Wake big man could burst onto the scene in 2016-17

In football, the saying is that the most popular player is the backup quarterback. For Wake Forest basketball last season, it was the backup center.

With a late-season burst of activity, then-freshman Doral Moore had Wake Forest fans chanting his name, imploring coach Danny Manning to put him in the game. And when Manning didn’t? They took to the web to voice their frustrations.

Looking at this season’s roster, it would appear that fans will get their chance to see a bigger dose of Moore. Gone is Devin Thomas, who played more than 30 minutes a game at center. In his place is Moore and recruit Samuel Japhet-Mathias. While Japhet-Mathias is highly rated (No. 13 center by 247Sports), he’s a soft 280 pounds, and it seems a stretch to think he’ll play major minutes right away.

So that means plenty of Moore, right? Well, we’ll have to wait and see whether Manning is ready to give him major minutes — or if Moore is ready to play them.

What do we know for sure about Moore’s involvement in the plans for the 2016-17 season? To find out for free, sign up for basic access to ACCSports.com.