The Deacs officially have their 3rd loss of the offseason, with junior forward Cooper Schwieger entering the portal.
Schwieger was the first addition to the roster from the portal in the 2025 offseason cycle as the replacement big man for the graduating
Efton Reid. Despite averaging 15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game as a sophomore at Valparaiso, Schwieger didn’t really pan out for the Deacs—the 6-10 Kansas native averaged just 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 22 minutes per game this season, all career lows. That left Wake without a true paint present on both sides of the court, which had some pretty dire consequences. Wake was 332nd in the nation in “at the rim” FGA Frequency (percent of shots taken at the rim) and 317th in “at the rim” field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot nearly 67% at the rim this year. The Deacs also struggled in rebounding, where they were 282nd in the nation with just 33 rebounds per game and 296th in keeping their opponents off the offensive glass, allowing teams to rebound almost 1/3 of their missed shots. Wake was outrebounded in 19 of their 35 games and 13 of their 18 conference games this season.
The Deacs will now be in the market for both a starting point guard and a starting center, which are typically the two most expensive positions in the portal every year. Forbes definitely has his work cut out for him again this offseason.
Go Deacs.
