In just one season playing for Wake Forest Men’s Basketball, Hunter Sallis became a star. 

After a breakout season with the Deacon Deacons, the junior guard says he will declare for the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his eligibility to play again in college. Sallis quickly proved indispensable for Wake Forest as one of the team’s most dynamic scorers during their 2023-24 campaign. 

“This decision was not made lightly, but I am confident that it is the right step towards pursuing my dreams and aspirations,” Sallis said in his announcement via social media on Sunday. 

A five-star recruit from Omaha, Neb., Sallis transferred to Wake Forest from Gonzaga ahead of the 2023-24 season after two seasons with the Bulldogs. He headlined a massive offseason of transfer portal commitments for the Demon Deacons alongside fellow starters guard Kevin “Boopie” Miller and center Efton Reid III.  

Once at Wake Forest, Sallis dazzled by finding ways to score from anywhere on the floor. His 18 points per game led one of the ACC’s highest-caliber offenses in scoring on 40.5% three-point shooting. Sallis had fifteen 20+ point performances at Wake, including a 29-point game versus ACC Champion NC State, and a career-high 33-point outing in Wake Forest’s cornerstone victory over ranked Duke. 

Under men’s basketball Head Coach Steve Forbes, Sallis emerged as one of the best guards in the highly-competitive ACC conference. Behind a season average 18 points, four rebounds and three assists per game, he earned First Team All-ACC honors and was named AP ACC Newcomer of the Year. 

Sallis is now projected by multiple outlets to be selected during the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. His prolific scoring and diverse shooting array is expected to make him a scoring threat from nearly anywhere on a professional court. If drafted, Sallis would become the second Demon Deacon selected to the NBA from Forbes’ Wake Forest program, joining 2022 first-rounder Jake LeRavia taken by the Memphis Grizzlies. 

“We are so very proud of your son!!!” said Forbes on Twitter replying to an announcement of Sallis’ decision posted by Sallis’ mother. “It’s time for Hunter to turn his dreams into reality!!!” 

The NBA Combine will be held May 13-19 in Chicago, Ill., and the draft will begin on June 26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y..