Oguama has probably shown the most improvement. He played at 206 last year. He's now at 223, so he's up 17 pounds and is the hardest-playing guy on the team. He exerts a lot of energy every day. Emmanuel Okpomo has gained 17 pounds since his arrival. Jalen Johnson is a fifth-year guy and is plus-15 since getting here. Isaiah Mucius is plus-10.
"Tariq Ingraham is minus-12 coming off a tough injury. He's worked really hard and has been diligent in his rehab. He's back on the court and practicing. The last practice is the first one he hasn't practiced since we've been back. He was a little sore, but will be back full-bore today. Isaiah Wilkins has completely transformed his body and leaned himself out since we've gotten back. Mike is the best. We lift four times a week and will remain that way all year around."
How large of a rotation do you plan to implement, and how many of those players are ready right now?
Forbes: "With this team right now, if we started tomorrow and played we'd be around nine possible. I don't know if we could get to 10. I like to play a lot of guys. I like guys to play hard and then get out. But the guys who defend are the guys who are going to play the major minutes. I could see us going that deep right now. A lot of times as the season progresses, that shortens up a little bit, just depending on practice. You're either getting better or getting worse every day, and playing time, for me, is determined in practice."
How well have you gotten to know the players, given the summer away from campus with Covid-19 concerns?
Forbes: "We have great guys. One of the things we do differently than a lot of Division 1 programs is that our guys check in the office everyday before one o'clock everyday Monday thru Friday. They have to have a conversation with a coach. Jahcobi was just in here, and I told him I was prepping for this major press conference. I like that interaction. I see their smiling faces. This isn't the principal's office. This is the head coach's office. There was an article recently that was talking about my relationships with the players. Isaiah Mucius said that I'm full of tough love, and can get on him about a defensive mistake and then crack a joke with you just seconds later. He wants the best for each one of us. When a player says that about you, you feel pretty good about it. But you also know they're getting the message.
"I've tried to develop a personal relationship with each one of them. They're all different. Some are quieter, some are outgoing and some I've had to prod a little bit to get them to open up to me. They're all different, and I know that. You can't coach them all the same way. Some guys you can get on in practice, others you have to do it behind closed doors. It's just the nature of people. I think we have super guys. They have a lot of personality. They want to do better. They want to be coached. They're enjoying being coached and they want to win. They want things to change. I always tell them I have the hardest head, but I'm not changing."
Does ETSU transfer Daivien Williamson serve as sort of a coach on the floor?
Forbes: "The thing I'm most excited about him is when we're doing drills, and he's not in the drill, he'll grab guys on the court and put them in the right spots. That makes a coach smile. I don't allow the guys out of the drill to just stand there. They have to coach. I will chew out the guys on the baseline, not in the drill. It's called accountability. If you can coach it and can say it, then you can do it. Then they're encouraging their teammates. I want them to encourage each other. I can create the negative. I've always believed that a quiet gym is a losing gym. Daivien understands that, because he's been with me. When it gets tough and they don't know quite what's going on, he's been that guy to help them get to the right spots. I'm really happy he's eligible to play. He'll be around his family and he's got a wonderful mother. He's a great representative on our team and our institution."
What has you excited as we get closer to the season starting?
Forbes: "The guys are working hard. They are good guys. I've never walked in there not excited to be there coaching. I'm enjoying coaching these guys. They are going to rise to the occasion. It's going to be different for them, and you have to remember they're going through a lot. They have to deal with Covid, they lost their coach, they didn't meet this guy until July and now I'm coming with all these new ideas and ways to play. And they don't get to live a normal college life. You have to give the kids a lot of credit. They're good kids and hard workers, so I'm proud of them."
Players Mentioned
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