Before They Were Pros They Were Demon Deacons
5/27/2021 8:00:00 AM | Baseball, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Women's Track and Field, Women's Volleyball, Student Services, Spirit Program (Cheer/Dance/Mascot)
Wake Forest holds the unique distinction of being the only school in the country with former student-athletes currently competing in top professional leagues in every sport it competes in.
Not only has Wake Forest excelled in its goal to compete for conference and national championships, but also developing student-athletes for professional careers at the next level.
Wake Forest holds the unique distinction of being the only school in the country with former student-athletes currently competing in top professional leagues in every sport it competes in including MLB, NFL, NBA, Premier League, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, WNBA, NWSL, WTA Tour and ATP Tour. Additionally, a host of Demon Deacons have also represented their home countries at the Olympics and will again look to play under the Olympic flame this summer in Tokyo.
Premier League
After starring in the Old Gold & Black in 2015, Jack Harrison went on to become the first overall draft pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft where he became one of the best young players in the league, netting 14 goals in 55 appearances for New York City FC.
I mean...cool as you like for the lead from Jack Harrison! #NEWLEE pic.twitter.com/OzAQsd9THQ
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 26, 2021
The winger then made the move back across the pond to his home country of England, signing with Premier League Champions, Manchester City, in 2018. He has spent the past three seasons on loan with Leeds United.
He has helped the club become a top of the table team as Leeds recently finished ninth in the EPL table for the 2020-21 season. He is set to make a permanent move to the club this summer after racking up 119 caps and 18 goals for the side.
The Demon Deacons also have a plethora of budding stars in the MLS as well as abroad including Mark McKenzie at K.R.C. Genk (Belgium) and Ian Harkes at Dundee United (Scotland).
NFL
The Demon Deacons' #ProDeacs family continues to expand at the NFL level including most recently three Deacs either being drafted or signing UDFA contracts.
Wake Forest has now had at least one player drafted to the league in nine of the last 10 years.
Jessie Bates III, who was a second-round pick in 2015, has turned into an All-Pro caliber player for the Cincinnati Bengals.
.@Bengals DB Jessie Bates III? Absolute baller.
— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2021
And it's about time you recognized that. @jlbiii3 pic.twitter.com/Th5UOwEFvu
Bates III led all NFL safeties this season with a combined 18 interceptions and pass break ups while also finishing second on his team with 109 total tackles. Additionally, he led the Bengals with 15 pass breakups and three interceptions.
Over the past three seasons, he is the only player in the NFL to have over 100-plus tackles and three interceptions during each season.
The Demon Deacons also have a host of other key contributors around the league including John Wolford, Essang Bassey, Phil Haynes, Justin Herron among many others.
NBA
Headlined by 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul, the Demon Deacons currently have a wealth of talent around the league including four Deacs who helped lead their teams to the NBA Playoffs in John Collins (Atlanta Hawks), Ish Smith (Washington Wizards) and Jeff Teague (Milwaukee Bucks) as well as Paul (Phoenix Suns).
Since arriving in the league as the fourth-overall draft pick in 2005, Paul has been considered one of the best in the world at his position. He has been named to the All-NBA Team nine times including being named to the first team on four occasions.
CHRIS PAUL
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 6, 2021
▪️ Rookie Of The Year
▪️ 11 x All-Star
▪️ 9 x All-Defense
▪️ 8 x All-NBA
▪️ 6 x STL Leader
▪️ 4 x AST Leader
▪️ Active career leader AST
▪️ Active career leader STL
▪️ Still an MVP candidate pic.twitter.com/3GEpE58c3a
Not only has Paul enjoyed success in the NBA, but his talents have also been displayed at the international level, helping Team USA to gold medals in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games.
Paul currently ranks fifth in NBA history in assists with 10,275 and fifth in career steals with 2,445. He is one of only three players in NBA history with 19,000 career points and over 9,700 career assists.
MLB
After making his debut during the shortened 2020 campaign, former D1Baseball National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year infielder Will Craig is making a splash with the Pittsburgh Pirates this summer.
In his first game with the franchise this season, Craig went deep to right center for his first career home run.
Where there's a Will, there's a way. pic.twitter.com/yJQmIBHEiJ
— Pirates (@Pirates) May 14, 2021
Entering Wednesday, Craig had 11 games with the big league club, holding a .278 batting average and a .350 on-base percentage.
More Demon Deacons could be on their way to the show soon including former teammate Gavin Sheets. He entered Wednesday with a .297 batting average and 15 RBIs in 18 games with the AAA Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox).
PGA Tour
Webb Simpson and Will Zalatoris are coming off making the cut at the 103rd PGA Championship at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.
For his third consecutive major, Zalatoris placed inside of the top eight on the leaderboard. In the 2020 US Open, the 2021 Masters and the 2021 PGA Championship, Zalatoris is the only player to place inside the top eight in each event.
Zalatoris received international acclaim for his performance in his first appearance at the 85th Masters. He placed second in the event at 9-under-par.
What a showing for @WillZalatoris in his first Masters tournament 👏 #themasters pic.twitter.com/aiLYtWIJuU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 11, 2021
Simpson heads into the weekend No. 10 in the World Golf Rankings, which will also be used to help qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer. The seven-time PGA Tour winner has four top-10 finishes at majors over the last four years including a pair during 2020.
Zalatoris' former teammate Cameron Young might be the next to join the pair on the PGA Tour. Last week, he captured the AdventHealth Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour.
LPGA Tour
Jennifer Kupcho made a name for herself during her time at Wake Forest, winning the individual national championship in 2018. She became a household name after capturing the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2019.
The event was the first ever women's tournament at the famed Augusta National Golf Club and broadcast live to millions of viewers on NBC.
When dreams become a reality. #ANWAgolf pic.twitter.com/OkU4pRgUQN
— Augusta National Women's Amateur (@anwagolf) April 6, 2019
Kupcho enters the weekend currently ranked No. 17 in the Women's World Golf Rankings including being listed as the sixth highest American women's golfer. She earned her first career pro victory at the Colorado Open in September.
Former Deac Allison Emrey also is making a name for herself on the Symetra Tour, claiming her first victory on Tour last week at the IOA Golf Classic in Longwood, Fla.
WNBA
After being taken by the franchise with the sixth pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft, Dearica Hamby has become a cornerstone of the Las Vegas Aces franchise, improving her statline nearly every season she has been in the league.
She earned national recognition after she hit one of the most clutch shots in recent league history in 2019. After stealing a pass, Hamby hoisted from near midcourt and drained the three to help lead the Aces past the Chicago Sky in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs.
The Las Vegas Aces beat the Chicago Sky with this miracle game-winner by Dearica Hamby in closing seconds 🚨☔️ pic.twitter.com/yDogvhnZDx
— NBA UK (@NBAUK) September 16, 2019
Hamby is coming off the best season in her seven-year pro career. The Marietta, Ga. native was named the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year for the second consecutive year after averaging career-highs in points, assists, steals, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
She helped lead the Aces to their first WNBA Finals since moving to Las Vegas.
Recently, Ivana Raca was taken by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2021 WNBA Draft, but is focused on training with her home country of Serbia ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
NWSL
After earning All-America honors during her time in Winston-Salem, Aubrey Bledsoe has become one of the best goalkeepers in the NWSL as the No. 1 stopper for the Washington Spirit.
Over the last three seasons, she has made 47 starts in between the pipes for the Spirit while also spending time in Sydney FC in the W-League in Australia.
.@AubreyBledsoe at full stretch to deny @___emilyfox 👀#LOUvWAS | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/DCahNXcrhx
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 22, 2021
Hannah Betfort became the latest to join the professional ranks after she was drafted by the Portland Thorns FC earlier this year.
WTA Tour
Over the past few years, Jeff Wyshner has helped produce some of the best players in program history including Emma Davis and Anna Ulyashchenko. This past weekend the former Demon Deacons paired up in Tunisia at the ITA Tunisia 20A.
There they defeated three of the top four seeds in the tournament en route to winning the doubles title.
Both players were integral in building the women's tennis program and helping them to their current run of three consecutive Round of 32 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
ATP Tour
As the Wake Forest men's tennis program has risen to national prominence including capturing the 2018 National Championship, the Deacs have had plenty of talents that have gone on to have successful careers as professionals.
Two players on that championship team who have gone on to play on the ATP Tour. After winning the title, Petros Chrysochos and Borna Gojo met for the individual national title where Chrysochos came out on top.
NCAA CHAMPION! Petros Chrysochos claims the program's first-ever NCAA Singles Championship! #GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/cZ4R9i3KuR
— Wake Men's Tennis (@WakeMTennis) May 28, 2018
Not only have they enjoyed success on the professional tour, but also for their country at the international level. Gojo competed for Croatia in the Davis Cup. During the tournament, Gojo competed in a singles match against Rafael Nadal.
