There’s a good reason Coach Steve Forbes of Wake Forest has been nicknamed “The Portal Whisperer” thanks to his track record for pulling out quality players from the transfer portal for his basketball team.
Forbes was given that nickname by Essex Thayer, a student at Wake Forest who writes for the school newspaper and is a freelance writer for other outlets. In his time in Winston-Salem, Forbes has brought in Alondes Williams, Jake LaRavia, Tyree Appleby and this season Hunter Sallis and Efton Reid.
While it’s not clear yet if Sallis and Reid will return, the only player signed for this coming season is Juke Harris, a freshman from Salisbury. With plenty of scholarships now open it’s a good bet Forbes and his assistants will be looking into the portal for help.
Kevin “Boopie” Miller, a point guard, entered his name into the transfer portal on Thursday and he wasn’t the only one.
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Miller, who had his best season in his only season playing for Forbes, was one of the team’s best players who has two years left of eligibility.
According to 247sports.com Miller has entered the portal and joins Damari Monsanto who entered the portal when it opened earlier this month. On Wednesday Aaron Clark, a backup guard, entered the portal along with teammates Matthew Marsh and Zach Keller, two backup centers who split time backing up Reid.
But it was Miller, who was the only starter who has entered the portal so far, that got the attention of the fan base.
Miller averaged 32 minutes a game, and 15.6 points per game while shooting 37% from 3-point range. Overall, he shot 46% and led the team in assists at 3.5 per game.
The Demon Deacons finished 21-14 and lost on Sunday to Georgia in the second round of the NIT at Joel Coliseum.
Miller’s best game might have been the win over App State in the first round of the NIT. He had a career-best 31 points going 9 of 14 shooting with three assists and no turnovers.
Marsh entered the portal on Thursday as well after playing 65 games over three seasons for the Demon Deacons. This past season he averaged 10 minutes a game playing in 22 of the 35 games played. Keller, a rising junior, played in 39 career games over two seasons and started 11 times. He averaged just 1.7 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game.