Nate Calmese has taken the long road to the ACC — from Lamar to Washington to Washington State — and he now finds himself at Wake Forest, stepping into a guard-centric system under Steve Forbes. It’s been four years, four teams and four conferences for Calmese, with the Piedmont Triad serving as the coda.
This has the potential to be a fruitful partnership. With a proven ability to score and create in uptempo systems, the bi-coastal guard arrives as a crucial portal addition. The question now: can he be the next transfer guard to thrive in Winston-Salem, or will his game need more refining to hit the right trajectory?
What’s the scenario?
Wake Forest has yet to make an NCAA Tournament appearance under Forbes, but the program’s upward trajectory during his tenure is clear. Since arriving in Winston-Salem, Forbes has revitalized the Demon Deacons, turning them from a moribund ACC program into a reliable winner. He’s won 58.6 percent of his games overall — a figure that climbs to 63.7 percent over the past four seasons.
In both the 2021–22 and 2023–24 seasons, Wake Forest finished inside the Top 35 of KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings, significantly exceeding preseason expectations each time. In 2022, the Deacons jumped from No. 103 in the preseason to No. 35; in 2024, they climbed from No. 73 to No. 28.
For context, under former head coach Danny Manning, Wake Forest cracked the Top 40 in adjusted efficiency just once: in the 2016–17 campaign, which also marked the lone season his teams outperformed preseason projections. That year remains the program’s only NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010, back when Ish Smith roamed The Quad.
As Forbes has raised the program’s floor, he and his staff have also shown a sharp eye for talent in the transfer portal, especially at the guard position, consistently identifying, landing and developing players who’ve flourished in expanded roles at Wake Forest.
Notably, three guards — Alondes Williams, Tyree Appleby and Hunter Sallis — thrived in Wake Forest’s system, each scaling up their offense and earning First Team All-ACC honors in their first season wearing old gold and black. Another transfer guard, Boopie Miller, arrived from Central Michigan and parlayed a breakout 2023–24 season into a lucrative payday at SMU.
After three straight seasons of having a newcomer in the backcourt make First Team All-ACC, Wake Forest’s upside portal bet for the 2024-25 season was Ty-Laur Johnson. Throughout a difficult freshman season at Louisville, Johnson showed flashes of talent, which raised the question: could he be the next transfer guard to elevate the Demon Deacons on offense? The answer turned out to be a resounding no.
While there were moments when Johnson’s speed and passing sparked the offense, he largely regressed at Wake Forest. His effective field goal percentage and assist rate both declined, while his turnover rate spiked to 27.8 percent — the highest of any ACC player who logged at least 40 percent of his team’s minutes last season. As a result, Wake Forest registered its least efficient offense since the 2020-21 season.
With Johnson rerouted to San Diego and the WCC, plus plenty of additional turnover in the guard rotation, the focus shifts to Calmese. Can he be The Guy?
Pushing Pace
As Calmese led Washington State in scoring (15.2 points per game), usage rate (27.9 percent) and assist rate (29.2 percent), the veteran guard served as the primary creator for David Riley’s go-go offense. The Cougars averaged 16.1 seconds per offensive possession (No. 26 nationally), according to KenPom, and despite losing their best player — Cedric Coward, the 11th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft — six games into the season, they remained relatively efficient, finishing Top 12 nationally in 2-point percentage (58.2 2P%) and effective shooting (56.6 eFG%).
Calmese was a significant driver of this success, taking on a crazy-high playmaking load sans Coward and serving as the offensive catalyst for Washington State’s 5-out attack. He finished the 2024-25 season as one of just 12 Division I players to hit four key benchmarks: a usage rate of at least 25 percent, an assist rate of 25 percent, a steal rate of 3.0 percent and over 50 percent shooting on 2-point attempts. In doing so, Calmese joined a select group that included Bennett Stirtz, Jeremiah Fears, Quadir Copeland, Chucky Hepburn and Zakai Zeigler.
With Calmese on the floor last season, the Cougars averaged 113.8 points per 100 possessions, posted a true shooting percentage of 60.1 percent (95th percentile) and played at a pace of 70.8 possessions per 40 minutes, according to CBB Analytics. When he sat, those numbers declined to 107.3 points per 100 possessions, 57.9 percent true shooting and 68.5 possessions per 40 minutes.
Calmese is a dynamic player who likes to dictate tempo through early ball-screen actions and hit-ahead passes.
The Cougars frequently used drag ball screens to get Calmese downhill in early offense, allowing him to attack before the defense was fully set. According to CBB Analytics, 14.1 percent of Washington State’s field goal attempts came at the rim with 20–30 seconds left on the shot clock — ranking in the 96th percentile nationally.
On this possession against San Francisco, Dane Erikstrup smacks Marcus Williams with a flat ball screen in drag action. San Francisco center Carlton Linguard is up at the level of the screen, and Calmese attacks his feet with a nifty in-and-out lefty crossover dribbling, skating around the 7-footer and getting to the rim for a layup — before a weak-side defender can rotate over.
Over 42 percent of Calmese’s field goal attempts at Washington State came at the rim. He averaged 7.4 attempts at the rim per 40 minutes (99th percentile), converting at a solid 61.6 percent clip.
Next, Coward sets a drag screen for Calmese against Iowa. Similar to a poorly executed run-stop fit in football, Iowa’s pick-and-roll coverage is not properly set early in the possession; guys aren’t really matched up. Calmese turns the corner, tucks the ball like a running back hitting the hole as Owen Freeman desperately tries to dig at the nail and glides to the hoop for an uncontested layup.
This play features empty-corner drag action against Oregon State, with Calmese pushing the tempo. OSU’s pick-and-roll defense breaks down here — Michael Rataj’s soft hedge does little to slow the ball, giving Damarco Minor no chance to recover. Calmese recognizes the gap and instantly attacks downhill, exploiting the seam before any meaningful help can rotate over from the weak side.
That rim pressure also generates slash-and-kick opportunities. Washington State attempted 264 three-pointers with 20–30 seconds on the shot clock — accounting for 13.4 percent of the team’s total field goal attempts, with 10.8 percent of those coming from above the break (89th percentile), per CBB Analytics.
In this example against Nevada, it’s more empty-corner drag action. Calmese gets the on-ball defender leaning one way, then crosses over and rejects the screen, driving away from Justin McBride, the screen defender. With two defenders now committed to the ball, Ethan Price stays spaced behind the arc and knocks down a pick-and-pop 3-ball off Calmese’s kick-out pass.
The Cougars focused their offensive attack in two key areas: the restricted area and beyond the arc. With Calmese running the show, a remarkable 76.4 percent of Washington State’s field goal attempts came either at the rim or from 3-point range — ranking in the 84th percentile nationally, according to CBB Analytics. When Calmese was on the floor last season, the Cougs averaged 21.1 rim attempts per 40 minutes, converting at a strong 66.5 percent clip, along with 24.2 3-point attempts per 40. Without him, those numbers dropped to 18.0 rim attempts and 22.3 3-point attempts per 40 minutes.
(As an aside, Riley, 36, is a young offensive mind to watch. Before joining Washington State, he spent three seasons as head coach at Eastern Washington, where the Eagles attempted over 71 percent of their shots either at the rim or from beyond the arc each year. In his final two seasons, they ranked in the top 80 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency.)
Taking a detour
Calmese is at his best operating out of the pick-and-roll as the primary creator. He’s a crafty breakdown guard with a deep bag of tricks and clever counters for various defensive coverages. Above all else, he’s looking to turn the corner and attack the paint with a live dribble.
One tactic Calmese frequently leans on is rejecting the ball screen, especially when he's bringing the ball up the left side of the floor and the screener sets up on the inner hip of the on-ball defender. In theory, this screen would allow Calmese to drive toward the middle, but he often takes an alternative route and attacks the outside instead.
If Calmese sees the screen defender creeping up to the level of the screen, preparing to hedge, he'll initiate his drive toward the middle before crossing over right to left and rejecting the screen — attacking in the opposite direction. When timed well, this move allows Calmese to get downhill and pressure the back line of the defense, often creating kick-out opportunities when defenders rotate over.
After a made field goal against Saint Mary’s, Calmese gets a drag ball screen in the left slot, with Paulius Murauskas ready to hedge and force him toward the sideline or push him farther from the rim. Instead, Calmese uses a subtle hang dribble to get both defenders leaning middle, then crosses over and attacks the strong-side gap.
This is good stuff from Calmese, as he breaks down a Top 10 defense that excelled at limiting opponent 3-point attempts — allowing just a 31.8 percent 3PA rate, per KenPom (No. 9 in Division I).
Calmese is shifty and skilled at changing tempo. It’s a controlled burst. He manipulates defenders and coverages with his ability to accelerate, decelerate and change direction on a dime.
Here, Washington State runs screen-the-screener “Spain” pick-and-roll action against San Francisco. Calmese rejects the initial ball screen from Erikstrup, getting into the second level of the defense. He then hits another quick in-and-out crossover to freeze Linguard and slips by him for a reverse layup, using the rim to protect the finish from a Tyrone Riley contest.
Calmese doesn’t make life easy for screen defenders in hedge-heavy schemes. While he’ll mix in screen rejections, that’s far from his only counter. He’s just as comfortable using the screen and making a read based on the screen defender’s positioning and balance.
If the screen defender hedges aggressively but lacks proper leverage, Calmese will extend his dribble and turn the corner — effectively using the retreating big as a de facto screener on his own teammate, the on-ball defender scrambling to recover.
On this possession at Oregon State, freshman center Maxim Logue hedges out but fails to reroute Calmese. As Calmese drives right, Logue inadvertently screens his own teammate, Minor, opening a clear path to the rim.
However, if the screen defender hedges out with poor inside leverage, Calmese will attack his feet, split the two defenders and get into the paint against a compromised defense.
It’s the suddenness of his handle that makes these movements work, plus he has the touch to finish efficiently around size at the rim, despite being a 6-foot-2, 165-pound guard.
If the defense switches the action, Calmese can isolate and look to play matchup ball, attacking the bigger defender 1-on-1 in space. His shiftiness and low center of gravity allow him not only to create advantages but also to exploit them — getting skinny and slipping through tight windows off the bounce.
Calmese doesn’t finish on this possession, but his drive — following a nasty crossover to beat the switch — creates multiple scoring opportunities at the rim against a set half-court defense.
Given how much pressure Calmese puts on the rim, it’s somewhat surprising he didn’t get to the free throw line more often. Last season, he attempted just 72 free throws, resulting in a free-throw attempt rate of only 16.5 percent. While not especially bulky, he absorbed plenty of contact. Still, according to CBB Analytics, he drew just 1.3 shooting fouls per 40 minutes and was one of only eight Division I players with a usage rate above 27 percent to attempt fewer than 75 free throws.
There’s some dissonance here, as the numbers don’t fully align with what you see on film. Regardless, increasing his trips to the line should be a priority for Calmese this season. It’s low-hanging fruit for boosting his efficiency.
Questioning the jumper: How does he fare vs. drop coverage?
The scouting report on Calmese begins with a key objective: keep him out of the paint. That’s his offensive lifeline: getting inside the lane to either score or kick out for jumpers. He was one of just eight Division I players 6-foot-3 or shorter in Bart Torvik’s 2024–25 database to shoot over 55 percent on 2-point attempts, with at least 200 attempts inside the arc, where he’s joined by Ohio’s Jackson Paveletzke.
On the flip side, his perimeter shooting is shaky by the numbers. Calmese attempted 7.9 three-pointers per 100 possessions last season — a reasonable volume, partly driven by his high usage and frequent shots (17.6 FGA per 40 minutes). However, only 32.3 percent of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, a career low. He shot just 29.1 percent on those attempts.
Over the last two seasons at Washington and Washington State, Calmese made only 50-of-175 3-pointers, a 28.6 percent clip. That marks a significant drop from his freshman year at Lamar, when he shot 36.5 percent from deep on 10.0 attempts per 100 possessions, including 40.4 percent in Southland Conference play. Calmese made a career-best 16 unassisted 3-pointers that season, too.
Given his strengths and weaknesses, some defenses will aim to wall off the paint against Calmese by deploying drop coverage — positioning the screen defender below the level of the screen. They’ll congest potential driving lanes even further by having the on-ball defender dip under the pick as well. This strategy can effectively stall a half-court offense, especially against a primary creator who is prone to over-dribbling.
Of course, Calmese can punish these pack-the-paint coverages at times, but defenses are willing to live with his pull-up jumpers if it means keeping the ball in front and Calmese out of the lane. Now, if Calmese hits pull-up jumpers at a steadier clip next season, it’s whole different ball game and Wake Forest has something special on its plate. Calmese, however, hit just 13 unassisted 3-pointers last season.
One way Calmese and the Cougars countered these under coverages last season was with quick re-screen efforts. This tactic allowed Calmese to advance the ball up the floor, then use a second screen closer to the rim designed to springboard him downhill.
In this example against Saint Mary’s: Price sets the initial drag screen a few feet above the arc. Augustas Marciulionis goes under the screen, forcing Calmese to his right. With Marciulionis dropping back, there’s no immediate driving lane. But Price quickly flips his hips and sets a second ball screen — this time a step inside the arc — bringing Calmese back toward the middle. Mitchell Saxen is near the level of the screen, but as he drops back, Calmese attacks, with Marciulionis now fighting over the screen. Calmese gains a step and an angle on Saxen, creating just enough space for a lefty finish around the 6-foot-10 center.
Another way Calmese counters drop coverage is through his willingness to score in the midrange — something Wake Forest will need to replace without the tough bucket-getting of Sallis.
If Calmese sees drop coverage and the on-ball defender fights over the screen, he can keep his defender on his hip with a jail dribble and snake back against the grain, probing into the midrange. As Parsa Fallah sinks back in drop coverage and Minor pursues from behind, Calmese takes what the defense gives him, sliding toward the paint and floating in a smooth little shot.
Despite some so-so statistical indicators (career 71.3 FT%), Calmese clearly has a nice touch in the midrange. According to CBB Analytics, he shot an impressive 55.0 percent on 2-point attempts in the paint but away from the rim (3.1 FGA per 40 minutes) and 40.0 percent on 2-point attempts outside the lane.
While Calmese can finish with either hand around the basket, one of his go-to moves is a quick inside-hand finish, seemingly designed to catch rim protectors off guard.
Washington State runs screen-the-screener action in staggered ball screens (77 actions) against Bradley. Calmese drives left off the second screen into drop coverage and seemingly surprises the defensive 5 with a quick right-handed finish.
There’s some risk with this tactic, even though it allows for a quick finish, especially when a defender anticipates the move. In those cases, it’s like serving the ball up on a tee for defensive centers in drop coverage or weak-side rim protectors.
The inside-hand finish can be weaponized, but Calmese may have to be more selective about its use against the length of ACC frontcourts this season.
Is he ready to elevate as a playmaker for others?
Calmese’s game with the ball is undeniably eye-catching. His offensive style has flair, marked by a creative handle and a bag full of deceptive moves that allow him to get to his spots all over the floor. He’s capable of taking over games with his ability to attack off the dribble. While the numbers back up that there’s real substance behind the flash, Calmese can sometimes fall into habits of over-dribbling, forcing difficult shots and turning the ball over.
According to CBB Analytics, Calmese created 34.5 points per 40 minutes — the total of his own points plus teammates points scored on his assists. This number ranked in the 98th percentile nationally. He achieved this for a team that won 19 games, including victories over several Top 100 opponents: Bradley, Nevada, Boise State and San Francisco. Calmese isn’t just an empty-calorie stat-chaser; he was a key driver of last season’s success. That said, it’s worth considering how much he benefited from playing in a pacey 5-out system that emphasized attacking the money areas on the floor.
A turnover rate of 19.9 percent isn’t terrible given Calmese’s usage and playmaking responsibilities without Coward, but for Wake Forest’s offense to reach a high enough floor this season to contend, Calmese needs to reduce turnovers. Whether due to his size or risk tolerance, he sometimes forces passes into tight windows or misses help defenders in passing lanes when focused on certain teammates.
Calmese isn’t the most accurate skip passer either. He can be a bit wild and erratic when looking cross-court. This pick-and-roll possession results in a score, but Coward has to adjust and leap to save Calmese’s skip pass.
That said, when Calmese slashes north-south, he can make smart decisions with the ball and set up teammates for easy cuts or kick-out finishes, including on isolation possessions. He doesn’t need a ball screen every trip down the floor to create advantages.
On this possession against San Francisco, Calmese receives a drag ball screen from ND Okafor. With the Dons in drop coverage, Calmese gets his defender on his back and drives into the paint. He patiently waits for SF center James O'Donnell to commit; as soon as O'Donnell reaches toward the ball, Calmese quickly flips a pass to Okafor on the dive.
He’s willing to string defenders out or take the ball deep into the paint to set up teammates. Moreover, Calmese isn’t hesitant to get off the ball. In fact, once he does, he actively looks to cut, relocate and get it back. He’s also a crafty pocket passer, capable of splitting defenders to find teammates for finishes in the paint.
Given the lack of obvious offensive firepower, Wake Forest is going to need to be able to win in those moments this season, forcing the defense to bend and rotate multiple times throughout the course of a possession. They need to access the blender.
While Calmese is capable of highlight-worthy passes, sometimes simplicity is the best option. Take what the defense gives you: when a second defender commits to the ball, make the easy pass to the open teammate.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of Calmese’s assists led to either rim finishes or three-pointers: 4.8 per 40 minutes, accounting for 75.1 percent of his total assists. If he can maintain a similar volume of paint touches while trimming the occasional turnover, he’ll be a clear positive for the Deacs.
Mapping out the usage
While Forbes and company have certainly had success empowering their guard creators, this process obviously based on more than just vibes. There’s an infrasctucture in place that allows guys to come in and hit their higher end outcomes on offense. Wake Forest’s system is malleable; Forbes and his offensive play-callers can mold stuff to the strengths of their talent.
Early on in his tenure, Wake Forest played with more pace and shot more 3-pointers under Forbes. For instance, the 2021-22 team, led by Williams and Jake LaRavia, ranked Top 30 in adjusted tempo, No. 46 in average offensive possession length (16.5 seconds) and No. 69 in 3-point attempt rate — with 42.4 percent of their field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. The 2022-23 team ranked inside the Top 25 nationally with a 3-point attempt rate of 45.4 percent. Meanwhile, last year’s team — despite forcing more turnovers on defense — averaged 18.0 seconds per offensive possession and had only 35.2 percent of its field goal attempts come from beyond the arc.
Given recent structural changes, including adjustments to the coaching staff, there have been some shifts in Wake Forest’s offensive approach. Still, there are key staples to expect from the Demon Deacons, and several align well with Calmese’s strengths.
Wake Forest typically employs a 4-out, 1-in system designed to attack all three levels of the floor. Last season, achieving optimal spacing was more challenging due to a starting frontcourt that lacked reliable shooting range: Efton Reid shot just 27 percent from 3-point range, while Tre’von Spillers managed 28.6 percent.
Much like his role in Pullman, Calmese will be featured in a steady dose of drag pick-and-roll actions. Wake Forest leaned heavily on these sets with Appleby, a blur in transition. They used drag screens to capitalize on his speed and create early-offense opportunities — such as this 2023 possession at Duke.
Wake Forest also utilizes double drag action — with the guard navigating staggered ball screens set by the 4 and 5. In a possession against Miami, Sallis initiates the play, using consecutive screens from Reid and Spillers. As two defenders commit to the ball, Sallis kicks it to Cam Hildreth on the left wing, who quickly redirects it to Reid on the roll, exploiting Lynn Kidd’s delayed recovery.
In end-of-half situations or late-game, hurry-up scenarios, Wake Forest often turns to “Pistol” action — guard-to-guard screens or handoff exchanges on the wing. It’s an effective way to generate a switch for one of the guards, among other things.
In a 2024 game at Duke, as Miller brings the ball up the floor, he signals for “Pistol” action with his right hand. Before coming off a flare screen from Andrew Carr, Damari Monsanto sets a quick brush screen for Miller, triggering a switch with Mark Mitchell, which Miller immediately looks to exploit.
It’ll be interesting to see what role Myles Colvin can carve out. Like Calmese, he emerges as a breakout candidate from the portal after spending most of his first two seasons at Purdue as a low-usage spot-up shooter. If Colvin is ready to contribute some on-ball creation, he could fit well in these actions alongside Calmese. The same goes for Mekhi Mason.
Washington State runs its own version of Pistol action here against San Francisco, with wing LeJuan Watts setting the initial ball screen for Calmese. The Dons don’t switch; however, as Watts loops back to re-screen, Calmese rejects it and beats his defender to the rim — finishing just ahead of a weak-side contest from Malik Thomas.
Wake Forest frequently incorporates “Ram” or “Bump” action — screen-the-screener sets that flow into spread pick-and-roll. Common across the college game, this is a simple yet effective way to create a sliver of early advantage for the ball screener before the main action unfolds.
This, too, projects as a go-to action for Calmese next season — something he can consistently flow into alongside Wake Forest’s versatile frontcourt options: Spillers, Cooper Schwieger, Omaha Biliew and Juke Harris.
Forbes runs much of its offense out of “Horns” or “Stack” formations, with two shooters in the corners and two players positioned near the top of the key, around the elbows. The Demon Deacons have a variety of plays stemming from these base sets, but one of the simpler ball screen actions is what I call the “Stack Out Step.” In this action, a guard pops out to the wing while the 5 immediately steps up to set a ball screen for the guard at the top.
In this example, Hildreth pops to the wing and Reid sets the screen for Sallis against Michigan.
One of Wake Forest’s primary plays is the “Horns Twist.” It starts with the point guard choosing a side and attacking off a ball screen from one of the two bigs. After the initial screen, the guard quickly changes direction as the second big, positioned at the elbow, lifts up to set another screen. This “Twist” action guides the guard back toward the middle, forcing the defense to shift and creating space for playmaking. It’s a solid way to attack drop coverage or create a switch.
Going up against Pittsburgh, Johnson uses it Horns Twist to set up a downhill drive, resulting in a kick-out to Sallis.
Finally, Wake Forest often opens up empty-corner ball screen actions — or “naked corner” screens, as Forbes calls them. The Demon Deacons can simply clear one side of the floor, allowing a guard and a big to work the action on the opposite side. Alternatively, they run a more complex sequence that flows into the naked corner action, as demonstrated here in what I refer to as Wake Forest’s “Iverson Wedge” set against UNC.
Defensive Concerns
The bigger concerns for Calmese lie on the defensive end. Although he posted a career-high steal rate of 3.0 percent, his overall defensive impact remains limited. He provides little value on the glass, with a career defensive rebound rate of just 6.7 percent. Among Washington State players who logged 500+ possessions last season, Calmese ranked second to last in Evan Miya’s Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating (DBPR).
Last season, with Calmese on the floor (995 minutes), the Cougars allowed 114.6 points per 100 possessions (15th percentile). In contrast, during the 370 minutes he spent on the bench, they allowed just 103.2 points per 100 possessions — significant difference of over 11 points per 100 possessions.
Context matters, and it’s important to note that Washington State struggled defensively as a team, ranking just inside the Top 200 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. Given that context, Calmese’s defensive numbers are less surprising, especially considering the enormous offensive burden he carried in a fast-paced, run-and-gun system. For a 165-pound guard tasked with initiating offense, breaking down defenses, scoring and facilitating, maintaining consistent energy on defense is a tough ask. That said, Calmese still needs to improve his consistency and impact on that side of the floor.
Calmese will struggle against more powerful guards. Given his size, ACC opponents will likely target him in switches and look to bully him in the post — a standard tactic.
Unfortunately, matching up with smaller, quicker guards has also been a challenge at times. He needs to sit down in his stance, work harder to stay in front of the ball and fight through screens with more urgency. Wake Forest won’t expect him to be a defensive stopper, but if he’s matched up with opposing point guards, he’ll need to hold his own at the point of attack and within screen-and-roll coverages.
Most importantly, Calmese has a tendency to drift as an off-ball defender. When his attention lapses, he’s prone to ball-watching, which leaves him vulnerable to back cuts and off-ball relocations from his assignment.
Calmese has flashes on this end of the floor when his energy is high and his feel for the game shines through; he can also be a disruptor with quick hands in the passing lanes.
Wake Forest will likely need the on-ball juice Calmese provides, so establishing a steady, playable level on this end will be key to unlocking his viability as a true two-way contributor.
Putting it all together
Nate Calmese enters Wake Forest as the next in a line of high-usage transfer guards tasked with jumpstarting the offense — a role that’s brought out the best in players like Alondes Williams and Tyree Appleby. His ability to pressure the rim, thrive in pick-and-roll actions and operate in tempo aligns well with the team’s system, particularly if the staff leans back into more pace and space.
Calmese isn’t just a flashy downhill attacker; there’s real substance behind his production. His playmaking ability could significantly elevate Wake’s offense after a down year. However, to reach his full potential in the ACC, he’ll need to improve his decision-making, punish drop coverages more consistently and prove he can hold up defensively. If the staff builds the right structure around him — and Calmese sharpens his game — this could be another portal success story in Winston-Salem. If not, it’s a problem, as there’s limited proven primary creation on the roster beyond Calmese.
