Trevor Lacey to turn pro – 2016 excitement deflated

15-16 Basketball283

. @TrevorLacey5 plans to declare for #NBADraft –> http://t.co/B6zeNfZ8a9 pic.twitter.com/iVnsWCJ1NP

— NC State Men's Bball (@PackMensBball) April 15, 2015 ” target=”_blank”>Link

N.C. State announced Wednesday that guard Trevor Lacey, who turns 24 in October, plans to enter the NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-3 Lacey averaged 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a redshirt junior during the 2014-15 season, when he made the All-ACC second team and led the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16.

“I would like to thank the coaching staff, university and fans for a wonderful experience the last two years at N.C. State, but I’d like to declare for the NBA Draft,” Lacey said in a school-issued release.

“I had a great group of teammates the last two years, and they’ll always be like brothers to me. This has been the toughest decision of my life. But I feel like pursuing this new journey in my basketball career is what is best for me.”

Lacey played two years at Alabama before transferring to N.C. State, and he sat out the 2013-14 season per NCAA rules. His age, along with a skill level that made him the nation’s most efficient and effective isolation scorer, are factors in the decision to turn pro.

He doesn’t have elite athleticism or foot speed, though, one reason he is ranked No. 96 on ESPN analyst Chad Ford’s list of top-100 draft prospects. There are only two rounds and 60 picks in the NBA Draft.

Only two of the top 10 players from a 22-14 team in 2014-15 were seniors, but Lacey joins fellow wing Ralston Turner, the team’s second-leading scorer, and backup guard Desmond Lee in departing. It’s still unclear if point guard Cat Barber will return following a strong sophomore season, and post player Kyle Washington saw his minutes drop as he became the Wolfpack’s fourth interior option late in the season, although he did have a significant impact in two NCAA tournament games.

Without Lacey or Turner available, the Wolfpack could replace them in the starting lineup with 6-4 guard Terry Henderson, who sat out the 2014-15 season as a West Virginia transfer, and one of the Martin twins. Caleb Martin started one game and ranked sixth on the team with a 4.8 scoring average as a freshman, and Cody Martin made three starts as a defensive-minded wing.

N.C. State hasn’t signed any Class of 2015 recruits.

About StateFans

'StateFansNation' is the shared profile used by any/all of the dozen or so authors that contribute to the blog. You may not always agree with us, but you will have little doubt about where we stand on most issues. Please follow us on Twitter and FaceBook

15-16 Basketball

Home › Forums › Trevor Lacey to turn pro – 2016 excitement deflated

Viewing 25 posts - 76 through 100 (of 284 total)
1 2 3 4 5 … 10 11 12
  • Author
    Posts
  • 04/16/2015 at 9:44 AM #85107
    backthebackagain
    Participant
    packbackr04 wrote:

    is Cat talking about going as well?

    supposedly yes, we will hear today, rumor is Abu has already said next year is his last and there is some scuttlebutt from posters on PP that Anya is not happy.

    Not a good situation at the moment but we will know everything by the end of tomorrow. This sucks and I hate the people that are saying that this happens to all programs because that is just an outright lie.

    04/16/2015 at 10:01 AM #85108
    Rick
    Keymaster

    I remember someone really jumping down my throat when I said we should expect at least one transfer given the numbers alone.
    If you factor in early declarers that aren’t first round Gott is averaging almost 3 players a year leaving before their eligibility is up.

    7 scholarship players is not good. No way you can spin it as anything but bad. This is also why you never want a recruiting class of zero.

    04/16/2015 at 10:02 AM #85109
    Wulfpack
    Participant

    Apparently Gott was not at all happy with Lacey’s decision, hence no “well wishes” from him in the press yesterday. Irked or not, Lacey served us well.

    04/16/2015 at 10:02 AM #85110
    backthebackagain
    Participant
    Rick wrote:

    I remember someone really jumping down my throat when I said we should expect at least one transfer given the numbers alone.
    If you factor in early declarers that aren’t first round Gott is averaging almost 3 players a year leaving before their eligibility is up.

    7 scholarship players is not good. No way you can spin it as anything but bad. This is also why you never want a recruiting class of zero.

    2016 looks to be like a complete (blank)show unless something drastic happens

    04/16/2015 at 10:10 AM #85111
    Rick
    Keymaster
    VaWolf82 wrote:

    Since no one has been the smart*** yet, I guess it’s up to me…..

    Would someone like to explain again why it is OK that we have no incoming freshmen?

    I have been saying all along it is a very bad idea to have zero recruits. I was roundly criticized for daring to ask this question. The argument was “no playing time”. My response was “transfers” given we have averaged two a year. Well here we are with 7 scholarship players and the year every assured us we were building to blown up.
    You cannot “build” to a year for this very reason.

    Hello bubble, hope you did not miss us.

    04/16/2015 at 10:24 AM #85113
    MISTA WOLF
    Participant

    Don’t mean to rain on Trevor’s parade but this move is idiotic on his part. He is leaving a situation where he is the man, the go to guy at the end of games, the leader, possibly ACC first team, etc, etc, etc. He is guaranteed next season in a Wolfpack jersey, maybe his last season ever in a basketball uniform. He may never play overseas let alone in the NBA. I just don’t get it. I’m sick and tired of having to learn new rosters every f@cking season. Someone is not being honest with Lacey and shame on them. So what he is 24. Weinke was 28!!! If Cat leaves we are royally f@cked, up sh!t creek without a paddle (literally)

    04/16/2015 at 10:55 AM #85116
    ILPackfan
    Participant

    Really bummed about Lacey. I don’t find his draft prospects all that bright, but I can’t blame him for trying to sell high on this year’s performance. Not surprised that Washington is moving on; he seemed to be the odd man out for most of this season.

    IMHO, Cat would be making a big mistake by declaring this year. His game is still developing in pretty much every aspect. No way he should leave now, at least, from what I’ve seen.

    04/16/2015 at 10:58 AM #85118
    redisgood
    Participant

    I think if anything, Gott is pissed about the timing. There were a few high quality players transferring and available to play immediately, but wouldn’t come here because they would be competing with Trevor for playing time. If Trevor had decided / announced earlier we could have aggressively gone after them. Not a lot left now. Just speculation on my part tho.

    04/16/2015 at 11:16 AM #85119
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    I don’t think Cat would leave unless it becomes a “sinking ship” situation. That said, he has family responsibilities. That also said, he has a great all-around year and a guaranteed NBA contract allows him to legitimately meet those responsibilities.

    Only a fool would project beyond next season anymore. I already feel stupid for projecting beyond last season.

    Hindsight is 20/20, though it’s fair to say MG gambled and lost. I still say it was a logical gamble to take, if the program goes tits up, he will answer for it, so no reason to burn the place to the ground ahead of time.

    In a sense, Rick and Dog are both right. Teammates and coaches first. Gott saw a group of kids who seemed to have real bonds to each other first and he thought he had a read on them that was apparently off (not wrt Angel of Death, in retrospect he clearly saw that train coming by the playing time reductions). But Almond Joy not listening to reason and King Hippo possibly following…that he didn’t bet on. It would be doomsday.

    You have to place your bets somewhere, and take it like a man when it comes up snake eyes.

    Yes, KH is who I was afraid about. Now that the name is in the public domain, I can say it. That would obviously destroy me on a personal level. I absolutely LOVE the guy. The other mods (and Dog) can attest that I brought his name up privately yesterday.

    04/16/2015 at 11:35 AM #85122
    ryebread
    Participant

    Trevor’s situation was a Catch-22. He came to State and got way more exposure with our Sweet 16 run. That’s in a way a testament to what we can offer.

    I thought he was a goner during the tournament given that former pro players were saying he was “the best isolation player in the tournament.” Warren got great praises last year and went (good move). CJL got great praises a few years ago, didn’t go, and really should have because he didn’t improve his game.

    I think the move is questionable just because of how deep this year’s draft is. Between the kids leaving from Kentucky, Duke, Frank the Tank, Anderson, etc. you have to think that this is a tough year to break through for any marginal talent. There are some good players that are more finished, but there are a lot of kids with potential. If you want to draft on potential, then there’s a lot of options out there.

    The thing about Lacey is that we don’t know exactly what he is thinking. He’s stated his goal is to be an assistant coach in the NBA. Maybe he knows he’s not going to be a NBA player, but wants to get as much exposure to different coaching as possible as a player? Maybe he feels like he’s learned what he can from this staff in 2 years?

    Personally, I think I’ve had stayed and tried to parlay a strong year and a weak draft into some guaranteed NBA money. If the NBA as a player was a goal, then I think that would be the smarter move. I’m not sure who’d be advising otherwise and if Lacey actually believes this path gets him there as a player.

    As for KW, it was obvious that one of the bigs was going to be leaving and as the season wore on it went (in my mind) from Freeman to KW. I thought the minutes in the rotation was good for four, but the problem was the scholarship spacing. This was probably going to happen from the second we brought Anya, KW and Freeman in at the same class. One of those kids was never really going to see the light at the end of the tunnel for increased minutes and exposure.

    It’s a darn shame about these two because I like them as players and I like to pull for them. Had everyone come back, I think we could have been setting up for something really special. I thank them for what they’ve given the university though.

    As for more attrition, I suspect we’re done. Two jumped the same day. It could be coincidence, but was probably timed together.

    As for recruiting, I’ve been arguing for a long time that a zero man recruiting class was a horrible idea. You never know when a transfer is going to happen. You never know when injuries might happen. You hope that a kid blows up and leaves early to get drafted. The point is that you have to keep the pipeline going. I’m sure the staff has been trying, but a zero man class is the type of thing that gets a coach fired (see Al Skinner). I believe we’ll bring in some transfers, but I’d be shocked if we’re bringing in a freshman.

    As for Gott, I thought the second Sweet 16 would buy him 2-3 more years with the fans. That doesn’t seem to be happening. I guess my thoughts earlier in the season that a significant enough portion of the fanbase has already turned is true. It will be the HWSNBN wars part 2 with Gott I suspect from here on out.

    Is Gott miffed? I’m sure. I suspect he probably likes Lacey a lot as a person and thinks this is a mistake. He obviously had a fondness for him given the initial recruitment, transfer, handling in the media, etc..

    At the same time, it’s hard to blame the players. The coaches are paid millions. The players are getting relatively little. Who benefits the most from a stud player returning? The coach. It’s hard to trust the coast has your best interests in mind when he stands to make millions if he convinces you otherwise.

    As for college basketball, this type of thing (no real continuity) is just another nail in the coffin. The game that I loved in the 80s and 90s is dead.

    04/16/2015 at 11:37 AM #85123
    backthebackagain
    Participant
    BJD95 wrote:

    I don’t think Cat would leave unless it becomes a “sinking ship” situation. That said, he has family responsibilities. That also said, he has a great all-around year and a guaranteed NBA contract allows him to legitimately meet those responsibilities.

    Only a fool would project beyond next season anymore. I already feel stupid for projecting beyond last season.

    Hindsight is 20/20, though it’s fair to say MG gambled and lost. I still say it was a logical gamble to take, if the program goes tits up, he will answer for it, so no reason to burn the place to the ground ahead of time.

    In a sense, Rick and Dog are both right. Teammates and coaches first. Gott saw a group of kids who seemed to have real bonds to each other first and he thought he had a read on them that was apparently off (not wrt Angel of Death, in retrospect he clearly saw that train coming by the playing time reductions). But Almond Joy not listening to reason and King Hippo possibly following…that he didn’t bet on. It would be doomsday.

    You have to place your bets somewhere, and take it like a man when it comes up snake eyes.

    Yes, KH is who I was afraid about. Now that the name is in the public domain, I can say it. That would obviously destroy me on a personal level. I absolutely LOVE the guy. The other mods (and Dog) can attest that I brought his name up privately yesterday.

    who is KH?

    04/16/2015 at 11:45 AM #85126
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    King Hippo! Beloved nickname for most beloved Beejay Anya. If he leaves, I will die of a broken heart.

    I actually post as King Hippo on another site in his honor.

    04/16/2015 at 11:47 AM #85128
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    As far as personal joy, KH is my favourite since Rodney Monroe.

    04/16/2015 at 11:50 AM #85129
    backthebackagain
    Participant
    BJD95 wrote:

    King Hippo! Beloved nickname for most beloved Beejay Anya. If he leaves, I will die of a broken heart.

    I actually post as King Hippo on another site in his honor.

    I cannot imagine why he is not happy. He should be a huge factor next season. If something happens to him then we seriously need to re-examine what the hell Gott is doing exactly. Like I said earlier I think all this is finished by the end of the day tomorrow.

    04/16/2015 at 11:55 AM #85130
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    This week was always the week we were gonna have to sweat out. The thing with Anya…total freak of nature, physically. Just takes one team drafting late to convince him they would draft him, assign a personal trainer, and develop him into a specialty weapon. He’s WAY more of an NBA prospect than Lacey, IMHO.

    04/16/2015 at 12:00 PM #85131
    backthebackagain
    Participant
    BJD95 wrote:

    This week was always the week we were gonna have to sweat out. The thing with Anya…total freak of nature, physically. Just takes one team drafting late to convince him they would draft him, assign a personal trainer, and develop him into a specialty weapon. He’s WAY more of an NBA prospect than Lacey, IMHO.

    Wait, you think he is going pro? I just assumed he was transferring because he is unhappy for some reason. Him going pro now makes no sense at all. I can see next year but not now. Wow. So I think its easy to assume that after the 2015-16 season we are losing Abu, Anya and Cat. Assuming we stay status quo from here on out. Which I put at 50%. Damn we are going to suck in 2016

    04/16/2015 at 12:05 PM #85132
    BJD95
    Keymaster

    I think he easily goes pro next year. I don’t see him transferring at all. Going pro now would be the ultimate example of the NBA being all about POTENTIAL, wouldn’t it? But guys at the end of the 1st tend to be dart throws, so why not a guy with a 7’9″ wingspan who was arguably the best defender in the league last year, despite only playing 15-20 mpg?

    04/16/2015 at 12:17 PM #85133
    PackFan
    Participant

    IMO next year isn’t a “disaster” yet, just maybe not better than this year and certainly not as good as we had hoped. That said, any more departures would be pretty damaging.

    04/16/2015 at 12:17 PM #85134
    WTNY
    Participant

    KH going this year would be the perfect example of why the drafting rules have to be changed.

    Say KH goes this year because the NBA dangles a carrot. Probably ends up being undrafted. Say he squeaks into the end of the 2nd round. Still gets no guaranteed money, the NBA will flush him, and then he does not have enough talent to make it in Europe. And he has no college degree.

    04/16/2015 at 12:17 PM #85135
    ryebread
    Participant

    Anya should stay one more year and go pro. Really, that weight issue is what “cost” him a year extra in the college game. He had to spend a year just getting into base shape. Now he needs to spend an offseason getting into a little better shape and working on some offensive post moves. For most players, they’d have done that between the freshman and sophomore years.

    Anya is IMHO the #1 pro prospect on this team. You can’t teach that wing span or those shot blocking instincts. You have them, or you don’t. He also has some relatively soft hands as well.

    I’m also with BJD. I love that guy. He’s probably my favorite player since Marcus Melvin and Illian Evtimov.

    And yes, I said it — Marcus Melvin and Illian Evtimov. Melvin was a one man press break at the forward position who could make threes and had some swagger. Evitimov was a great passer, fundamentally sound, good shooter and give it his all. Had any of Gott’s teams had Melvin or Evtimov, we’d have cut down some nets somewhere. Both would have been perfect for what we do now offensively.

    04/16/2015 at 12:21 PM #85136
    backthebackagain
    Participant
    BJD95 wrote:

    I think he easily goes pro next year. I don’t see him transferring at all. Going pro now would be the ultimate example of the NBA being all about POTENTIAL, wouldn’t it? But guys at the end of the 1st tend to be dart throws, so why not a guy with a 7’9? wingspan who was arguably the best defender in the league last year, despite only playing 15-20 mpg?

    Your post makes too much sense and makes me immediately sad that we are about to lose him as well.

    04/16/2015 at 12:50 PM #85137
    Tau837
    Participant
    WTNY wrote:

    Say KH goes this year because the NBA dangles a carrot. Probably ends up being undrafted.

    LOL. No way he goes undrafted if he goes. He may slip to the second, but I think that would be a bit surprising.

    ryebread wrote:

    Anya is IMHO the #1 pro prospect on this team. You can’t teach that wing span or those shot blocking instincts. You have them, or you don’t. He also has some relatively soft hands as well.

    This is why it would be surprising. Agree he is easily the #1 pro prospect on the team. Ultimately, I think all of Anya, Abu, and Cat will make it in the NBA. I doubt anyone else on last year’s roster will, including Lacey.

    04/16/2015 at 12:53 PM #85138
    MP
    Participant

    I remember someone really jumping down my throat when I said we should expect at least one transfer given the numbers alone.

    You may be thinking of me – but if so – “jumping down my throat” is a little creative on your part, shall we say.

    What I said in that post was (paraphrasing): Saying “someone is going to transfer” is sort of a meaningless statement depending if the “someone” is (a) Cat Barber (b) say, Patrick Wallace.

    Kyle Washington is ‘good/important enough’ that you win a feather in your cap, if that’s what you wanted.

    04/16/2015 at 12:56 PM #85139
    MISTA WOLF
    Participant

    I beg to differ about Anya. The only guy we have that has a legit future in the league is Abu (maybe Cat). We call him Aladdin around the house. I blame my daughter. Anya doesn’t have the work ethic needed and the NBA game is way to dag on fast for him. Sorry guys. He can waste away in Iceland or Serbia if he chooses to go.

    04/16/2015 at 1:01 PM #85140
    Rick
    Keymaster
    MP wrote:

    I remember someone really jumping down my throat when I said we should expect at least one transfer given the numbers alone.

    You may be thinking of me – but if so – “jumping down my throat” is a little creative on your part, shall we say.

    What I said in that post was (paraphrasing): Saying “someone is going to transfer” is sort of a meaningless statement depending if the “someone” is (a) Cat Barber (b) say, Patrick Wallace.

    Kyle Washington is ‘good/important enough’ that you win a feather in your cap, if that’s what you wanted.

    I honestly do not remember having a discussion with you about it so I would not characterize you in that manner.

    My whole point was you have to assume at least one transfer a year and recruit accordingly. A recruting class of zero causes bad spacing and leaved you very vulnerable to college kids decision making abilities.

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 25 posts - 76 through 100 (of 284 total)
1 2 3 4 5 … 10 11 12
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.