Wake Forest Athletics
Reid Named to Naismith Starting 5 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List
11/1/2024 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest men's basketball senior Efton Reid III has been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
This past season, Reid arrived to act as one of three team captains during his first year on campus. The 7-foot big man ultimately made 28 appearances with 25 starts, immediately creating a notable paint presence with leadership on both ends of the floor. He ranked ninth in the conference in both rebounding (7.9/game) and blocked shots (1.3/game) -- finishing second on the roster in both categories.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Reid led Wake Forest in field goal percentage, making 106 of 194 total attempts throughout the winter for a 54.6 clip while averaging 9.6 points per game. In his first appearance, versus Rutgers (Dec. 6), he totaled 12 points and 14 rebounds in 28 minutes, becoming the third Wake Forest newcomer since 2008 to notch a double-double in a season debut – joining the likes of Jaylen Hoard and Al-Farouq Aminu. He went on to record six double-doubles for the year -- the most by a Deac in a single season since Oliver Sarr's 13 during 2019-20.
Reid scored 10 or more points on 15 separate occasions, including six of his final eight performances. He reached a new career high of 17 points against in-state foe App State during the first round of the 2024 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on March 20. Defensively, Reid protected the rim in a consistent manner to post five blocks in single games on three separate occasions – all at home versus Presbyterian (Dec. 21), Miami (Jan. 6) and Virginia (Jan. 13). On the rebounding end, he had seven performances of 10 or more boards. His versatility was on display in recording a career high in nearly every statistical category as a junior, including a personal-best five assists versus Notre Dame in the conference tournament (March 13) and an overall 84.2 percentage from the free-throw line. For his efforts off the court, Reid was named to the All-ACC Academic Team by the season's conclusion.
Reid joined classmate Hunter Sallis as Wake Forest's second individual to be named to a preseason watch list this week, as Sallis earned nods to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Preseason Top 20 (Oct. 29), NABC Division I Player of the Year Watch List and the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Watch List Presented By AXIA Time (Oct. 30).
This past season, Reid arrived to act as one of three team captains during his first year on campus. The 7-foot big man ultimately made 28 appearances with 25 starts, immediately creating a notable paint presence with leadership on both ends of the floor. He ranked ninth in the conference in both rebounding (7.9/game) and blocked shots (1.3/game) -- finishing second on the roster in both categories.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Reid led Wake Forest in field goal percentage, making 106 of 194 total attempts throughout the winter for a 54.6 clip while averaging 9.6 points per game. In his first appearance, versus Rutgers (Dec. 6), he totaled 12 points and 14 rebounds in 28 minutes, becoming the third Wake Forest newcomer since 2008 to notch a double-double in a season debut – joining the likes of Jaylen Hoard and Al-Farouq Aminu. He went on to record six double-doubles for the year -- the most by a Deac in a single season since Oliver Sarr's 13 during 2019-20.
Reid scored 10 or more points on 15 separate occasions, including six of his final eight performances. He reached a new career high of 17 points against in-state foe App State during the first round of the 2024 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on March 20. Defensively, Reid protected the rim in a consistent manner to post five blocks in single games on three separate occasions – all at home versus Presbyterian (Dec. 21), Miami (Jan. 6) and Virginia (Jan. 13). On the rebounding end, he had seven performances of 10 or more boards. His versatility was on display in recording a career high in nearly every statistical category as a junior, including a personal-best five assists versus Notre Dame in the conference tournament (March 13) and an overall 84.2 percentage from the free-throw line. For his efforts off the court, Reid was named to the All-ACC Academic Team by the season's conclusion.
Reid joined classmate Hunter Sallis as Wake Forest's second individual to be named to a preseason watch list this week, as Sallis earned nods to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Preseason Top 20 (Oct. 29), NABC Division I Player of the Year Watch List and the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Watch List Presented By AXIA Time (Oct. 30).
Players Mentioned
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