At ACC Tipoff, Wake Forest transfer guard Breauna Ware needed just one word to describe the Deacs' women's basketball team entering the 2026-27 season: Edge.
What initially sounded like a simple answer turned out to be much more. By the end of the morning, Ware and head coach Megan Gebbia revealed that EDGE is the Demon Deacons' summer-long standard - Effort, Discipline, Grit, and Enthusiasm.
"EDGE can be on the court, off the court," Gebbia said. "It's a mental edge. I don't know that we played with enough of that in all those areas last year."
The women's basketball season begins in less than a month when Wake hosts USC Upstate at the Joel. This week in Charlotte, all 36 ACC basketball teams - 18 women's and 18 men's - are gathering to discuss the upcoming season at ACC Tipoff. Gebbia, Ware, and Opal Bird represented the Deacs.
To start their session, the three took the stage at the main press conference. At the end of the session, the moderator asked each to pick one word to describe the upcoming season. Ware went first and immediately said "Edge." Bird then answered, "Competitive." When asked, Coach Gebbia initially said, "I should have said 'Edge' too." Gebbia and Ware then fist -bumped. Gebbia eventually settled on "Passion."
That fist bump and interaction showed that there was something to the word "Edge." In the individual breakout sessions that followed, we learned that it is more than just a word, but that it's a mindset that the team has adapted to assist on and off the court.
Coach Gebbia emphasized that EDGE can apply on and off the court. She said Wake didn't play with enough EDGE last season. This is more than just a slogan created for the media to say at ACC Tipoff. Ware said they have had this drilled into them since June when practices began.
"We play with that every single day, and every single day, that gets us better," said Ware. "Where we were on June 13th (first practice) to now is because we played with Edge every single day, and we got even better."
Wake Forest guard Breauna Ware answers a question at the 2026 ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Nell Redmond/ACC Photo) | Nell Redmond/ACC
Gebbia went on to explain each word of the acronym. EDGE is Effort, Discipline, Grit, and Enthusiasm:
Effort- Playing with the necessary effort every possession.
Discipline- Doing things the right way and being disciplined in carrying out what the team needs to do.
Grit- Bringing toughness and determination. Gebbia said Wake needs to be a little more gritty; she felt the team was somewhat better in this area last year.
Enthusiasm- Having intentional energy and passion. Gebbia said the team has more energy than the previous two years and must be intentional about maintaining it through the January ACC grind.
The season opens on November 2 when the Deacs host USC Upstate at the Joel. The team consists of six returning players and six new scholarship players. We will soon see how this new-look team has come together - and how it plays with that EDGE mindset.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wake-forest as Wake Forest Women's Basketball Has an EDGE Entering 2026-27 .
