:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54293349/usa_today_9760614.0.jpg)
According to Jon Rothstein CBS Sports, Wake Forest will host Longwood graduate transfer Khris Lane next weekend.
Longwood grad transfer Khris Lane tells me he will visit Wake Forest on 4/24. Has cut list to Wake Forest, Pitt, VCU, URI, and GW.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 14, 2017
Lane is listed as a redshirt sophomore junior and at 6-6, 225 on the Longwood roster from this year. His description has him as a “stretch four” as well, although that may change a bit based on the opposition in the ACC should he come to Winston-Salem for his final year.
He averaged 17.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG for the Lancers, who still managed to go a paltry 6-24. He was voted onto the Big South Second Team at the end of the year.
Lane primarily functioned as a 3-4 type player in the Big South. He had a 106 offensive rating on a 24% usage rate, which is pretty solid. He also had good rebounding numbers, and played 87% of the minutes on the year (including 91% in conference).
He shot 59% from 2-PT and attempted 270 shots from inside the arc (9 shots per game). He also took 92 threes and made 34% of them.
His offensive game should translate decently well to a step up in Division 1 basketball, but my primary concern is his defense. Given his height and weight, and the video clips that I saw, defending the 3 in the ACC is a tough ask. It is true that Austin Arians played a decent amount of the 3-4 while at Wake, but ideally we would get a guy more equipped to handle the defensive load.
His height at 6-6 also makes the 4 a bit of a tough ask due to the size difference in the ACC at the PF position. He is a bit of a tweener from a defensive side of things.
Obviously the coaching staff likes what they have seen of him and wanted to get him on campus to assess his game a bit more. It is worth noting that Wake Forest has continued to reach out to a couple of other grad transfers as well, including MiKyle McIntosh out of Illinois State (perhaps my personal favorite at this point).
It will be interesting to see what comes out of the trip this weekend and whether or not Lane becomes the final scholarship player for the 2017-18 season. Overall I think he would be a good fit from an offensive standpoint, but don’t know what our plans are for him on the defensive side of things.