The news of sophomore forward T.J. Warren’s likely departure from N.C. State and ascendance to the NBA disheartened Wolfpack fans everywhere, regardless of the fact that it was anything but unexpected.
Since then, the gossip surrounding Warren has been overshadowed by the recent news of sophomore point guard Tyler Lewis, who announced Saturday night that he would be leaving N.C. State to attend another school.
The initial thought that had to pop into the minds of many Wolfpack fans should have been “Purvis.”
Former Wolfpack guard Rodney Purvis decided to transfer in early April 2013 to Connecticut, catching many fans off guard. Lewis’ decision, however, didn’t surprise me.
Lewis could have left under a variety of circumstances, but the prevailing thought is that Lewis felt his future minutes would be limited by the progression of freshman point guard Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber.
But what seemed odd about Lewis’ decision was that the sophomore won the battle for playing time after starting in the last 15 games of the season.
Barber had a tremendous freshman season. But Lewis channeled his inner ‘Pistol Pete’ Maravich throughout the late portion of the season, showing off his x-ray court vision, impenetrable ball handling and pinpoint passing that could only be executed by a select few collegiate players.
If anything, Barber seemed to be the player most likely to move on at the end of the season. A potential transfer by Barber was even rumored throughout campus, as Barber was assumed to be considering the idea.
A major contributing factor in Lewis’ departure was likely the notion that he would no longer be feeding passes to T.J. Warren. Lewis and Warren seemed to have a great on-court connection, as Warren’s scoring positively correlated with Lewis’ minutes.
Three McDonald’s All-Americans comprised N.C. State recruiting class of 2012 (Warren, Lewis and Purvis). But none of these players will be attending the school for their junior year.
Here is the most telling statistic: seven players have transferred from N.C. State since head coach Mark Gottfried took over the program in 2011.
It’s unlikely that the school or coaching is causing State’s basketball players to leave. From the variety of reasons players seem to come up with for leaving, it seems to simply be a case of bad luck.
It’s a shame that Lewis’ final play for the Wolfpack was a missed midrange buzzer beater jump shot against Saint Louis. But few should worry about the impact the team is taking by losing him.
The Pack has an incoming transfer, junior guard Trevor Lacey, who will be eligible to play next season after sitting out the 2013-2014 season as per NCAA regulations. State’s incoming freshman twins, Caleb and Cody Martin, will also strengthen Gottfried’s young team.
I can envision Lewis making an impact on a smaller, yet relatively prominent team. The sophomore could excel at schools such as Butler, Vanderbilt or Xavier. It can also be possible that he decides to attend an in-state school such as Davidson or ECU.
Tyler Lewis has had a spectacular two-year career at N.C. State, and he will be missed by the Wolfpack faithful. Wherever he ends up, State fans will hope Lewis finds better opportunities than he did in Raleigh.
