NC State Basketball: Devon Daniels to the Wolfpack
By Stuart Gill
NC State Basketball identified as the landing spot for Utah transfer Devon Daniels.
After a dismal 13th place finish in the ACC, NC State is refreshing its storied basketball program.
Former UNCW Head Coach Kevin Keatts was hired to replace Mark Gottfried, bringing along his leading scorer CJ Bryce. Bryce, along with Daniels, will make up the backcourt that Keatts hopes can restore NC State to relevancy in the 2018-2019 season after both transfers sit out one year.
As a freshman, Daniels averaged nearly 27 minutes per game on a Utah team that, while they underperformed and lost in the first round of the NIT, had no shortage of talent on its roster. He made over 57% of his total shots on the season, including 40% from deep. He also showed up in big moments, scoring 19 against No. 13 Xavier, 17 against No. 25 USC, and 24 on the Markelle Fultz-led Washington Huskies.
Daniels’ decision to leave the Utes was not completely his own. Late in the season, Daniels was served with a three-game suspension for what coach Larry Krystkowiak called “conduct detrimental to the team.” The details of the nature of his suspension were never revealed, but the Utah coaching staff did not express any interest in keeping the first-year guard in the program.
Utah is dangerously close to becoming a farm system for other Division I programs. Over the last two years, nine scholarship athletes have elected to leave the program, the latest three being Daniels and junior guards Jojo Zamora, and Tim Coleman.
Salt Lake Tribune writer Kurt Kragthorpe claims that the “systemic” transfer issue Utah is dealing with stems from poor recruiting practices. Whether it is because players are being coaxed into a program that isn’t as prestigious as it may see or because the coaches aren’t targeting enough recruits that have what it takes to win in a major conference such as the Pac-12, Kragthorpe acknowledges that it is keeping Utah from performing the way they did in 2015, making it to the Sweet Sixteen.
Next: Best available transfers for 2017-18
Whatever the issue is in Salt Lake City, NC State is the proud beneficiary. Daniels proved himself capable of playing with the best athletes in the Pac-12 and will have three remaining years of eligibility to attempt to do the same in the ACC.