The Wake Forest basketball family grew significantly Wednesday as six new members joined from the high school class of 2012. The festivities began on Tuesday as 6'8" small forward Aaron Rountree of Greenfield School in Wilson, NC held his signing ceremony after school. He officially faxed the paperwork in on Wednesday morning, the actual start of the early signing period. Joining Rountree is a pair of teammates from Hargrave Military Academy of Virginia, 6'3" point guard Codi Miller-McIntyre and 7'+ center Andre Washington. Both joined Hargrave this season in order to better prep for the competition that they will face in the ACC.
The highest rated player committing to the Deacs in this class is Arnaud Moto, an athletic and hard-nosed small forward who plays for former Deacon Jim Fitzpatrick at Episcopal High in Alexandria, Virginia. While Moto is only 6'6", he plays with a high energy level and is a good mid-range scoring threat. Where Rountree is more of a 6'8" guard with great vision and ball-handling ability for his size, Moto should provide an extra scoring and rebounding punch in the mold of current Deacon Travis McKie.
Rounding out the class are Tyler Cavanaugh and Devin Thomas. Cavanaugh, who chose Wake over a late push from Syracuse, is a 6'8" face up forward from Dewitt, NY. Another versatile player, Cavanaugh has range all the way out to the three-point line and a good feel for the game. Thomas is a rugged power forward from Harrisburg, PA who has been recently listed as 6'9" 230. Coach Bzdelik and staff hope that he can provide the extra rebounding punch that Wake has been missing for the last couple years.
All-in-all this class provides several key pieces that should help Wake climb back into the top quarter of the ACC within the next few seasons. Look for Miller-McIntyre to become the vocal leader of the group, as he has the complete package to lead the Deacs in every facet of the game. Moto, Washington, Thomas, Cavanaugh and Rountree all provide much needed size and have varying skillsets that should complement each other very well. ESPN rates the class as the 14th best class in the country, while Scout.com rates it as 13th.
Welcome to the Wake Forest family, we can't wait to see you in the Old Gold and Black!