BROOKLYN, N.Y. - With the 19th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected former Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia.
LaRavia is the first NBA Draft pick for Wake Forest since John Collins was selected by the Atlanta Hawks 19th overall in 2017 and is the first Wake Forest player to be drafted by the Timberwolves and the 40th Wake Forest player to ever be drafted.
“We are extremely proud of Jake and what he accomplished this past year at Wake Forest. For Jake, the NBA Draft is the culmination and reward for all his hard work, perseverance and unwavering belief in himself. He came to Wake Forest a year ago with the dream of playing in the NBA, and tonight his dream became reality. Jake joins a prominent lineage of former Wake Forest NBA players who forever live in the hearts and minds of all Demon Deacon fans.”
LaRavia's Highlight Reel
For the 2021-22 season, LaRavia led the team in field goal percentage, shooting 55.9 percent from the field while averaging 14.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He also earned Second Team All-ACC honors at the conclusion of the season after being named the ACC Player of the Week twice during the year. He tallied four double-doubles during conference play on his way to All-League recognition.
The Indiana native became the 55th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points when he tallied his ninth point of the game at the charity stripe in the first half against Louisville on Feb. 26. He reached the mark in just three seasons of college basketball with 1,022 total career points. With nine rebounds against Notre Dame on Feb. 19, LaRavia eclipsed the 500 career-rebound mark with 524 total career rebounds.
LaRavia registered a career-high six steals in the Deacs win over Western Carolina and four steals in the win over William and Mary in November. He was the first Demon Deacon to tally ten steals over their first two games since Jeff Teague had five steals in each of his first two games to open the 2008-09 season.
In the win over North Carolina Jan. 22, LaRavia tallied the sixth double-double of his career with a career-high 31 points and 10 rebounds. He is one of just four players over the past 10 years to record 30 and 10 against Carolina, joining the likes of Jabari Parker, RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson. Additionally, with 11 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks against Boston College on Jan. 24, the Indianapolis native became the first Demon Deacon since Tim Duncan to record 10, 10 and six in a conference game.
