Photo by: Jaylynn Nash LLC
Buchanan Makes Return to Wake Forest Athletics
11/23/2022 10:51:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Wake Forest athletics department has a new addition to the team in the form of Blake Buchanan, who will be fulfilling the position of Account Executive on the development team.
Though he will be stepping into a new role at the University, Buchanan is a familiar face due to his time as a student-athlete on the Wake Forest men's basketball team from 2018-2021.
Raised in Durham, North Carolina, Buchanan grew up around ACC basketball. He often traveled to Greensboro for ACC tournaments and knew he wanted to stay close to home. Therefore, when he was offered a spot on Wake Forest's men's basketball team, he was quick to accept.
In Durham, Buchanan played basketball for his high school, Voyager Academy, where he helped the Vikings to three conference titles (2016-18) and was a two-time All-North Central Athletic Conference selection.
Buchanan graduated from Wake Forest in three years with a major in Economics and a minor in Entrepreneurship. To be able to complete such an impressive feat, considering the time and effort required to balance both academics and athletics, Buchanan credits the supportive people at Wake Forest for his success.
"You just have a lot of great people around you," he said.
In order to graduate a year early, Buchanan had to overload on credit hours and take courses over the summer as well. He was not deterred by this challenge, however, with a positive mindset fueling his drive.
"Instead of viewing it as a negative, I was like, this is regular, and just kind of rewired my brain to think that way," said Buchanan.
In addition to his commitment to academic excellence, Buchanan worked hard to play his best on the basketball court each time he was given the opportunity. Buchanan emphasized 'being as great a teammate as possible and trying to build a positive culture with everyone around you.'
These particular values not only apply while on the court but translate into how Buchanan has approached his opportunities outside of Wake Forest.
After graduating from Wake Forest in 2021, Buchanan continued his basketball career at George Mason while simultaneously working towards his master's degree in Management.
His undergraduate experience played a key role in preparing him for any academic or athletic challenges at George Mason.
"I was a little less worried about the academic side of things because of how much I put in at Wake and the bar I had set for myself. Athletically, playing against ACC players all the time and learning from two different staffs at Wake, I had a breadth of knowledge that was very wide and was probably a little bit ahead of the learning curve than a brand-new college player coming in," said Buchanan.
After completing his master's program at George Mason, Buchanan returned to North Carolina and worked as an Account Executive with the Greensboro Swarm, a basketball team in the NBA G League. While there, he handled areas such as ticketing and group sales, and was involved in community engagement.
The position that brought Buchanan back to Wake Forest is similar but allows him to give back to a community that he says, "I'm invested in regardless."
In his new role at Wake Forest, Buchanan is able to apply his experience in sales with the Swarm, but it is his unique perspective as a former Wake Forest student-athlete that allows him to connect with his job at Wake Forest in ways that other people may not be able to.
"I can definitely speak to what someone's investment, whether it's a Deacon Club donation or a ticket purchase, means as a former player," said Buchanan. "Being at Wake has given me some of the greatest opportunities way beyond basketball. I owe so much to my Wake Basketball experience that has nothing to do with basketball, and the people who invest in Wake Forest helped cultivate that."
Though he was focused on basketball during his time at Wake Forest, as a self-proclaimed fan of all sports, Buchanan is excited for the opportunity to work closely with the broad array of Wake Forest athletics programs.
He reiterated, "It's been an incredible blessing for me just to be back and I can't express enough gratitude. It's really like a perfect fit."
Though he will be stepping into a new role at the University, Buchanan is a familiar face due to his time as a student-athlete on the Wake Forest men's basketball team from 2018-2021.
Raised in Durham, North Carolina, Buchanan grew up around ACC basketball. He often traveled to Greensboro for ACC tournaments and knew he wanted to stay close to home. Therefore, when he was offered a spot on Wake Forest's men's basketball team, he was quick to accept.
In Durham, Buchanan played basketball for his high school, Voyager Academy, where he helped the Vikings to three conference titles (2016-18) and was a two-time All-North Central Athletic Conference selection.
Buchanan graduated from Wake Forest in three years with a major in Economics and a minor in Entrepreneurship. To be able to complete such an impressive feat, considering the time and effort required to balance both academics and athletics, Buchanan credits the supportive people at Wake Forest for his success.
"You just have a lot of great people around you," he said.
In order to graduate a year early, Buchanan had to overload on credit hours and take courses over the summer as well. He was not deterred by this challenge, however, with a positive mindset fueling his drive.
"Instead of viewing it as a negative, I was like, this is regular, and just kind of rewired my brain to think that way," said Buchanan.
In addition to his commitment to academic excellence, Buchanan worked hard to play his best on the basketball court each time he was given the opportunity. Buchanan emphasized 'being as great a teammate as possible and trying to build a positive culture with everyone around you.'
These particular values not only apply while on the court but translate into how Buchanan has approached his opportunities outside of Wake Forest.
After graduating from Wake Forest in 2021, Buchanan continued his basketball career at George Mason while simultaneously working towards his master's degree in Management.
His undergraduate experience played a key role in preparing him for any academic or athletic challenges at George Mason.
"I was a little less worried about the academic side of things because of how much I put in at Wake and the bar I had set for myself. Athletically, playing against ACC players all the time and learning from two different staffs at Wake, I had a breadth of knowledge that was very wide and was probably a little bit ahead of the learning curve than a brand-new college player coming in," said Buchanan.
After completing his master's program at George Mason, Buchanan returned to North Carolina and worked as an Account Executive with the Greensboro Swarm, a basketball team in the NBA G League. While there, he handled areas such as ticketing and group sales, and was involved in community engagement.
The position that brought Buchanan back to Wake Forest is similar but allows him to give back to a community that he says, "I'm invested in regardless."
In his new role at Wake Forest, Buchanan is able to apply his experience in sales with the Swarm, but it is his unique perspective as a former Wake Forest student-athlete that allows him to connect with his job at Wake Forest in ways that other people may not be able to.
"I can definitely speak to what someone's investment, whether it's a Deacon Club donation or a ticket purchase, means as a former player," said Buchanan. "Being at Wake has given me some of the greatest opportunities way beyond basketball. I owe so much to my Wake Basketball experience that has nothing to do with basketball, and the people who invest in Wake Forest helped cultivate that."
Though he was focused on basketball during his time at Wake Forest, as a self-proclaimed fan of all sports, Buchanan is excited for the opportunity to work closely with the broad array of Wake Forest athletics programs.
He reiterated, "It's been an incredible blessing for me just to be back and I can't express enough gratitude. It's really like a perfect fit."
Players Mentioned
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