Wake Forest Demon Deacons Men's Basketball at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team played their first season in 1906 as an independent team. The Demon Deacons have called Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina their home since 1987. Known commonly as LJVM, Joel Coliseum or simply The Joel, the coliseum has a maximum capacity of 14,665.
Entering 2023, Wake Forest is led by young, prolific head coach, Steve Forbes. Forbes, a journeyman as an assistant at stops like Texas A&M and Tennessee, got his first crack as head coach in 2015 at East Tennessee State University. He made the jump to the Power Five level in 2020, when the Demon Deacons named him their head coach. In 2022, Forbes won ACC Coach of the Year, leading Wake Forest to a 23-8 record.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons Men's Basketball History
After joining the Southern Conference from 1936-1952, the Demon Deacons joined the ACC in 1953. Between 1953 and 2022, Wake Forest won five ACC Regular Season Championships, and five additional ACC Conference Tournament Championships. In 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, the Deacs have made nine Sweet Sixteens, six Elite Eights, and one Final Four.
Historic Wake Forest greats who went on to have prestigious careers in the NBA include Tim Duncan, Chris Paul, Jeff Teague, and Rodney Rogers. Duncan was named First-Team All-ACC three times, ACC Player of the Year twice, a Consensus first-team All-American two times, and the 1997 Consensus National College Player of the Year. His number, 21, has been retired by Wake Forest.
