A coach-turned-caretaker and learning English: Wake Forest basketball returns with unique bond

The first place that Cameron Hildreth met his head coach was at the Charlotte Airport .

Hildreth, an England native who returns to Wake Forest men’s basketball for his senior year, always had a goal of playing the sport in the United States. But all his college visits ended up being Zoom calls, where team officials rode around on a golf cart and held their cameras out to show parts of campus.

Steve Forbes , who enters his fifth season as the Demon Deacons’ head coach, had recruited him during the pandemic, and then Hildreth eventually got on a plane to North Carolina.

He landed in Charlotte, met his head coach — and got a quick lesson in Americanized English.

“I was like, ‘Hey, Coach, can you open the boot?,’“ Hildreth said with a laugh Thursday. “He had no idea what that was. Later on, I learned it was the ‘trunk.’”

The senior guard who reached the 1,000-point milestone last season is among several Demon Deacons who return following last year’s 21-14 campaign.

Along with guard Hunter Sallis and big man Efton Reid III , Wake Forest brings back most of its lineup that led the program’s longest win streak since 2008-09 .

“(Hildreth) has come a long way,” Forbes said. “I think he’s one of the hardest- playing guys in college basketball, and he’s undervalued nationally with how really good of a player he really is. He can do it all. He can defend, pass, rebound. He just plays really hard.”

A year after Johnetta Forbes’ stroke, Wake is back at Coach’s house

One year ago, in his words, Forbes was “foundering.”

After his wife, Johnetta, had suffered a stroke last August, Forbes’ son and now daughter-in-law moved back into the house. Now thrust into this role of being a caretaker as well as a basketball coach , Forbes couldn’t do it all by himself.

The Forbes live across the street from Wake Forest’s campus in Winston-Salem, and players have always hung out at their house. There’s a big room where they often congregate, get food and play video games or watch a movie, where they were finally able to return this summer.

Johnetta is feeling much better now. She’s been swimming and doing yoga throughout the day — she just doesn’t yet have the independence of being able to drive.

“Being a caretaker is not something you can ever prepare yourself for,” Forbes said. “About a year ago right now, I was floundering. ... You go through the season and look at yourself on television. I just had to take care of myself. I went the old-fashioned way. I used to just run all the time, but I can’t do it. I had to re-train myself, I feel better, and we’re in a better place family-wise.

“She can walk with a cane. She has no speech issues. She can remember things. She just can’t drive.”

With Forbes, it’s more than just a ‘coach-player’ relationship

This may be one of the fastest teams Wake Forest has had recently, and standout newcomers will complement its top returners.

Salisbury native Juke Harris , named a First Team All-District player by the Charlotte Observer this March, ranks among the Top 100 players nationally by ESPN .

Omaha Biliew , a 6-foot-8 forward from Iowa State, will provide more depth at the power forward position for the Demon Deacons, as well as Charleston native Tre’von Spillers , another transfer who helped Appalachian State to a strong season in the Sun Belt Conference .

The majority of Wake’s roster is still returning players, led by Sallis, whose 18 points per game paced the team .

“Everyone at Wake Forest has shown nothing but love,” Sallis said. “It’s huge. In this day and age, that’s not normal — a lot of guys are transferring from their schools, a lot of guys are leaving to go to the NBA. To have a returning core like we have, that’s special.”

For Hildreth, the senior who went straight from his hometown of Worthing, England, to Wake Forest, it’s been a joy just to play with his buddies.

Since coming to the United States, he has grown close with his teammates, especially Sallis and Reid. They hang out after practice and are always talking, and the trio strives to maintain that bond off the court.

Their chemistry starts at the top.

“(Forbes) is just a great guy,” Hildreth said. “We’ve built such a great relationship over the four years, and it’s become more than just a ‘coach-player’ relationship. It’s more like a father figure. And that means a lot to me, as I think you don’t really find that much in college basketball.

“To have that relationship is awesome. And I think it translates to the court.”