The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/197085
Ba ketball Preview 2013-14 Five Best Transfers In NC State History This is not the first season NC State has relied on transfers to play a major role on the team.The 1974 national champions and 1987 ACC Tournamentwinning squad both had imports on their rosters. Here are the five best transfers for NC State. Mike Giomi The Indiana transfer grabbed the last defensive rebound in NCSU's surprising 68-67 win over heavily favored UNC in the final of the 1987 ACC Tournament, the Wolfpack's last league tournament title. Giomi, 6-9, 230 pounds, was a starting power forward in his only year at NC State, and averaged 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds a contest. He would be picked in the seventh round of the NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics following the season but never played professionally. Nate McMillan McMillan, a Raleigh native and transfer from Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C., played two seasons for NCSU, and he was a starting guard when the Pack reached the Elite Eight in both 1984 and 1985. McMillan, a uniquely gifted 6-5, 195-pound guard, averaged 8.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game in his Wolfpack career and then spent 12 years playing for the Seattle Sonics. When his playing career was over, McMillan became a head coach for 12 years in the NBA. Morris "Mo" Rivers Rivers, a 6-1, 155-pound guard, transferred from Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla., and teamed with Monte Towe in the backcourt to help lead NCSU to the 1974 national title. Rivers averaged 12.1 pounds a game that season and posted 13.0 points a contest as a senior one year later. Phil Spence The 6-8, 210-pound forward returned to his native Raleigh after spending one season at Vincennes (Ind.) Junior College, and he averaged 6.0 points and 6.3 rebounds a game on the 1974 national title squad. Spence took on a much larger role over the next two seasons and finished his three-year career averaging 11.2 pounds and 8.4 boards a game. He averaged a double-double of 13.1 pounds and 10.0 rebounds an outing as a junior. Spence was drafted in the sixth round by the Milwaukee Bucks following the 1976 season but did not make the team. Spud Webb The diminutive 5-7, 133-pounder was a junior college All-American at Midland (Texas) College in 1983, and Jim Valvano decided to take a chance on him at the urging of Wolfpack assistant Tom Abatemarco. In two seasons for the Pack, Webb averaged 10.4 points, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals a game. He was chosen in the fourth round of the 1985 draft by the Detroit Pistons, made the Atlanta Hawks roster and began a 12-year career in the NBA there. Webb is most famous, though, for using his 42-inch vertical leap to win the 1986 NBA Dunk Contest. Lee averaged 20.3 points a game last season for New Mexico Junior College in Roswell, N.M., earning junior college All-America honors. photo courtesy new mexico junior college "It was close to home, and I wanted to get back to the East Coast," Lee said. "The situation here was the best for me being a junior college player. I want to step in and play right away because I only have two years to play. I felt like this was the perfect situation for me. "I see that I am going to have to be a major piece of what we have going on, and I am going to have to be ready to play right off the bat. I'm all for it." Gottfried is hedging his expectations based on the adjustment of jumping from junior college to the ACC, but he sees potential in Lee. "Typically, a lot of the guys who played at junior college, sometimes it takes them a little while," Gottfried noted. "There's an adjustment period for them, and he may go through that. We'll see, I'm not sure just yet. "He's got a chance to be really good. He's a player that's good at everything. He's a good defender, good passer, pretty good shooter and good ball handler. He makes good decisions, rebounds well for a guard and just does a lot of things well, but it's going to be an adjustment for him to play at this level in the ACC." That's something that Lee understands, but thus far he has been able to navigate himself through a challenging inner-city environment and a cross-country journey to a lesser-known junior college. When someone tells him, "Welcome to the ACC," Lee can only flash a smile. "I've been looking forward to hearing that a lot," Lee said. ■ 32 ■ the wolfpacker 30-32.Men's BKB Transfers.indd 32 10/22/13 12:58 PM