Dez Wells
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard / Small forward |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
April 15, 1992 Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Word of God Academy (Raleigh, North Carolina) Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Virginia) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2015 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2016 | Oklahoma City Blue (D-League) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Dezmine "Dez" Wells (born April 15, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League. He played college basketball for the Xavier Musketeers and Maryland Terrapins.[1][2]
High school career
Wells played high school basketball at Word of God Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina where he was a friend of and teammate with current Washington Wizards guard John Wall.[3]
College career
Wells began his college career at Xavier, where he was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection.[4] He was expelled in 2012 after due to a "serious violation" of the code of student conduct after a female student alleged he committed sexual assault. Wells also was suspended by the NCAA for being involved in a huge fight after a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in December of 2011. A grand jury did not indict him for the assault, and Wells later sued the university for false accusation. The issue was settled out of court.[5]
The NCAA waived the usual redshirt year requirement for Wells, making him eligible immediately at another university. He transferred to Maryland and led the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game as a sophomore.[6] The team missed the NCAA Tournament despite defeating Duke twice.[5]
As a junior, Wells averaged 14.9 points per game for the Terrapins. Maryland again missed the NCAA Tournament.[6]
A wrist injury caused Wells to miss a month of games as a senior. Nevertheless, he scored 26 points and added seven rebounds and four assists in Maryland's 59-53 win over fifth-ranked Wisconsin.[6] He was a First Team All-Big Ten selection.[7] Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said Wells "was not going to let us lose."[5] Wells's last collegiate game was against West Virginia in Columbus, Ohio in the Round of 32 of the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He tallied nine points and eight turnovers in a 69-59 loss.[3]
Professional career
ESPN's Chad Ford considered Wells a potential second-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft,[3] but instead went undrafted. He also struggled dribbling with his left hand, which lowered draft stock. He subsequently joined the Washington Wizards for the 2015 NBA Summer League.[8] However, he was later ruled out of Summer League play due to thumb injury.[9] On September 25, 2015, Wells signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.[10] However, he was waived on October 22 after appearing in one preseason game.[11] On November 3, he was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue as an affiliate player from the Thunder.[12] On November 14, he made his professional debut in a 110–104 loss to the Austin Spurs, recording 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal.[13] On March 31, he was waived by the Blue after suffering a season-ending injury.[14]
Personal life
Wells is the son of Pamela Wells, who was an All-American basketball player at St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C. He has two sisters, Jocelyn Brand and Jazmine Wilson and majored in American Studies.[1] He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in American Studies on December 19, 2015. [15]
References
- 1 2 "Dez Wells Biography". UMTerps.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ↑ "Dez Wells Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- 1 2 3 Allen, Scott (23 March 2015). "John Wall says the next stop for Maryland’s Dez Wells is the NBA". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ "Dunphy, Nicholson Take Top A-10 Men's Basketball Honors". Atlantic 10 Conference. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- 1 2 3 Yomtov, Jesse (25 February 2015). "For Maryland's Dez Wells, things come full circle". USA Today. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Maryland to Honor Wells, Whose Leadership Spurred Success". CBS Sports. Associated Press. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ "2014-15 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team" (PDF). CSTV.com. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ "Dez Wells to play for Wizards’ summer league team". WashingtonPost.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Dez Wells will miss NBA Summer League with Wizards because of thumb injury". BaltimoreSun.com. July 12, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Thunder Adds Stone, Wells and Zanna to Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Thunder Waives Qualls, Stone, Wells and Zanna". NBA.com. October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ↑ "Oklahoma City Blue Announces Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Oklahoma City Falls To Austin In Season Opener". NBA.com. November 14, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ↑ "NBA D-League Transactions". NBA.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ↑ "Maryland Athletics Celebrates Winter Graduates". UMTerps.com. December 20, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.