NC State fans celebrated a stellar basketball season that was capped by a Sweet Sixteen appearance back in March. However, those feelings of joy were lessened when guard Trevor Lacey announced he was declaring for the NBA Draft and guards Desmond Lee and Ralston Turner graduated. Where are these players now that they have taken the next step in their careers?
Lacey was statistically the best player on the squad last season whose presence was relied upon in the Sweet 16 run. He averaged 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from 3-point range.
Rather than staying in school to chase another NCAA Tournament appearance with the Pack, Lacey decided to forego his final year of collegiate eligibility in favor of the NBA Draft, largely due to a strong season and the fact that he turns 24 in October.
Although he went undrafted, Lacey earned a spot on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Las Vegas Summer League team. With the Cavs, Lacey played in five games, averaging 4.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and one assist in an average of 15.8 minutes per game.
However, Lacey struggled against more experienced players, shooting at a sub-par rate of 33.3 percent from the field and an uncharacteristically poor 1-for-10 from beyond the arc.
After not being offered a contract to an NBA team or Developmental League team, Lacey chose to take his career overseas to Italy with the Consultinvest Pesaro in Serie A. With the league set to start on Oct. 4, Lacey is already slated for a starting role at shooting guard alongside former Xavier point guard Semaj Christon.
From the moment Turner transferred from Louisiana State, he proved to be a valuable 3-point threat as a catch-and-shoot specialist for the Wolfpack. Last season, Turner averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and one assist per game while shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc and a team-leading 83.8 percent from the free throw line. Additionally, he made 171 3-pointers in two seasons with NC State, including a career-high eight in one game against Tennessee on Dec. 17.
After also going undrafted, Turner signed on with the Charlotte Hornets in the Orlando Summer League. However, he saw minimal playing time, registering just 15 total minutes in two of the Hornets’ five total games, scoring zero points on 0-for-4 from the field and registering two rebounds and two steals.
Turner remains unsigned by a professional team but recently posted a highlight video to his Twitter account in attempt to catch a team’s eye.
Following a productive junior year in which he was a part-time starter, Lee saw a severe decrease in playing time in his senior year with his total minutes dropping from 873 to 217.
Additionally, his point total dropped from 8.4 to 2.8 per game, and his rebound total dropped from 2.9 to one per game. This was largely due to the crowded backcourt that added Lacey and Caleb and Cody Martin, as the twins forced Lee out of the rotation in the battle for playing time in eight of the 36 games.
While Lee struggled to get on the court throughout his senior year, he was able to get a gig with the Surrey Scorchers in the British Basketball League. While Lee struggles at times on the offensive end, particularly with his perimeter shooting, he possesses rare athleticism and scrappiness that helps him on the defensive side of the ball. Lee will look to get more playing time on a team that features only an eight-man roster with the season starting Sept. 19.
While the presence of this guard trio will be missed by both the team and NC State fans, these Pack alums have a bright future going forward as they continue their journey across the professional basketball landscape.
Senior guard Desmond Lee drives to the basket during the exhibition game against Queens (N.C.) in PNC Arena Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014. Lee contributed 8 points and 1 assist to the Wolfpack's 78-47 victory over the Royals.
