Josh Davis follows Julius Mays, decides to transfer

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Not many people were surprised by Julius Mays’ decision to transfer. That was not the case with Josh Davis. He had come to campus, excelled in his role as a hustle player during his freshman year, and seemed content. Apparently that wasn’t the case.

I’m not sure yet if Davis’ decision is based solely on his playing time situation for next year of if there is something else going on here. I feel like he still would have gotten minutes regardless of how many Leslie, Harrow and Brown got. It’s not like those three guys are going to play 35 a night. There would have been a place for him in the rotation. It might not have been as big as 2009-2010, but he would have played.

I do think Davis can transfer to a smaller school and make an instant impact. It will be interesting to watch his career and see how he develops on the offensive end of the court.

Men’s basketball announces pair of transfers

NC State head coach Sidney Lowe announced today that forward Josh Davis has decided to transfer from NC State.

Davis played in 31 games this past season, including a pair of ACC starts, but did not see action the final five games of the season. The local product from Athens Drive High School averaged 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game as a freshman.

“Josh was one of the hardest workers we had this past season,” said Lowe. “Whenever he was inserted into the game something positive seemed to happen. Josh just expressed to me that he feels like he could have better opportunities at another school. We wish him nothing but the best.”

Lowe also announced that guard Julius Mays has decided to transfer. Mays reached the decision a few weeks ago, but wanted to complete his spring semester at NC State before an announcement was made.

“We appreciate the time and effort that Julius put in with us during his time here, both on and off the court,” said Lowe. “We sat down and talked for a long time after the season, and he feels he might be able to find some better opportunities closer to home. I wish him nothing but the best.”

During his two seasons at NC State, Mays played in 58 games and made six starts as the Pack’s back-up point guard both seasons. He averaged 4.7 points in 17.2 minutes of action, and hit 85.7 percent (78-91) of his career free throw attempts.

Davis has not indicated where he will transfer, while according to the Dayton Daily News, Mays will transfer to Wright State.

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55 Responses to Josh Davis follows Julius Mays, decides to transfer

  1. cWOhLFrPAiCKs 05/18/2010 at 10:37 PM #

    I’m sad to see Josh go, but I wish him nothing but the best! Good Luck and Go Pack!

  2. Sweet jumper 05/18/2010 at 10:47 PM #

    I really like the way Davis plays. His heart and hustle will be missed.
    I wish him all the best wherever he goes.

  3. choppack1 05/18/2010 at 11:28 PM #

    OK – this is just odd. Josh knew the deal when he came here – right? I hope this isn’t because we’re offering another 3.

  4. wufpup76 05/18/2010 at 11:43 PM #

    I am surprised by the Davis transfer. I really liked the way he played a lot, as it seemed the coaching staff did as well.

    I am very sorry to see him go, but I wish him well as with Julius. You can’t overestimate how important “glue” guys are … always positive and always hustling and doing the real dirty work.

    I thought he loved State, so this seems odd.

    All the best, Josh.

  5. ncsu05mit10 05/19/2010 at 12:33 AM #

    We’ll be very deep at the 3 position next year and possibly in the coming years. If Davis would see significant minutes next season, I don’t think it would be a good sign for our play. I loved Davis’ hustle, but he does have a limited ceiling for ACC play. No 19 year old kid thinks he is a role player– they all want to be “the player.” Can’t blame someone for wanting more minutes. It’s like the argument that’s always made about why a player would ride the pine at UNC or Duke verses starting for a lesser ACC team… some want to wear the jersey, others want the PT more.

    Wish him the best– hope he finds the right spot.

  6. Wulfpack 05/19/2010 at 6:44 AM #

    No doubt about it that this is a shocker. Davis was a Wolfpacker through and through. We’re going to miss him. He’s the kind of guy that could have really pushed our new guys in practice, even though he’s a lot less talented. I’m saddened by his news and hope he ends up in a great place where he can showcase his game. He was never the most talented player, but he worked his tail off. You need those kind of guys when you are trying to build a program.

  7. coach13 05/19/2010 at 6:58 AM #

    I agree ncsu05mit10…We all agree Davis had the heart and hustle, and it seemed so refreshing after the previous year. However…the ceiling was definitely there. I am not that shocked by this development. After seeing Mays do it, probably kinda showed him how…I expected maybe Johnny Thomas to follow as I mentioned in earlier posts. If we are going to be what we want to be, eventually we’ll start getting more players with CJ’s talent and Davis’s work ethic. Not that CJ’s is bad, but Josh’s was top notch.

    Anyway, thanks for the year Josh, and good luck, you and Julius both. Onward and upward!!!

  8. 61Packer 05/19/2010 at 7:23 AM #

    During the previous coach’s tenure at NCSU, a high number of players left the program for “greener pastures”. Hopefully we’re not going to have to go through this again.

    Whatever, it’s not a good sign when a local player leaves the program. Josh Davis probably wouldn’t ever rise to the level anticipated for the incoming freshmen, but how many of our incoming players will be willing to fill a role similar to that of Davis, without openly griping?

  9. Rochester 05/19/2010 at 7:52 AM #

    It says a lot about Josh that the comments here are completely different than the typical comments we saw when he was offered a scholarship last year. His signing was largely bemoaned, if not ridiculed. He quickly became a fan favorite with his effort and attitude, and for that he will certainly be missed. Maybe at a smaller school somewhere that hustle will translate into 30 minutes a night on the floor.

    Good luck, JD.

  10. foz 05/19/2010 at 8:03 AM #

    I see this as a positive for both parties.

    Josh came here unhearlded, to a school he loved, and showed that he can be a useful part of an ACC program. My hope is that he has shown enough that he now has interest from other programs where he can play a larger role.

    In return, we got a player, that again, contibuted to some extent when needed. My hope for us, is that we will use the openening to bring in another upper level player to continue the upswing in talent we (hopefully) are getting.

  11. EdMar 05/19/2010 at 8:16 AM #

    Good luck Julius and Josh! I hope both of you continue to develop and achieve your basketball goals.

    I generally hate to see players leave a program and used to see it as a sign of problems, but I believe things have changed. The dream of the NBA is going to continue to get the top players after one of two years and that same dream is going to affect that ones that do not want to risk not getting enough playing time to prove themselves.

    Josh was local product that was unranked and many in Wolfpack Nation said that maybe Lowe had wasted a scholarship. I think Lowe found a player that had potential, hustle and drive and would make a great addition to the team. Unfortunately for us, now Josh understands his potential and is hoping for a 30+ minutes per game opportunity that may be hard to get at State over the next couple of years.

    I hate to see them both go, but I understand.

  12. packalum44 05/19/2010 at 8:22 AM #

    People who use dirty logic to twist this into a positive are crazy. How is losing a guy good? He got playing time! He was developing into a ROLE PLAYER. Watch Lance Thomas and Zoubek last year? Anyone???

    Now if we are getting something better OKAY. But who? Mabry had a spot anyway and its no guarantee he’s going to be better than an athletic guy who hops around on pogo sticks for legs. We need some guys to rebound and run on the break. This guy had the chance to minimize his half court offensive liabilities and maximize his athletic talents this upcoming season. Plus he was good on defense.

    So now we have at least 1 scholly we stick up our ass and maybe two if Mabry doesn’t come. All the meanwhile, Davis could be developing into a solid role player and would be a junior by the time we can fill up his scholly with a freshmen. Guess what, we will have 3-4 scholarships next year. I got news for you, we’ll probably end up spending this scholarship on a 3-star guy who will need 3-4 years to make an impact. But yeah, that 3-star will be better as a freshman than Davis as a junior. There’s a reason we gave him a scholly because we don’t get top 5 classes every year. Stupid logic. This is as stupid and crazy as a UNC fan who justifies losing the Wear twins.

  13. Daily Update 05/19/2010 at 8:28 AM #

    CHoppack: Why wouldn’t you want to offer another 3? We may have only Scott Wood to play that position after this season. I guess CJ Williams could play there as well, but he only has 2 years of eligibility left. We need multiple guards, a 3 and a big man.

    We could end up with 5 scholarships open next season if one of the rookies are one and done. We don’t seem to be in good shape with the Class of 2011, so taking a 3 now if the player is better than J. Davis makes sense.

  14. ChemE79a 05/19/2010 at 8:36 AM #

    I suspect Davis’s transfer is related to Johnny Thomas taking all of his minutes at the end of the year. If Thomas has continued to look good in workouts he may have solidified his role as relief. If so, we have gained a role player whose offensive upside appears significantly higher but whose defensive and rebounding upside may not be as great. Of course the other difference is Thomas has fewer years left.

  15. choppack1 05/19/2010 at 8:43 AM #

    It’s more related to the 3s that are currently out there that we are rumored to be involved in.

  16. rtpack24 05/19/2010 at 8:56 AM #

    Davis is a great kid. With JT’s knee getting better, Wood, and CJ playing 3 there will be limited minutes. I believe Davis realizes he will not take have the minutes this coming year and he wants to play. Hopefully, he lands at a school where he will be able to play. I know of one school that has shown interest and would be a good opportunity for Josh.

  17. Texpack 05/19/2010 at 8:59 AM #

    I’m sorry to see Josh Davis go. He’s the kind of player that could have served as an example of what hard work and knowing your role can earn you. I hope he finds a good spot. I still think he might develop more offensive abilities before his college days are over.

  18. newt 05/19/2010 at 9:04 AM #

    packalum44 – Zoubek, Thomas, and the Wear twins were all Mickey D’s All-Americans. Josh was an unrecruited local kid who loved NC State. So Josh is a loss, but the analogies you are making don’t hold up.

    Thanks for a ton of fun Josh, best wishes for the future. I know Josh will succeed wherever he goes because he has a ton of heart – enough so that he was able to contribute more than anyone would have believed last year. Seems like the kind of guy that will still be part of the family even though he’s going where he can play more.

  19. Thinkpack17 05/19/2010 at 9:08 AM #

    “People who use dirty logic to twist this into a positive are crazy. How is losing a guy good? He got playing time! He was developing into a ROLE PLAYER. Watch Lance Thomas and Zoubek last year?”

    Lance and Zoubek got minutes early in their career. Josh played SOME last year, but it wasn’t a lot. Towards the end of the year he never saw the floor. Best case for Josh, Leslie plays the 4 full time and Mabry doesn’t get offered. Even then he has Scott Wood, CJW and maybe even Johnny Thomas ahead of him. Even for a kid with a heart like Josh I’m sure it was tough looking at a year of riding the pine right in the face. He’s a competitor and I’m sure he wants to play. Best of luck to him.

  20. Par Shooter 05/19/2010 at 9:19 AM #

    I’m sorry but this REALLY pisses me off. Sid stuck his neck out and took a chance on this kid and took a lot of heat (here and elsewhere) over the decision to offer him a scholarship last year. Part of the defense of signing Davis was “he loves NC State…he’ll be a great teammate…he’ll go hard in practice everyday and not worry about PT…you can’t have 13 starters…he’ll be a 4-yr guy…etc.” So Davis turns around and repays Sid (and the program) by bailing after 1 year. Classy move, JD. If he wanted to play 30 min/game as a true soph then he had absolutely no business going to an ACC school. Frankly I thought that JD got a lot more of an opportunity with PT last year than I was expecting when we signed him. I would have said that he was ahead of the schedule that most would have laid out when he got here and probably could have been a solid role player as an upperclassman.

    I totally understand Mays’ decision to transfer. He came here expecting to be the starting PG early in his career and it just didn’t pan out. While I think Mays was given every opportunity, it became clear that he just couldn’t quite cut it at this level. He gave it 2 years and I think the writing was on the wall. But I can’t see how Davis came in expecting anything more out of his freshman year than what he got and he wasn’t even willing to stick it out one more year.

  21. Packfan28 05/19/2010 at 9:19 AM #

    According to Davis, it strictly is a playing time issue. He would be deep on the bench behind Wood, CJ Williams who will be playing 2/3, CJ Leslie who will be playing 3/4, and Johnny Thomas. By the way, there is a misconception by some concerning Mabry. (the confusion was initiated by Mabry himself, who claims to have received an offer from us). He has never received an offer from us, and was not in Sid’s plans. Maybe that changes with Josh leaving, but I doubt it.

  22. IMFletcherWolf 05/19/2010 at 9:27 AM #

    I really hate to see Josh go. He is the definition of hustle and I believe he contributed a lot to the program — probably more than we know. Best of luck to him. Now with two open scholarships, does this increase the probability of another prospect for next season?

  23. PoppaJohn 05/19/2010 at 9:43 AM #

    I have to agree with Par – this is disappointing.

    Sid saw something in the kid and gave him a chance, only to be rewarded with a lot of abuse for ‘wasting the scholarship.’ Then when we saw Josh play, everyone liked him.

    I saw this as Sid having an eye for talent, and building a bench. It was a plus he was a local kid.

    Maybe Josh decided after playing in the big league that he is good enough to be a big fish in a smaller pond.

    Best of luck to you Josh, but I think you are making a mistake. You are a Wolfpacker at heart, and you had a chance to be part of the rejuvination of this program. I think you’ll get better every year, and be a solid, valued, upper classman. Now you’ll have to sit a year, and lose ground until you are eligible.

  24. Thinkpack17 05/19/2010 at 9:45 AM #

    Damn. Had we known all these guys were going to jump ship we could have offered Mychal Parker!

    Now we need someone who was actually supposed to be an ACC caliber player to step up and be the guy who energizes us, dives on the floor, and hustles his ass off. Perhaps a guy in a leadership role so others follow? I’m looking at you CJW.

  25. foz 05/19/2010 at 9:45 AM #

    Other than the obligatory “We hope for the best for Josh” where is the opinion coming from that Sid is really hurt that Josh is leaving. For all we know, this was another “you might be better off trying to find a school where you’ll get playing time.” That type of situation is never reported honestly.

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