Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: Jaylynn Nash LLC
Deacon Sports Xtra: Back to the Roots: Forbes Returns to Northwest Florida
11/25/2021 11:14:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Steve Forbes went 62-6 in his two seasons at Northwest Florida State College, taking the Raiders to the NJCAA National Championship title game both years.
His impact was immediate.
In the first scrimmage before his first season, the Raiders squared off against an NAIA school, showing a level of intensity and togetherness that was so striking, the opposing coach came back two days later wanting to watch a Forbes-led practice.
"I was so blown away with your team," that coach told Forbes. "I want to watch your practice and see what you're doing."
That's when the Northwest Florida State athletic department knew for certain they had made the right hire.
"When I saw that, it really stood out to me," current Northwest Florida State athletic director Ramsey Ross said. "We're onto something here. Not only is he impressing me, he's impressing his colleagues so much they're coming back 48 hours later to see his practice."
Forbes will make his return to Northwest Florida State and Raider Arena this weekend as the Demon Deacons (5-0) play a pair of games in the Emerald Coast Classic, starting with an 8:30 p.m. CT game Friday against Oregon State (1-4).
"It means everything to me, because that's where my path started to get here," Forbes said about his return. "After leaving Tennessee and getting the opportunity to go to Northwest Florida, it put me right back on my feet. For Jason (Shay), and coach (Brooks) Savage, we all coached there together.
"Mickey Englett, who hired me, is retired and will be sitting behind the bench. Ray Ross, who was involved in hiring me and whose son was my athletic director after Mickey retired, is our host. Our close friend Ramsey Ross, the Athletic Director, will be there. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love Northwest Florida. I had an unbelievable time there and my family loved living there. I owe them a lot."
Raider Arena had just opened, and Northwest Florida was searching for a new coach after the passing of Bruce Stewart.
"We were looking for someone to follow up on the great job Bruce had done," since-retired athletic director Mickey Englett said. "We had a lot of interested people in our job. The name Steve Forbes came up and I knew he was at Tennessee but had coached at the junior college level before.
"You don't look as much at the Xs and Os. We knew that anybody we would hire would be able to coach the game of basketball. I always want somebody who I would enjoy working with everyday too."
The Northwest Florida administration was impressed with Forbes' resume, so then assistant athletic director Ray Ross took a trip to the SEC Tournament to visit with him and talk about the position. After things played out at Tennessee, Forbes interviewed for the position.
"When Steve came in, he just killed his interview and did a great job," Englett said. "Sometimes you just get a feel for people. What he did in his couple of years with us was remarkable. Then there was the impact he had on the other coaches and the other staff members. You don't find many Division I coaches who come back down to the junior college level that don't have a little bit of arrogance or ego about them. Steve Forbes is a guy who it was like you grew up with him.
"He impacted the college through the success of the basketball program, but he also impacted the college, and all the people, by what kind of person he was. He's what I call one of those low maintenance coaches. I'm a big Steve Forbes fan as a basketball coach and as a person."
Ray, a former coach at Mississippi State, had many common friends with Forbes, and their paths had crossed many times before.
"Steve was an awfully good hire," Ray Ross said. "He brought a lot of energy to the program and raised the bar of expectations. He was very impressive during his time here.
"The job was open, and he expressed interest. He knew what they were looking at and he wanted to keep himself relevant. He thought this was the best path for him. We have a top-flight arena and good fan support. He saw it as an avenue to continue to recruit really good players and stay relevant. He had great results and all of that proved to be true."
Ramsey Ross, who became the athletic director after Englett retired, said that the more the administration got to know Forbes, the more they believed he was the right fit for the job.
"We worked together on trying to find the best fit for Northwest Florida, and it was a no-brainer that we hire Coach Forbes," he said. "We talked a lot during the process. He checked all the boxes and then some. The more we talked with him, the more we fell in love with him. He helped us return to national prominence. It was a home-run hire and we're just so happy to have him back here in the community this week.
"He had been a successful junior college coach but had also been at the highest levels in Division I. With all that said, his resume hit every mark we were looking for. But the more we spoke with him and understood his personality and his approach to things, we knew he was a perfect fit for us, as he's been everywhere. It all fell into place, and we couldn't have been happier."
During his two seasons on the sidelines, Forbes won over the fanbase and the administration — and he's going to be welcomed back to Raider Arena this weekend with open arms.
"I was blown away by how low maintenance he was," Ramsey said. "He understood the level and understood the demands. He knew he was going to have to do a lot of different things in addition to just coaching basketball. He approached that incredibly. His family embraced the college.
"Our fan base gravitated to Coach Forbes. He has the ability to relate to people on so many levels. He came in and quickly won over our fan base."
The folks at Northwest Florida are keeping close tabs on how Forbes is faring at Wake Forest, and they're excited about what they've seen so far with the Deacs this season.
"We're so happy for Coach Forbes," Ramsey said. "All he needed was an opportunity. We saw what he did at ETSU. You can see in year two what he's already doing at Wake Forest. He's gaining a lot of momentum; his teams are super-fun to watch and the community always embraces him. I'm so happy for him and to have him back in Raider Arena is going to be an awesome experience."
Raider Arena is a venue in which Forbes has never lost a basketball game.
"He's undefeated in there," Ramsey said. "He took a lot of pride in not losing on that floor. We didn't lose many games while he was here.
"I should be unbiased, but I have to say I wouldn't mind seeing that continue this weekend."
Ramsey is looking forward to catching up with Forbes this weekend.
"He's going to be busy with his team preparing for the games, but we'll have some time to visit," he said. "My dad is the team host and is looking forward to catching up with him and his family."
The Wake Forest team sponsor for the Emerald Coast Classic is indeed Ray Ross.
"That will be exciting," Ray said. "A lot of fans here are excited about Steve coming back for the weekend."
The weekend will be filled with reunions, as well as a couple games of basketball — in which the Demon Deacons will be seeking to come out as victors.
"I've spent 43 years in this business," Englett said. "I know God blesses you by the people he crosses your path with, and I'm blessed that he crossed my path with Steve Forbes."
Not yet a subscriber or know someone who would like to receive these stories in their email inbox? Click here for the DSX subscription link - share it with your friends!
His impact was immediate.
In the first scrimmage before his first season, the Raiders squared off against an NAIA school, showing a level of intensity and togetherness that was so striking, the opposing coach came back two days later wanting to watch a Forbes-led practice.
"I was so blown away with your team," that coach told Forbes. "I want to watch your practice and see what you're doing."
That's when the Northwest Florida State athletic department knew for certain they had made the right hire.
"When I saw that, it really stood out to me," current Northwest Florida State athletic director Ramsey Ross said. "We're onto something here. Not only is he impressing me, he's impressing his colleagues so much they're coming back 48 hours later to see his practice."
Forbes will make his return to Northwest Florida State and Raider Arena this weekend as the Demon Deacons (5-0) play a pair of games in the Emerald Coast Classic, starting with an 8:30 p.m. CT game Friday against Oregon State (1-4).
"It means everything to me, because that's where my path started to get here," Forbes said about his return. "After leaving Tennessee and getting the opportunity to go to Northwest Florida, it put me right back on my feet. For Jason (Shay), and coach (Brooks) Savage, we all coached there together.
"Mickey Englett, who hired me, is retired and will be sitting behind the bench. Ray Ross, who was involved in hiring me and whose son was my athletic director after Mickey retired, is our host. Our close friend Ramsey Ross, the Athletic Director, will be there. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love Northwest Florida. I had an unbelievable time there and my family loved living there. I owe them a lot."
Raider Arena had just opened, and Northwest Florida was searching for a new coach after the passing of Bruce Stewart.
"We were looking for someone to follow up on the great job Bruce had done," since-retired athletic director Mickey Englett said. "We had a lot of interested people in our job. The name Steve Forbes came up and I knew he was at Tennessee but had coached at the junior college level before.
"You don't look as much at the Xs and Os. We knew that anybody we would hire would be able to coach the game of basketball. I always want somebody who I would enjoy working with everyday too."
The Northwest Florida administration was impressed with Forbes' resume, so then assistant athletic director Ray Ross took a trip to the SEC Tournament to visit with him and talk about the position. After things played out at Tennessee, Forbes interviewed for the position.
"When Steve came in, he just killed his interview and did a great job," Englett said. "Sometimes you just get a feel for people. What he did in his couple of years with us was remarkable. Then there was the impact he had on the other coaches and the other staff members. You don't find many Division I coaches who come back down to the junior college level that don't have a little bit of arrogance or ego about them. Steve Forbes is a guy who it was like you grew up with him.
"He impacted the college through the success of the basketball program, but he also impacted the college, and all the people, by what kind of person he was. He's what I call one of those low maintenance coaches. I'm a big Steve Forbes fan as a basketball coach and as a person."
Ray, a former coach at Mississippi State, had many common friends with Forbes, and their paths had crossed many times before.
"Steve was an awfully good hire," Ray Ross said. "He brought a lot of energy to the program and raised the bar of expectations. He was very impressive during his time here.
"The job was open, and he expressed interest. He knew what they were looking at and he wanted to keep himself relevant. He thought this was the best path for him. We have a top-flight arena and good fan support. He saw it as an avenue to continue to recruit really good players and stay relevant. He had great results and all of that proved to be true."
Ramsey Ross, who became the athletic director after Englett retired, said that the more the administration got to know Forbes, the more they believed he was the right fit for the job.
"We worked together on trying to find the best fit for Northwest Florida, and it was a no-brainer that we hire Coach Forbes," he said. "We talked a lot during the process. He checked all the boxes and then some. The more we talked with him, the more we fell in love with him. He helped us return to national prominence. It was a home-run hire and we're just so happy to have him back here in the community this week.
"He had been a successful junior college coach but had also been at the highest levels in Division I. With all that said, his resume hit every mark we were looking for. But the more we spoke with him and understood his personality and his approach to things, we knew he was a perfect fit for us, as he's been everywhere. It all fell into place, and we couldn't have been happier."
During his two seasons on the sidelines, Forbes won over the fanbase and the administration — and he's going to be welcomed back to Raider Arena this weekend with open arms.
"I was blown away by how low maintenance he was," Ramsey said. "He understood the level and understood the demands. He knew he was going to have to do a lot of different things in addition to just coaching basketball. He approached that incredibly. His family embraced the college.
"Our fan base gravitated to Coach Forbes. He has the ability to relate to people on so many levels. He came in and quickly won over our fan base."
The folks at Northwest Florida are keeping close tabs on how Forbes is faring at Wake Forest, and they're excited about what they've seen so far with the Deacs this season.
"We're so happy for Coach Forbes," Ramsey said. "All he needed was an opportunity. We saw what he did at ETSU. You can see in year two what he's already doing at Wake Forest. He's gaining a lot of momentum; his teams are super-fun to watch and the community always embraces him. I'm so happy for him and to have him back in Raider Arena is going to be an awesome experience."
Raider Arena is a venue in which Forbes has never lost a basketball game.
"He's undefeated in there," Ramsey said. "He took a lot of pride in not losing on that floor. We didn't lose many games while he was here.
"I should be unbiased, but I have to say I wouldn't mind seeing that continue this weekend."
Ramsey is looking forward to catching up with Forbes this weekend.
"He's going to be busy with his team preparing for the games, but we'll have some time to visit," he said. "My dad is the team host and is looking forward to catching up with him and his family."
The Wake Forest team sponsor for the Emerald Coast Classic is indeed Ray Ross.
"That will be exciting," Ray said. "A lot of fans here are excited about Steve coming back for the weekend."
The weekend will be filled with reunions, as well as a couple games of basketball — in which the Demon Deacons will be seeking to come out as victors.
"I've spent 43 years in this business," Englett said. "I know God blesses you by the people he crosses your path with, and I'm blessed that he crossed my path with Steve Forbes."
Not yet a subscriber or know someone who would like to receive these stories in their email inbox? Click here for the DSX subscription link - share it with your friends!
Men's Basketball Postgame Presser vs. Clemson, 2026 ACC Tournament
Thursday, March 12
Wake Forest Women's Basketball: Marcy Carter Women's History Month Feature
Wednesday, March 11
Sebastian Akins Tough
Wednesday, March 11
Wake Forest Advances in 2026 ACC Tournament
Wednesday, March 11