As part of pitch to keep Olivier Sarr, new Wake Forest coach takes shot at Kentucky degree

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky was not the only basketball program that wanted Wake Forest center Olivier Sarr.

The 7-foot French center announced he was transferring from Wake Forest after former Demon Deacons coach Danning Manning was fired. But new Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes did not give up on keeping Sarr in his program, and he wasn't afraid of taking a shot at the competition to do so.

"I think the most important thing is why would you go to Wake for three years and put all that time in to get this prestigious degree and then end up getting your degree at a place like Kentucky," Forbes said in an interview with WSJS radio Tuesday. "That’s what I (told him), that got a chuckle out of him.

"That’s no disrespect to Kentucky because I obviously respect them. I just think there’s a lot to be said for putting all that work in academically and not being able to finish what you started. I know those things are all important to him. He said that. So, we’ll see. We’ll keep trying, we’ll keep plugging. We’ve got a lot of really good teams recruiting him."

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Sarr averaged 13.7 points and nine rebounds per game as a junior at Wake Forest. ESPN ranks him as the top-available transfer.

While Sarr is not going to graduate by the end of the summer, he told ESPN he plans to apply for a waiver to play immediately next season because he had decided not to test the NBA draft waters under the assumption Manning would be back as coach. Sarr said if he is not granted a waiver, he will start his professional career instead of sitting out a season.

"The biggest thing I told him was, you’re in a new place with a new coach no matter what," Forbes said, recounting his 2-hour conversation with Sarr over the weekend. "Do you really want to take the risk of playing with new teammates? Because you’re not going to have the summer. You’re only going to have about 6-8 weeks to prepare for the season. You’ve got to work through chemistry. When you can come back and play with teammates that love you, care about you and can get you the ball."

While Sarr appears to have a clear case for a waiver to play immediately at another school, Wake Forest remains the only program where he is guaranteed to be eligible to play next season.

"It’s full-court press on him," Forbes said. "He’s our No. 1 recruit right now. We’re putting our best foot forward. That’s all we can do."

Almost every top-tier program with an opening in its frontcourt is expected to have some interest in Sarr as a transfer, but Kentucky, which lost eight of nine players from last season, has been immediately tied to Sarr. UK fans flooded Sarr's social media profiles with pleas to come to Lexington even before he announced he was transferring.

Jon Hale: jahale@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @JonHale_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/jonh.