The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1000643
16 ■ THE WOLFPACKER T he NC State men's basketball team was very busy during the offseason, finishing off a class of 10 newcomers. In May, the Wolfpack added two transfers — Florida Inter- national wing Eric Lockett and Kentucky power forward Sacha Killeya-Jones. NCSU had pre- viously landed Samford center Wyatt Walker in late April. Walker and Lockett are both graduate transfers, with the for- mer having two years of eligi- bility. Killeya-Jones will sit out next year and have two years of eligibility remaining. The busy spring period was in response to having four players and a signee leave the program. Junior small forward Shaun Kirk (UNC Pembroke) and sophomore power forward Darius Hicks (Eastern Kentucky) left during the season, while sophomore cen- ter Omer Yurtseven transferred to Georgetown and freshman point guard Lavar Batts Jr. left for UNC Asheville following the campaign. In addition, Washington (D.C.) Sidwell Friends small forward Saddiq Bey asked to be released from his National Letter of Intent and signed with Villanova. Lockett had a breakout redshirt junior season, but his head coach was fired. He considered NC State and Nevada, but the latter made the decision easier for him by landing a graduate transfer wing. Lockett officially visited Raleigh May 10-11 and signed with NC State May 14. NCSU as- sistant coach Takayo Siddle was the point man on Lockett. "On my visit, I really liked the coaching staff there," said Lock- ett, 22, who earned a sports man- agement degree. "The style of play fits my game, and I can have an immediate impact for my last year." The 6-5, 198-pound Lockett, who will be attending his fourth college in five years, knew what he wanted to hear from the NCSU coaches during the process. "I wanted to sit down and talk basketball with them, and I felt comfortable with the whole situation," Lockett said. "Nothing about it threw me off or gave me negative thoughts. Coach likes to get up and down and play defense and use ball screens. All of those things cater to my game." The former Warner Robins (Ga.) Whitefield Academy standout attended George Mason his freshman year. However, he suffered a quad injury five games in his debut season, and his stay was short-lived. Lockett made the move to Chi- pola College in Marianna, Fla., and then transferred to Florida International. He struggled his first year at FIU, trying to find his footing, but blossomed this past season. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field on a 14-18 FIU team. Killeya-Jones originally ver- bally committed to Virginia, but then wound up signing with Ken- tucky. The 6-10, 221-pounder officially visited NC State May 9 and picked the Wolfpack May 15. He was recruited by assistant coach James Johnson. A r i z o n a S t a t e , C l e m s o n , Georgetown, Nevada, North Car- olina, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Texas and Wake Forest were among the schools pursuing Kil- leya-Jones. The former McDonald's All- American from Chapel Hill, N.C., helped Kentucky go 58-17 over the last two years, reaching the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. He had 40 points and 31 rebounds in 96 minutes played his freshman year, and had a bigger role off the bench this past winter. In 34 contests, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game. Rivals.com ranked Killeya- Jones, a late bloomer, as the No. 24 overall prospect in the class of 2015. Rivals.com had him ranked No. 114 nationally when he originally committed to Virginia on Jan. 2, 2015. He then picked Kentucky and was ranked No. 51 at the time. He eventually worked his way up the rankings under the tutelage of former UVA standout Curtis Staples at Lynchburg (Va.) Virginia Episcopal. — Jacey Zembal Men's Basketball Adds A Pair Of Transfers Former McDonald's All-American Sacha Killeya-Jones — a 6-10, 221-pound power forward who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Kentucky — selected the Wolfpack over Arizona State, Clemson, Georgetown, Nevada, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Texas and Wake Forest. PHOTO COURTESY UK ATHLETICS TRACKING THE PACK