Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Klintman Ready to Make an Impact at the College Level
11/1/2022 11:18:00 AM | Men's Basketball
For one half of a basketball scrimmage in one preseason practice, Wake Forest freshman Bobi Klintman provided a glimpse of what he could provide the Demon Deacons this season.
Perfect from the floor, Klintman poured in 19 points while draining three 3-pointers and dishing six assists.
"I hope," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said after practice when asked if this was a normal day at the office for Klintman. "He's a stat sheet stuffer. He had a good day. He's going to have some ups and downs as a freshman, but he's showing the kind of versatility he has as a player."
While he's not always going to score 19 points in a 20-minute half with perfect shooting, Klintman has clearly emerged early as an additional weapon for Forbes, and at 6-foot-10 with ball skills that belie his size, the versatility added to the rotation will be vital for this year's edition of the Demon Deacons. Being able to count on productive minutes from Klintman at either the three or the four-spot on the court means Forbes can toy with a big lineup again this season or can even go super small with Andrew Carr in the middle.
"I do like that we have some flexibility in the lineup," Forbes said. "Early on with some of these non-conference games, you don't know the personnel you're facing. Sometimes you have to play small, sometimes you have to play big. You try to put your best players on the court, and I've always been a big believer in that. We'll play some different lineups."
While the rest of the team have been together since early June, competing in more than 70 practices together, Klintman was a late arrival — making his eventual college choice late in the process, through several plot twists, and then spending the summer competing with the Swedish National Team in the FIBA U20 European Championships.
"If you compare me to the others, I'm still pretty new to the team," Klintman said. "It doesn't feel like it though because we have a really good chemistry. The older players here, like Daivien Williamson, help me whenever I have a problem either on or off the court. Practice has been going really well.
"I'm going to bring a little bit of everything, especially size, because I'm 6-foot-10. I'll bring shooting because I can shoot the 3-pointer and have some athleticism. I can rebound and pass. The one thing about my game is that I'm an underrated passer. You're going to see that throughout the season."
The journey to Wake Forest was quite a winding road for Klintman, who had committed to two other schools before resetting things one last time and settling in with Forbes and the Demon Deacons.
"My recruiting process really started when I was with the national team," Klintman said. "It was the U18 team, and I was one year younger than everybody. I was playing up and that's when I started getting attention. I had my growth spurt and was getting to 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8. I was playing guard. I was like a modern wing. I got some low major and mid-major colleges calling, who had seen me play in Europe."
This was all happening right as the Covid-19 pandemic started, and Klintman found himself as one of the top-15 ranked talents in Europe.
"That's when people really started to see me and I got an offer from San Francisco," he said. "Then my name started getting out in the States and I got more offers. I was in Sweden when I got my Kansas offer. Then I committed to Sunrise Christian Academy. When I started playing in the States, that's when they really saw who I was.
"Then I committed to Maryland, but then they had a coaching change. I decommitted and started the whole recruiting process all over again. It's pretty overwhelming after a while. It was the middle of my season and starting to get to the end and some new offers rolled in."
A commitment to Colorado went by the boards when both sides decided to part ways, leading to a soul-searching talk between Klintman and his mother.
Should I go pro or take the college route?" he asked her. "College has always been my dream. Then I got the call from Wake Forest. I started looking into it and it's a really good school. I started talking with coach Shay, who initially recruited me and then Forbes. I knew then I needed to take a visit.
"The visit really felt like home. It was a great school. I didn't get to meet the team, because it was in May and everybody was on break. I got to meet the coaches and they made me feel at home. It's in the ACC, which is the best conference for college basketball. I felt like it was going to be a good fit, and I would play against the top players in college basketball every night."
Starting and stopping the recruiting process, while also navigating a global pandemic was quite an arduous task for Klintman and his family.
"That's a lot of phone calls," he said. "There's a lot happening. You have to be on your toes. It came while we were all navigating Covid too, plus there were a lot of transfer players in the portal. It was a little messy."
At Wake Forest, Klintman not only saw great facilities, superior coaching and a family environment, but he also saw opportunity.
"Jake LaRavia went in the draft and Alondes Williams got signed by the Nets, then Isaiah Mucius turned pro," he said. "That's three starters. There's an opportunity for me to come make a difference. That's what I saw. I talked to coach Forbes and coach (Jason) Shay and liked what they had to say. There are all these resources here and all the facilities. You can't really fail. If I just do the right things, everything will go well for me. They have everything you need for success."
Although Klintman wasn't in Winston-Salem over the summer, he excelled for the Swedish National Team, which finished 6-1 in the FIBA U20 European Championships. He led his team scoring 16.0 points, while dishing 5.1 assists and grabbing 2.6 steals a game.
"I feel like the summer was really good for me, just to play with the national team," he said. "It's always an honor, and I feel like I have a big role for our national team in Sweden. It's always great to see the family again.
"When I came to Europe to meet the team, they were all really nice right off. The chemistry wasn't there yet, but everybody was so nice, it felt like home. The summer was a lot of fun for me. I feel like I got a lot of work in and got a lot better."
Although he stands 6-foot-10 now, Klintman started off playing basketball as a small, skinny guard, hence the ball skills and superior shooting stroke that is now combined with his size. In practice, he often matches up with Delaware transfer Andrew Carr.
"Our body type and playing style is similar," Klintman said. "He's 6-foot-10 too, and I'm not used to playing people my height. I'm used to having a little advantage. My arms are really long. When I play against AC, it's skill against skill. It's always fun to play against him."
The biggest adjustment Klintman has faced has been the increased physicality and speed of the game — qualities that will only amplify as he moves from preseason workouts to early-season play and then onto ACC action.
"The biggest transition for me is the physicality and the speed," he said. "When you go from high school to college, it's a big jump. Everyone is bigger. It's like grown men. But I feel like Sunrise Christian Academy prepared me well, in addition to playing internationally.
"Since I arrived, I've been working really hard with (strength and conditioning) coach (Mike) Starke and he's doing a great job of getting me ready, as well as my teammates. He's a great strength coach. I'm already getting bigger.
"You really have to get into the paint and land with two feet. I was more of a one-foot jumper before, but now I'm starting to grow and jump off two feet. I didn't really get up as high when I jumped with two feet, but I've been working with Starke in the weight room, and I feel like I can jump higher. It's just easier to finish if you have balance."
Klintman has seen little difference in the Steve Forbes he interacted with in the recruiting process versus the Steve Forbes he sees every day in practice.
"From the start he's always told me he was going to be honest and straight-up," he said. "You know he's never going to lie to you. I already knew that if I did something wrong or something right, he was going to tell me. I really like having that relationship with a coach. That's how trust is built. He hasn't really surprised me.
"He might be screaming a lot in practice, but that's how you know he cares about you. I just listen to what he says, regardless of the tone of voice, and just try to do it better."
Perfect from the floor, Klintman poured in 19 points while draining three 3-pointers and dishing six assists.
"I hope," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said after practice when asked if this was a normal day at the office for Klintman. "He's a stat sheet stuffer. He had a good day. He's going to have some ups and downs as a freshman, but he's showing the kind of versatility he has as a player."
While he's not always going to score 19 points in a 20-minute half with perfect shooting, Klintman has clearly emerged early as an additional weapon for Forbes, and at 6-foot-10 with ball skills that belie his size, the versatility added to the rotation will be vital for this year's edition of the Demon Deacons. Being able to count on productive minutes from Klintman at either the three or the four-spot on the court means Forbes can toy with a big lineup again this season or can even go super small with Andrew Carr in the middle.
"I do like that we have some flexibility in the lineup," Forbes said. "Early on with some of these non-conference games, you don't know the personnel you're facing. Sometimes you have to play small, sometimes you have to play big. You try to put your best players on the court, and I've always been a big believer in that. We'll play some different lineups."
While the rest of the team have been together since early June, competing in more than 70 practices together, Klintman was a late arrival — making his eventual college choice late in the process, through several plot twists, and then spending the summer competing with the Swedish National Team in the FIBA U20 European Championships.
"If you compare me to the others, I'm still pretty new to the team," Klintman said. "It doesn't feel like it though because we have a really good chemistry. The older players here, like Daivien Williamson, help me whenever I have a problem either on or off the court. Practice has been going really well.
"I'm going to bring a little bit of everything, especially size, because I'm 6-foot-10. I'll bring shooting because I can shoot the 3-pointer and have some athleticism. I can rebound and pass. The one thing about my game is that I'm an underrated passer. You're going to see that throughout the season."
The journey to Wake Forest was quite a winding road for Klintman, who had committed to two other schools before resetting things one last time and settling in with Forbes and the Demon Deacons.
"My recruiting process really started when I was with the national team," Klintman said. "It was the U18 team, and I was one year younger than everybody. I was playing up and that's when I started getting attention. I had my growth spurt and was getting to 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8. I was playing guard. I was like a modern wing. I got some low major and mid-major colleges calling, who had seen me play in Europe."
This was all happening right as the Covid-19 pandemic started, and Klintman found himself as one of the top-15 ranked talents in Europe.
"That's when people really started to see me and I got an offer from San Francisco," he said. "Then my name started getting out in the States and I got more offers. I was in Sweden when I got my Kansas offer. Then I committed to Sunrise Christian Academy. When I started playing in the States, that's when they really saw who I was.
"Then I committed to Maryland, but then they had a coaching change. I decommitted and started the whole recruiting process all over again. It's pretty overwhelming after a while. It was the middle of my season and starting to get to the end and some new offers rolled in."
A commitment to Colorado went by the boards when both sides decided to part ways, leading to a soul-searching talk between Klintman and his mother.
Should I go pro or take the college route?" he asked her. "College has always been my dream. Then I got the call from Wake Forest. I started looking into it and it's a really good school. I started talking with coach Shay, who initially recruited me and then Forbes. I knew then I needed to take a visit.
"The visit really felt like home. It was a great school. I didn't get to meet the team, because it was in May and everybody was on break. I got to meet the coaches and they made me feel at home. It's in the ACC, which is the best conference for college basketball. I felt like it was going to be a good fit, and I would play against the top players in college basketball every night."
Starting and stopping the recruiting process, while also navigating a global pandemic was quite an arduous task for Klintman and his family.
"That's a lot of phone calls," he said. "There's a lot happening. You have to be on your toes. It came while we were all navigating Covid too, plus there were a lot of transfer players in the portal. It was a little messy."
At Wake Forest, Klintman not only saw great facilities, superior coaching and a family environment, but he also saw opportunity.
"Jake LaRavia went in the draft and Alondes Williams got signed by the Nets, then Isaiah Mucius turned pro," he said. "That's three starters. There's an opportunity for me to come make a difference. That's what I saw. I talked to coach Forbes and coach (Jason) Shay and liked what they had to say. There are all these resources here and all the facilities. You can't really fail. If I just do the right things, everything will go well for me. They have everything you need for success."
Although Klintman wasn't in Winston-Salem over the summer, he excelled for the Swedish National Team, which finished 6-1 in the FIBA U20 European Championships. He led his team scoring 16.0 points, while dishing 5.1 assists and grabbing 2.6 steals a game.
"I feel like the summer was really good for me, just to play with the national team," he said. "It's always an honor, and I feel like I have a big role for our national team in Sweden. It's always great to see the family again.
"When I came to Europe to meet the team, they were all really nice right off. The chemistry wasn't there yet, but everybody was so nice, it felt like home. The summer was a lot of fun for me. I feel like I got a lot of work in and got a lot better."
Although he stands 6-foot-10 now, Klintman started off playing basketball as a small, skinny guard, hence the ball skills and superior shooting stroke that is now combined with his size. In practice, he often matches up with Delaware transfer Andrew Carr.
"Our body type and playing style is similar," Klintman said. "He's 6-foot-10 too, and I'm not used to playing people my height. I'm used to having a little advantage. My arms are really long. When I play against AC, it's skill against skill. It's always fun to play against him."
The biggest adjustment Klintman has faced has been the increased physicality and speed of the game — qualities that will only amplify as he moves from preseason workouts to early-season play and then onto ACC action.
"The biggest transition for me is the physicality and the speed," he said. "When you go from high school to college, it's a big jump. Everyone is bigger. It's like grown men. But I feel like Sunrise Christian Academy prepared me well, in addition to playing internationally.
"Since I arrived, I've been working really hard with (strength and conditioning) coach (Mike) Starke and he's doing a great job of getting me ready, as well as my teammates. He's a great strength coach. I'm already getting bigger.
"You really have to get into the paint and land with two feet. I was more of a one-foot jumper before, but now I'm starting to grow and jump off two feet. I didn't really get up as high when I jumped with two feet, but I've been working with Starke in the weight room, and I feel like I can jump higher. It's just easier to finish if you have balance."
Klintman has seen little difference in the Steve Forbes he interacted with in the recruiting process versus the Steve Forbes he sees every day in practice.
"From the start he's always told me he was going to be honest and straight-up," he said. "You know he's never going to lie to you. I already knew that if I did something wrong or something right, he was going to tell me. I really like having that relationship with a coach. That's how trust is built. He hasn't really surprised me.
"He might be screaming a lot in practice, but that's how you know he cares about you. I just listen to what he says, regardless of the tone of voice, and just try to do it better."
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