Tyler Lewis to Transfer from NC State

NC State media relations release:

Tyler Lewis, a sophomore guard, has decided to transfer. The 5-11 Lewis started 18 games for NC State this season, including the last 14 contests of the season. “I wish Tyler the best,” NC State head coach Mark Gottfried said. Lewis stated: “I’d like to thank NC State, my teammates and coaches, and the Wolfpack Nation for the past two years. While I will be finishing my career at another school, I will always be grateful for the opportunity I had at NC State.”

Our Take
I spoke to many people off the record about transfers this offseason and how we thought that State had a good chance of losing a point guard. From conversations we had with those around the program, it was obvious that the Lewis camp wasn’t all that happy about the way Tyler was handled early in the season. Whether you agree with that or not, the truth is that both Lewis and Barber came to NC State as McDonald’s All-Americans and both wanted to be the leading man on this team. Can you blame them?

Now, before you start saying that this is selfish or that players just can’t handle competition anymore, I want you to realize that this is a very unusual situation and we don’t think Tyler is even close to that type of player. Lewis was really supposed to be the ‘guy’ this year and then Gottfried went out and got Barber. Now, you can’t blame Gott. The guy just saw a super-talented PG and went and got him. The problem was that now you have a guy who is supposed to be the leader on your team, fighting for a starting role and major minutes.  That instability at your lead guard position isn’t as great as it is at other positions.  Tyler didn’t want to play the rest of his career having to look over his shoulder every time he made a bad pass. Gottfried obviously wasn’t going to commit to either Barber or Lewis and with both only a year apart that means that somebody is spending the majority of their career in college as a backup. Neither one of these guys think that they are a backup, so therein lies your problem.

I honestly do believe that this transfer will help Tyler’s future. As we’ve stated, if he wants to play at the next level he needs to change his body. With his height and lack of lighting quickness, he needs to by physically imposing and able to move people if he wants a shot at the next level. This year off will give him time to do that. We wish Tyler the best and will really miss watching him play for the Pack.