. @TrevorLacey5 plans to declare for #NBADraft –> http://t.co/B6zeNfZ8a9 pic.twitter.com/iVnsWCJ1NP
— NC State Men's Bball (@PackMensBball) April 15, 2015
. @TrevorLacey5 plans to declare for #NBADraft –> http://t.co/B6zeNfZ8a9 pic.twitter.com/iVnsWCJ1NP — NC State Men's Bball (@PackMensBball)
N.C. State announced Wednesday that guard Trevor Lacey, who turns 24 in October, plans to enter the NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-3 Lacey averaged 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a redshirt junior during the 2014-15 season, when he made the All-ACC second team and led the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16.
“I would like to thank the coaching staff, university and fans for a wonderful experience the last two years at N.C. State, but I’d like to declare for the NBA Draft,” Lacey said in a school-issued release.
“I had a great group of teammates the last two years, and they’ll always be like brothers to me. This has been the toughest decision of my life. But I feel like pursuing this new journey in my basketball career is what is best for me.”
Lacey played two years at Alabama before transferring to N.C. State, and he sat out the 2013-14 season per NCAA rules. His age, along with a skill level that made him the nation’s most efficient and effective isolation scorer, are factors in the decision to turn pro.
He doesn’t have elite athleticism or foot speed, though, one reason he is ranked No. 96 on ESPN analyst Chad Ford’s list of top-100 draft prospects. There are only two rounds and 60 picks in the NBA Draft.
Only two of the top 10 players from a 22-14 team in 2014-15 were seniors, but Lacey joins fellow wing Ralston Turner, the team’s second-leading scorer, and backup guard Desmond Lee in departing. It’s still unclear if point guard Cat Barber will return following a strong sophomore season, and post player Kyle Washington saw his minutes drop as he became the Wolfpack’s fourth interior option late in the season, although he did have a significant impact in two NCAA tournament games.
Without Lacey or Turner available, the Wolfpack could replace them in the starting lineup with 6-4 guard Terry Henderson, who sat out the 2014-15 season as a West Virginia transfer, and one of the Martin twins. Caleb Martin started one game and ranked sixth on the team with a 4.8 scoring average as a freshman, and Cody Martin made three starts as a defensive-minded wing.
N.C. State hasn’t signed any Class of 2015 recruits.
