JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 28, 2025) – Wednesday's game doesn't count on anyone's stats or records, but that doesn't mean it won't be meaningful.
The ETSU men's basketball team hosts Wake Forest on Wednesday night at Freedom Hall in a charity exhibition presented by Johnson City Honda benefitting Finnegan's Challenge and the Uncommon Grit Foundation. The matchup will see
Brooks Savage coach against Steve Forbes, a two-time SoCon champion in charge of ETSU from 2015-2020, who returns to Freedom Hall for thee first time since winning the 2020 SoCon championship.
MATCHUP: ETSU vs. Wake Forest
DATE: October 29, 2025, 7:00pm
VENUE: Freedom Hall Civic Center (Johnson City, TN)
RADIO: 640 WXSM (
Jay Sandos, Bruce Tranbarger)
TICKETS: ETSUTickets.com
After a 19-13 campaign that ended in the SoCon quarterfinals in Asheville, the Bucs have a radically different roster. Just three players return from last year: juniors
Maki Johnson and Game Sisk, and redshirt senior
Allen Strothers. ETSU added significant scoring punch in the transfer portal over the summer, led by Preseason All-SoCon pick
Jaylen Smith, who averaged 11.4 points per game and shot 34.6% on three pointers. Bryan Taylor II averaged 11.9 points and shot 44.9% from three for SIU-Edwardsville last year en route to an OVC championship, and
Milton Matthews III averaged 14.4 points at Florida A&M and shot 36.9% from three with 100 makes, 30th most in the country.
The front court is younger than in recent years, with redshirt sophomores
Brayden Crump and
Blake Barkley alongside sophomore
Jordan McCullum transferring in from Elon, Northwestern, and Murray State, respectively. UMass-Lowell transfer
Cam Morris III is the seniormost player up front and on the roster, while JUCO transfer
Isaiah Sutherland joins the Buccaneer ranks from Pensacola State College.
Forbes will coach in Johnson City for the first time since February 29, 2020, when Patrick Good hit three threes in the final two minutes to lift Forbes' Buccaneers to a 68-67 win over Western Carolina. Savage was an assistant on Forbes' staff for his entire run at ETSU and served as an assistant for three years under Forbes at Wake Forest before returning to Johnson City himself.
Now entering year six at the helm, Forbes is 86-49 in his last four seasons in Winston-Salem, the highest win four-year win total for the Demon Decons since 2001-05 under the late Skip Prosser. They were picked 11th in the ACC preseason poll earlier this month, behind Notre Dame and ahead of Virginia Tech. Promising freshman Juke Harris and leading rebounder Tre'Von Spillers headline the returners from a 21-win campaign a season ago. Senior Nate Calmese and junior Mekhi Mason join the Wake backcourt after averaging double-figures at Washington State and Washington, respectively, in 2024-25. Cooper Schwieger joins after averaging 14.5 points per game over two seasons at Valparaiso, and 2025 Summit League Freshman of the Year Sebastian Akins returns to his home state of North Carolina after an excellent campaign at Denver.
Though not an official game, this marks the first meeting between ETSU and Wake Forest since the 2003 NCAA Tournament, where the number two seed in the East Region held off Tim Smith and Zakee Wadood's Buccaneers, 76-73. ETSU's only win over Wake Forest in eight meetings came February 1, 1989, when Les Robinson's young core of Keith Jennings, Calvin Talford, Alvin West, and freshman Greg Dennis beat Wake 98-94 at the Mini-Dome.
About Finnegan's Challenge
Finnegan's Challenge is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families facing adversity. Through a network of resources, Finnegan's Challenge provides financial, emotional, and social support to families in need, ensuring they have the tools to overcome life's toughest challenges. Finnegan's Challenge is a marketing initiative of For Our Kids Project 501(c)3. For more information, visit finneganschallenge.org.
About Uncommon Grit Foundation
Uncommon Grit Foundation's focus is to raise awareness and inspire community support for military veterans, first responders, and their families in recognition and thanks for their service and sacrifice to our country. Through our fundraising we support individuals, families, and other vetted veteran and first responder organizations. To learn more, get involved and see how Uncommon Grit Foundation is making an impact, visit uncommongritfoundation.org.
For more information on ETSU men's basketball, go to ETSUBucs.com.
