Louisville lands the most coveted transfer on the market
The most prized graduate transfer on the market will join a program that desperately needs a scorer of his caliber.
Former Drexel wing Damion Lee announced Thursday that he has committed to Louisville, providing a jolt of offense to a Cardinals team trying to overcome the loss of 82 percent of its scoring from this past season’s 27-win campaign.
Lee received offers from the likes of Arizona, Gonzaga, Maryland and Marquette because he was one of the few transfers who were both immediately eligible and capable of making a real impact. The 6-foot-6 rising senior averaged 21.4 points per game for the Dragons this past season, fifth most of any Division I player in the nation.
Louisville could promise Lee guaranteed playing time at wing after losing leading scorer Terry Rozier to the NBA draft, fellow starter Wayne Blackshear to graduation and backups Anton Gill and Shaqquan Aaron to transfers. Incoming combo guard Donovan Mitchell and wing Deng Adel will also surely contribute, but Lee’s presence decreases the pressure on both of them to make an immediate impact.
Whereas Louisville looked more like a fringe NCAA tournament contender than a potential preseason top 25 team when the season ended, the addition of Lee and Cleveland State graduate transfer Trey Lewis elevates expectations for the Cardinals a bit.
Lewis is a knock-down shooter who can start alongside Quentin Snider or also handle the ball when the starting point guard comes out of the game. Lee, Mitchell and Adel give Louisville a talented group of wings. And while the Cardinals won’t have a frontcourt player of Montrezl Harrell’s caliber, Chinanu Onuaku and Mangok Mathiang made some strides last season and incoming freshman Ray Spalding should be a factor too.
All in all, it’s a Louisville team that will surely take some time to mesh as everyone gets used to their roles, but it’s also a roster that has potential too.
Given how bleak things looked for the Cardinals even a few weeks ago, that itself is worthy of celebration.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
