A big surprise at nearly the 11th hour: Dez Wells has won his appeal to the NCAA. After initially being denied eligibility by the NCAA, an appeals board has approved the the waiver which will allow the transfer from Xavier to play for Maryland this season.
Wells was dismissed from the Xavier team after facing allegations of sexual assault. The local prosecutor in the case later determined that the allegations against Wells were baseless, but by then Wells’ career at the school had already ground to a halt with an explusion. After transferring to Maryland, Wells has been impressive in practices and intra-squad skirmishes, often looking like the best player on the court for the Terrapins. At 6’5″, he is ready to play at either wing position and offers a complete offensive package that includes solid three point shooting (37.7% last year) and an ability to effectively score inside as well. Aside from former XU star Tu Holloway, Wells had the highest true shooting percentage on the team at 56.8% and a low turnover rate that makes him a highly efficient option on offense.
Maryland remains a largely unproven team outside of James Padgett, but the addition of the experienced Wells means that this Terrapins team potentially just got a lot more dangerous on the offensive end. Wells is a big time player and will make an immediate impact for Mark Turgeon’s team, an important addition considering the quickly approaching Friday tilt with none other than the Kentucky Wildcats under the bright (though likely Lomo-filtered) lights of Brooklyn.
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Shame on Xavier for causing him to have to go through this, but good for the NCAA for getting it right.