Winston-Salem Tip Off Classic Returns to Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
9/19/2022 12:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Two exciting matchups bring the Winston-Salem community together to begin the 2022-23 Wake Forest men’s and women’s basketball seasons.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State University men's and women's basketball programs will compete in exhibition games inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the second installment of the Winston-Salem Tip Off Classic.
"I have great respect for Coach Cleo Hill, Jr. and what he has done at Winston-Salem State," head men's basketball coach Steve Forbes said. "He has built a championship program with a lot of success in recent years. We are all looking forward to the community coming together at the Joel to tip off the season with this great exhibition matchup."
"I am excited to welcome Coach L'Tona Lamonte and her Winston-Salem State team to the Joel," head women's basketball coach Megan Gebbia said. "There is no better way to tip off our season than playing a school that helps represent our great Winston-Salem community. This will be an exciting matchup not only for the two teams, but the entire city and surrounding area. We can't wait to get the season started on October 30th and see our Deacon Nation at the Joel all season for our two great Wake Forest basketball programs."
"We are proud of our partnership with Winston-Salem State University as we look for ways to bring our community together," director of athletics John Currie said. "With historic basketball heritage at both institutions, this will be a great two days for all those in the Triad. I look forward to seeing the Deacs and Rams hit the hardwood in front of our passionate fans!"
"I'm excited for our men's and women's basketball program to be able to go across town and meet our good friends the Demon Deacons at center court this fall," said Director of Athletics Etienne Thomas. "You know we went through a couple years of COVID and we were able to get a couple of competitions in with Wake Forest in the last two years, so it's always great when we can go across town and share in this great history we have as a city of Winston-Salem.
"John Currie and I have been very intentional with trying to bring our teams together across all sport programs as much as we can so this is just another example of bridging the dynamics of Winston-Salem and continuing to move both programs forward but also to move forward as one city that we share," Thomas continued. "I tell John all the time that we bear the cities name so that success is inherited in everything that we do but we also understand and appreciate that we share the city with Wake Forest University and the Demon Deacons and appreciate and look forward to those opportunities to meet on the field of play just like we do in the community. So I am looking forward to the two games within 24 hours of each other and looking forward to all the Rams coming out to LJVM Coliseum decked out in red and white."
Demon Deacon Debut
First-year head coach Megan Gebbia and the Deacs will tip off against the Rams Sunday, October 30 at 4 p.m. in LJVM Coliseum.
Coach Gebbia inherits a young but talented team led by rising junior guard Jewel Spear. Spear is the first sophomore leading scorer in the conference since the 2011-12 season and just the third in the last 20 years. She averaged 18.3 points per game a season ago.
Additionally, Spear's 90 three pointers ranked second in the ACC and is the second most in single-season program history.
She had one of the greatest performances in program history against ETSU on Dec. 13, netting 40 points, the second-best mark in school history, while also breaking the program record with 10 three-point makes.
Spear went for 30-plus three times last season and 20-plus 10 times.
Upperclassmen Olivia Summiel and Kaia Harrison assumed new roles as captains alongside Spear and outgoing senior Christina Morra. Summiel had five games with double-digit rebounds including a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over in-state foe Charlotte. Harrison helped take the reins at the point guard position with four or more assists in four of the last 10 games of the season.
Freshman guard Elise Williams finished second on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game while also leading the Demon Deacons in assists (87) and steals (51).
Additionally, forward Niyah Becker got valuable international experience with the Canadian U23 Team alongside Morra. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada native recorded a season-high 13 points three times during the 2021-22 season including a 6-of-8 performance in the regular-season finale against nationally-ranked Georgia Tech. She tallied her first double-double as a Deac in a home win over Troy with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Continuing Success
The third year of the Steve Forbes Era will begin Tuesday, November 1 at 7 p.m. when the Deacs take on the Rams at LJVM Coliseum.
After showing the biggest single-season turnaround in program history, which was also one of the best in NCAA history, the Demon Deacons are looking forward to building off the 25-win, third-round NIT performance from year two of the Forbes Era last season.
Team veteran Daivien Williamson is the lone returning starter from the 2021-22 squad, along with other returners Cameron Hildreth, Lucas Taylor, Matthew Marsh, Damari Monsanto, and Robert McCray. Freshmen Zach Keller and Bobi Klintman joined the group in the summer, along with four transfers.
Forbes and Co. signed one graduate transfer in Tyree Appleby, who has scored over 1,500 career points and spent the past two seasons with the Florida Gators. Younger players with some experience have also been added to the mix. Jao Ituka comes from Marist and was the Freshman of the Year in the MAAC. Andrew Carr joined the team after two years at Delaware and was a part of an NCAA Tournament team last March. Davion Bradford, a sophomore from Kansas State, rounds out the group. Bradford played in all 29 games his freshman year, averaging 20.8 minutes per contest. His 62.1 percent from the field was the second-highest in school history and highest ever by a freshman at K-State.
The Deacs took a 'Books and Basketball' trip to Europe after finishing summer workouts. They visited London, Paris, Normandy and Amsterdam before returning to campus in time to begin fall classes. The team also played two games while abroad, against the London Lions and the Paris All-Stars, winning both games by a combined 72 points.
Ticket Information
There will be free admission to the women's exhibition game and the men's exhibition game will be included as part of the 2022-23 season ticket. Information on how to purchase men's single-game tickets will be available in the coming weeks.
Wake Forest women's basketball season tickets are on sale now. Adult season tickets begin at $50 and Youth/Senior season tickets start at $25. Single game tickets are also available at $10 for Adults and $5 for Youth/Seniors. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.
If you are looking for Wake Forest men's basketball season tickets, there are three easy options to choose from this season - a full, half, or quarter season ticket membership. Within those packages, fans may choose the "FLEX" pass option or choose a traditional season ticket membership.
"FLEX" season ticket memberships offer ultimate fan-focused flexibility and pricing. At the time of purchase, fans may select the number of games they wish to attend, broken down into: Full Season: 17 Admissions, Half Season: Eight Admissions or Quarter Season: Five Admissions. Each admission counts for one ticket for entry, and members may use the tickets as they desire for the games that best fit their schedule. Members may even use multiple admissions for a single game to bring a friend, family member or guest with them (some restrictions apply). Seat locations for FLEX are assigned at the time the game is claimed. For more information or to purchase a "FLEX" season ticket package, click here.
"I have great respect for Coach Cleo Hill, Jr. and what he has done at Winston-Salem State," head men's basketball coach Steve Forbes said. "He has built a championship program with a lot of success in recent years. We are all looking forward to the community coming together at the Joel to tip off the season with this great exhibition matchup."
"I am excited to welcome Coach L'Tona Lamonte and her Winston-Salem State team to the Joel," head women's basketball coach Megan Gebbia said. "There is no better way to tip off our season than playing a school that helps represent our great Winston-Salem community. This will be an exciting matchup not only for the two teams, but the entire city and surrounding area. We can't wait to get the season started on October 30th and see our Deacon Nation at the Joel all season for our two great Wake Forest basketball programs."
"We are proud of our partnership with Winston-Salem State University as we look for ways to bring our community together," director of athletics John Currie said. "With historic basketball heritage at both institutions, this will be a great two days for all those in the Triad. I look forward to seeing the Deacs and Rams hit the hardwood in front of our passionate fans!"
"I'm excited for our men's and women's basketball program to be able to go across town and meet our good friends the Demon Deacons at center court this fall," said Director of Athletics Etienne Thomas. "You know we went through a couple years of COVID and we were able to get a couple of competitions in with Wake Forest in the last two years, so it's always great when we can go across town and share in this great history we have as a city of Winston-Salem.
"John Currie and I have been very intentional with trying to bring our teams together across all sport programs as much as we can so this is just another example of bridging the dynamics of Winston-Salem and continuing to move both programs forward but also to move forward as one city that we share," Thomas continued. "I tell John all the time that we bear the cities name so that success is inherited in everything that we do but we also understand and appreciate that we share the city with Wake Forest University and the Demon Deacons and appreciate and look forward to those opportunities to meet on the field of play just like we do in the community. So I am looking forward to the two games within 24 hours of each other and looking forward to all the Rams coming out to LJVM Coliseum decked out in red and white."
Demon Deacon Debut
First-year head coach Megan Gebbia and the Deacs will tip off against the Rams Sunday, October 30 at 4 p.m. in LJVM Coliseum.
Coach Gebbia inherits a young but talented team led by rising junior guard Jewel Spear. Spear is the first sophomore leading scorer in the conference since the 2011-12 season and just the third in the last 20 years. She averaged 18.3 points per game a season ago.
Additionally, Spear's 90 three pointers ranked second in the ACC and is the second most in single-season program history.
She had one of the greatest performances in program history against ETSU on Dec. 13, netting 40 points, the second-best mark in school history, while also breaking the program record with 10 three-point makes.
Spear went for 30-plus three times last season and 20-plus 10 times.
Upperclassmen Olivia Summiel and Kaia Harrison assumed new roles as captains alongside Spear and outgoing senior Christina Morra. Summiel had five games with double-digit rebounds including a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over in-state foe Charlotte. Harrison helped take the reins at the point guard position with four or more assists in four of the last 10 games of the season.
Freshman guard Elise Williams finished second on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game while also leading the Demon Deacons in assists (87) and steals (51).
Additionally, forward Niyah Becker got valuable international experience with the Canadian U23 Team alongside Morra. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada native recorded a season-high 13 points three times during the 2021-22 season including a 6-of-8 performance in the regular-season finale against nationally-ranked Georgia Tech. She tallied her first double-double as a Deac in a home win over Troy with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Continuing Success
The third year of the Steve Forbes Era will begin Tuesday, November 1 at 7 p.m. when the Deacs take on the Rams at LJVM Coliseum.
After showing the biggest single-season turnaround in program history, which was also one of the best in NCAA history, the Demon Deacons are looking forward to building off the 25-win, third-round NIT performance from year two of the Forbes Era last season.
Team veteran Daivien Williamson is the lone returning starter from the 2021-22 squad, along with other returners Cameron Hildreth, Lucas Taylor, Matthew Marsh, Damari Monsanto, and Robert McCray. Freshmen Zach Keller and Bobi Klintman joined the group in the summer, along with four transfers.
Forbes and Co. signed one graduate transfer in Tyree Appleby, who has scored over 1,500 career points and spent the past two seasons with the Florida Gators. Younger players with some experience have also been added to the mix. Jao Ituka comes from Marist and was the Freshman of the Year in the MAAC. Andrew Carr joined the team after two years at Delaware and was a part of an NCAA Tournament team last March. Davion Bradford, a sophomore from Kansas State, rounds out the group. Bradford played in all 29 games his freshman year, averaging 20.8 minutes per contest. His 62.1 percent from the field was the second-highest in school history and highest ever by a freshman at K-State.
The Deacs took a 'Books and Basketball' trip to Europe after finishing summer workouts. They visited London, Paris, Normandy and Amsterdam before returning to campus in time to begin fall classes. The team also played two games while abroad, against the London Lions and the Paris All-Stars, winning both games by a combined 72 points.
Ticket Information
There will be free admission to the women's exhibition game and the men's exhibition game will be included as part of the 2022-23 season ticket. Information on how to purchase men's single-game tickets will be available in the coming weeks.
Wake Forest women's basketball season tickets are on sale now. Adult season tickets begin at $50 and Youth/Senior season tickets start at $25. Single game tickets are also available at $10 for Adults and $5 for Youth/Seniors. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.
If you are looking for Wake Forest men's basketball season tickets, there are three easy options to choose from this season - a full, half, or quarter season ticket membership. Within those packages, fans may choose the "FLEX" pass option or choose a traditional season ticket membership.
"FLEX" season ticket memberships offer ultimate fan-focused flexibility and pricing. At the time of purchase, fans may select the number of games they wish to attend, broken down into: Full Season: 17 Admissions, Half Season: Eight Admissions or Quarter Season: Five Admissions. Each admission counts for one ticket for entry, and members may use the tickets as they desire for the games that best fit their schedule. Members may even use multiple admissions for a single game to bring a friend, family member or guest with them (some restrictions apply). Seat locations for FLEX are assigned at the time the game is claimed. For more information or to purchase a "FLEX" season ticket package, click here.
- FLEX Full Season Pricing - $170
- FLEX Half Season Pricing - $120
- FLEX Quarter Season Pricing - $99
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