The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JULY 2017 ■ 135 Devon Daniels Adds Perimeter Punch Daniels is looking forward to getting a fresh start at NC State. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game during his freshman year at Utah, but it didn't end well. He was suspended, and the Utes wound up in the NIT instead of the NCAA Tournament. After a "mutual" parting of the ways fol- lowing the season, the Battle Creek, Mich., native started looking into the new coaching staff at NC State. Keatts was thin at the three perimeter spots and quickly targeted Daniels, who officially visited NC State May 8-9. He followed up with an official visit to San Diego State, and then made his mind up May 27. "I am just ready to get to this program. I feel like we can be good," he said. "I'm not scared at all [of starting over]." The 6-5, 200-pound Daniels has to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, but has high expectations for the 2018-19 cam- paign. He hopes to work on his outside shoot- ing during his redshirt season. "It's about teamwork," he said when asked what the key to getting NC State back to the NCAA Tournament was. "We have to jell together —that is the biggest thing to me. "With C.J. Bryce, Coach Keatts and the coaching staff and me, we are looking to do a lot of damage in the ACC. Fans should just get ready." Keatts and Siddle did a good job of win- ning over Daniels in a short period of time. He didn't have a pre-existing relationship with the school or coaching staff when he left Utah. "I feel like I have a good relationship with Coach Keatts and Coach Siddle, and I like their playing style," Daniels said. "I like the freedom that they bring. I'm looking to have a really big immediate impact for the team." Daniels played against several first-round NBA Draft prospects in the Pac-12 and is looking forward to testing his skills in the ACC. "One of my biggest things that I was look- ing for in a school was being able to play in one of the best leagues," Daniels said. "I want to play at the highest level. I'm ready for it, and I'm excited." Daniels was a three-star prospect coming out of Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif. He origi- nally attended Kalamazoo (Mich.) Central his first three years of high school. He picked Utah over offers from Buffalo, DePaul, Drake, Kansas State, Minnesota and UTEP. He hopes he has found a permanent home with his second go-around. "I would have never imagined this, but I feel good about the program and the college," Daniels said. Jamie Lewis Liked What He Saw At NC State Lewis, a rising senior guard at Atlanta Westlake, came away impressed with his unofficial visit to NC State June 8 and wasted little time in making his decision. He verbally committed to the Wolfpack the next day after also listing Wake Forest, Baylor and Georgia Tech as schools in the running. Rivals.com ranks the 6-3, 190-pounder as the No. 68 overall player in the country for the class of 2018. Lewis' older brother, UCF freshman shoot- ing guard Danny Lewis, told him that if you see a school that you like "jump on it." "It was just the feel that I had when I got there," said Lewis, 17. "The coaching staff was great. I want to come in my freshman year and have an impact." NC State's previous staff reached out to Lewis during his sophomore year, and Keatts and Siddle restarted the process in mid-April before the first evaluation period. "It was just great, and we connected well," Lewis said of his first meeting with Keatts in June. "He's a player's coach, and he under- stands players. He played the game and was a point guard." Lewis wanted to talk to the coaches and see how he'd fit in for the future. "I wanted to know if I could come in and play my freshman year, and all those ques- tions were answered in a positive way," he said. "The coaches think I'm a good fit for their system." Lewis was able to check out the Pack dur- ing his unofficial visit. Daniels averaged 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a freshman at Utah. He will have three years of eligibility left at NC State after sitting out the 2017-18 season. PHOTO BY ALINA ROGERS/UTAH MEN'S BASKETBALL