Junior College SG Desmond Lee Picks the Pack [Updated 3:00pm]

13-14 Basketball Basketball Recruiting78

While we were typing our original entry, the Wolfpacker tweeted confirmation —

StateFansNation is picking up some super strong vibes that an announcement may be forthcoming that New Mexico Junior College shooting guard, Desmond Lee will be transferring to NC State.

Lee is a tremendous pick up for the Wolfpack, particularly in the wake of Rodney Purvis’ recent transfer. Lee has size and athleticism for the two guard, checking in around 6’4 range and close to 200 pounds. He averaged over 20 points a game and around 2 steals and 2 assists per contest; he also rebounds well for a guard, nabbing an average of almost six a game. After Purvis, State fans will find it refreshing that a ‘shooting guard’ can actually shoot free throws, as Lee hit ~77% of his attempts from the charity stripe last season.

It has been reported that Lee had scholarship offers from the likes of Miami, Arkansas, Baylor, Virginia Tech, Washington, Illinois and others. It was believed that Creighton, Baylor and NC State comprised Lee’s top three. Lee will have two years of eligibility remaining. The Wolfpacker had more in this article. You can see some of his highlights in the video below, if you can stomach the music.

Additionally, you’ll love this athleticism and strength:

With this great news, Wolfpack fans’ will immediately turn attention to Tulane transfer and former NC State forward, Josh Davis. Davis, originally from Raleigh and a member of Sidney Lowe’s recruiting class that just graduated (Richard Howell, Scott Wood), has been granted a release from Tulane after averaging 17+ points and 10 rebounds a game this past year for the Green Wave. Davis will have one year of eligibility remaining and would be able to play immediately using the graduate transfer rule like Alex Johnson and Russell Wilson.

As you can see from the scholarship configuration below, the addition of upper-classmen like Lee and Davis is hugely helpful to the program. A case could be made that State could stand to accept a couple of other transfers to help balance out the scholarships in the future.

Stay tuned. More to come.

Senior Class
(1) Jordan Vandenberg (C) (Redshirt)
(2) Hold for a 5th year graduate transfer – (PF/C)

Junior Class
(3) Ralston Turner (Wing) – transfer from LSU sat out 2012-2103
(4) Desomnd Lee (2G) – JUCO transfer from New Mexico Junior College

Sophomore Class
(5) Tyler Lewis (PG)
(6) TJ Warren (F)

Freshman Class – 2013 Commits
(7) Anthony Barber (PG)
(8) Kyle Washington (4F/5C)
(9) BeeJay Anya (4F/5C)
(10) Departure of Scott Wood
(11) Departure of Richard Howell
(12) Departure of Lorenzo Brown
(13) Departure of CJ Leslie

2014 Commits
(1) Caleb Martin (wing) (scheduled departure of Vandenberg)
(2) Cody Martin (wing) (scheduled departure of projected 5th year transfer)

About JackWolf

I'm an unapologetic NC State fan but also consider myself a rational one. Hit me up on twitter if you want to talk @NCStateFootball

13-14 Basketball Basketball Recruiting

78 Responses to Junior College SG Desmond Lee Picks the Pack [Updated 3:00pm]

  1. wolffpride 04/09/2013 at 8:56 AM #

    ^ I am wondering about the rotation myself if we do in fact pick up an 8th quality player, giving us 9 schollies with Berg. My fear is Gottfried might only play the best 7, just like last year.

  2. wolffpride 04/09/2013 at 9:16 AM #

    While watching the game last night my old man pointed out something very interesting to me. He said to me that John Wooden believed defense started once the ball was inbounded, there was no such thing as a half court defense. You pressure and defend the second you no longer have the ball. Louisville did this, they won. This philosophy goes hand in hand with a “running” style of offense. A mirror image if you will: offense starts once you get the ball. These play so well off of each other. You pressure the ball, turn it over, score on the run.

    Gottfried has proven that he likes to run, but I have yet to see a commitment to defend. There are moments when I saw it last year, for stretches in a game, but nothing more. I hope with an 8-9 man depth, he will try and pressure the ball, like his mentor taught him. Louisville did it with 8 guys last night, 9 when Ware was healthy during the year.

  3. Gowolves 04/09/2013 at 9:32 AM #

    ^ Couldn’t agree more with those comments. With that being said you can’t hand check all the way down the court. Well I guess you can if you are Dook or Louisville.

    The one thing I look fowrard to is having someone who can block shots and make it difficut to get to the basket. I think Anya can do that. If he does little else and shows offensive improvement as the season progess’ then his season will be a success.

  4. Master 04/09/2013 at 9:48 AM #

    Can someone remind me why Josh Davis left State in the first place and why those reasons don’t exist anymore?

  5. ncsu74-83 04/09/2013 at 10:06 AM #

    I may be wrong but an answer to your questions about davis from what i known is that he was a local kid from athens and was an afterthought on the recruiting trail and was given the opportunity to play at state, after his freshman year it was obvious he could play and contribute at the college level but state had painter and howell coming in and he was not going to receive significant playing time so he left for a smaller basketball program (tulane)

  6. Tau837 04/09/2013 at 10:07 AM #

    On Davis, from http://acc.blogs.starnewsonline.com/14230/josh-davis-hustles-out-of-n-c-state/:

    “Sensing that he might be the odd man out of an enhanced rotation that includes All-ACC senior Tracy Smith, five-star freshman C.J. Leslie and improving returners Richard Howell and Deshawn Painter, Davis has decided his best chance at earning playing time in the future is to transfer to another school.

    “Josh was one of the hardest workers we had this past season,” State coach Sidney Lowe said in announcing Davis’ release. “Whenever he was inserted into the game something positive seemed to happen. Josh just expressed to me that he feels like he could have better opportunties at another school. We wish him nothing but the best.””

  7. Whiteshoes67 04/09/2013 at 11:06 AM #

    I’m excited about seeing this team next year, especially if we can land Davis and/or another quality big man who can contribute.

    While I agree that we would have more interchangeable parts, which should allow us to be fresher and play more bodies and combinations, I still think Warren will spend the most time at the 3, especially if we get Davis or another solid frontcourt contributor.

    Early in year, starting lineup is likely:
    PG – Lewis (major minutes to Barber, who will probably supplant Lewis)
    SG – Turner (backed up by Lee)
    SF – Warren
    PF – Davis (even though he’s small, and this is a big if at this point, this is where he fits); backed up by Washington
    C – Anya

    We’ll go smaller depending on fouls, injuries, situations, but rarely will you see a backcourt of Barber and Lewis at the same time. That’s a recipe for disaster given how we defend and how small and inexperienced they are.

  8. JEOH2 04/09/2013 at 11:20 AM #

    ^ Powell? Who is Powell?

    You mean Josh Davis?

  9. tjfoose1 04/09/2013 at 11:27 AM #

    “How do you know he is a trade up? He most definitely has more experience but he has been competing against lower level players.”

    Because RP was an immature malcontent who poisoned the chemistry well.

  10. tjfoose1 04/09/2013 at 11:29 AM #

    “why is there no one saying anything about the pack sweeping the hokies in baseball this weekend?”

    There is discussion on baseball, just not in this thread. The title of this thread is “Junior College SG Desmond Lee Picks the Pack”

  11. Whiteshoes67 04/09/2013 at 11:30 AM #

    ^oops…yeah, getting my josh’s confused

  12. JeremyH 04/09/2013 at 11:40 AM #

    Whiteshoes67, I disagree. I think that WBS gets starter minutes and we need to BBIQ and steady hand on the floor. Time will tell. Also if he get Josh Davis, remember he is now 6’8 and strong, similar to Howell, so “small” isn’t the best way to describe him. I’m not sure how you fit Turner in the 2 spot. People tried suggesting that for Wood, and I don’t think that ever really helped out.

    We need Davis and a big man project, or a some transfer or JUCO big man that can give us 15 – 25 minutes a game of quality interior play.

  13. Tau837 04/09/2013 at 11:58 AM #

    ^Jeremy said: “I’m not sure how you fit Turner in the 2 spot.”

    Coming out of high school, ESPN and Scout listed Turner as a SG; Rivals listed him as a SF. He is listed as a guard on LSU’s web site and in the LSU game logs for his two seasons there. To some degree, it’s semantics; he will play a wing position and should be able to play SG or SF if those distinctions matter.

  14. Tau837 04/09/2013 at 12:12 PM #

    Whiteshoes said: “PG – Lewis (major minutes to Barber, who will probably supplant Lewis)”

    I disagree that Lewis will be supplanted by Barber.

    As of right now, I agree with BJD on the most likely starting lineup being Lewis, Barber, Turner, Warren, and Anya. If we get Davis, that could potentially change to move Warren to SF and insert Davis at PF.

    In that case, I think Lewis still starts, and the question is whether or not Barber or Turner sits. I suspect Barber would sit and be first off the bench to inject speed and explosiveness.

    Regardless, there is plenty of room for both Lewis and Barber to play a lot. For example, here is a possible breakdown, assuming we get Davis:

    Lewis – 30 mins
    Barber – 30 mins
    Lee – 20 mins
    Turner – 25 mins
    Warren – 30 mins
    Davis – 25 mins
    Anya – 25 mins
    Washington – 15 mins

    I’m sure that’s not exactly how it will play out, but it illustrates the point.

  15. packalum44 04/09/2013 at 12:43 PM #

    “There are rumors – I can’t attribute them, but they are out there – that State may be getting a transfer in from another big program.”

    “State is in the mix for at least one more transfer not counting Davis.”

    Could it be…..Mr. Black from Memphis???

    Apparently he walked out of a practice this past year and was what some may call a “cancer” to the team. Will be interested to see if the bloggers whose cognitive dissonance allows them to make illogical statements such as addition by subtraction for other cancerous transfers. (Illogical b/c if this was true, then the coach could simply suspend the kid or kick them off the team. TOB led my example, carving out cancer with a blunt rusty ax, he turned our f-ball program into a Triangle powerhouse.)

    http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/22007678/memphis-forward-tarik-black-considering-transfer

    http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/22034866/memphis-junior-tarik-black-to-graduate-and-transfer

  16. maverick_ncsu 04/09/2013 at 1:01 PM #

    I too think that we need Lewis running the point, based on his headiness and how I think he will be one who will develop into a leader by example and vocally. BUT, for whatever reason, the staff did not play him nearly what we all thought he’d earned when Brown returned. I know Brown is an amazing player, but it seems like every game we were wanting Lewis to play more, but the staff didn’t play it that way.

    Was it simply that coach liked his (lack of) rotation with Lewis playing minimal minutes or is there something that Gott doesn’t like in the way he runs the offense that Gott wants to run? I don’t know, but it will be interesting to see how he uses Barber and Lewis together.

  17. ILPackfan 04/09/2013 at 1:06 PM #

    Desmond Lee: very good news there.
    Josh Davis: would also be very good news.

    Don’t know about Tarik Black. It would be good from the standpoint of being able to come in right away. I don’t like the walking out of practice thing, though. Also seemed a bit foul-prone this past season and shot free throws at a godawful 44.8% clip.

    Also noticed that Adrian Diaz of K-State announced yesterday his intention to transfer to a school closer to his home in Miami, but he’s more of a bench player (8.8 mpg, 2.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg) and shoots free throws at a 55% clip. He’d also have to sit out the year, so that wouldn’t help us much in the short or long run.

  18. packalum44 04/09/2013 at 1:19 PM #

    I’m more concerned about getting bodies than bad attitudes at this point. If the attitude is bad and the cost of said attitude outweighs the benefits of said player, then cut him.

    Was Purvis a selfish whiny cry baby punk? Yes. Would our team have been better off without him this past year? HELL NO.

    Generally speaking, I will take the height and bulk of Black over the athleticism and scrappy play that Davis brings to the table.

    http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=3905444

  19. tjfoose1 04/09/2013 at 2:27 PM #

    Lewis vs Barber?

    If it’s a “vs” situation, I think there’s a lot to see yet before we can make an informed projection.

    How ACC/game ready is Barber now? Where will be be going into his first game? How do the strengths and talents of the players mesh together?

    Coach doesn’t want to put the 5 best players on the court. He wants the best 5 player combination. Do some players styles and strengths detract from the in game contribution of others? Which players compliment one another?

    State is replacing too many minutes to be able to make accurate predictions at this point. Preseason practice will be very important. Too bad we don’t have a preseason trip scheduled this year like last.

    I personally hope we have 7 or so players all getting “starter” minutes, with interchangeable pieces that tweak the strength of the unit on the court.

    We might have several different lineups with different strengths and focus. One of offensive fire power, one that is defensive minded, one that runs, one that is strongest in the half court set, etc.

    Regardless, I think the ‘Pack will be fine next year. Hopefully we can drop the “What’s wrong with Gott?” questions. At least for now. The jury may still out, but next year is a time for taking in evidence, not complaining and clamoring for change.

    Go ‘Pack!

  20. tjfoose1 04/09/2013 at 2:29 PM #

    From the above linked article:

    “Memphis forward Tarik Black will graduate this semester and transfer to another school for a final year of basketball, Tigers coach Josh Pastner told CBSSports.com early Tuesday.”

    What’s wrong with Pastner?

  21. tjfoose1 04/09/2013 at 2:33 PM #

    “BUT, for whatever reason, the staff did not play him nearly what we all thought he’d earned when Brown returned”

    From what I saw, it appeared to be an issue of meshing playing styles and strengths. They didn’t seem to always compliment one another, often working in conflict, and the season was too far along to work on adjusting. “Personalities” didn’t help.

  22. RednWhite4life 04/09/2013 at 2:51 PM #

    I do not think Josh Davis will be coming back to State. Heard he is down to Illinois , Iowa State, Gonzaga, and somewhere else. So we better be looking else where.

  23. JohnGalt78 04/09/2013 at 5:06 PM #

    Ovies “mentioning” Cat Barber’s struggles to qualify academically on his talk show this afternoon.

  24. Bellyfullasoul 04/09/2013 at 5:39 PM #

    Davis got recruited over, that’s why he originally left. It’s a different world now and I think he’d thrive in it. Let’s hope coming home and returning to the place he originally wanted to be are more attractive than any other offers. Good to hear he is so sought after! Good kid with a lot of energy, I always hated to see him leave to begin with.

  25. Bellyfullasoul 04/09/2013 at 5:42 PM #

    In regards to this website today, I wanna roll out of my luxury bed, put on on luxury boot, and shove it up someone’s luxury a$$ for this ACC network garbage popup……..geez.

1 2 3 4

Leave a Reply