DeShawn Painter: The Story Behind the Story

DeShawn Painter's name came out of nowhere about a month ago when a few things suddenly changed. Once thought to be attending Florida as a member of the 2010 class, Painter got his act together, pulled up his grades and began looking for a school where he could contribute immediately. Enter NC State where Sidney Lowe was looking to bring in some upper echelon ACC talent and well, you know the rest of the story. What you may not know is the story behind the story on DeShawn Painter.

Painter grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, 20 minutes outside of Virginia beach where he attended Booker T. Washington High School. Painter always had the size and the upside that made college coaches salivate, but early on it was about getting an opportunity to get the ball in his hands. As a freshman and sophomore he was not the focal point of Mighty Bookers' offense even though he was a 5 star prospect at the time. That role belonged to Myles Holley, a 6'5 combo guard who ended up taking the JUCO route and will be joining the Nebraska Cornhuskers next season as a sophomore. After the departure of Holley, the Mighty Bookers, scouts, and college coaches everywhere were waiting to see what Painter could really do now that he had the lead role. That is when things started to unravel.

Coming into his Junior season, after a great showing for Team USA over the summer, Painter was ranked as high as #11 in the nation by some scouting services, college coaches were calling and the offers were starting to pile up. With the pressure mounting, his team ranked #3 in the nation, along with all of the other things that come with being a nationally recognized player, Painter had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He wanted to stay close to home to attend college but the pull from outside influences began to wear on him. His work in the classroom began to slip and his game wasn't far behind, as he averaged a very human 14 points, 10 boards and 3 blocks per game on the public school circuit. These numbers were on the low end of the scale of what many felt Painter was capable of. After his Junior season, with pressure weighing on the young phenom, he decided he needed to make a move. He was too good to let this happen, so he talked to those close to him and made an announcement.

Deshawn announced that he would not attend Booker T. Washington for his senior season and that he would enroll at Hargrave Military Academy.

“I talked to Vernon Macklin, and I talked to a couple of other people about it, and they told me Hargrave would be a good fit for me,” said Painter. “I know going there will get me ready for college. Plus, there’s just too many distractions around here with people coming at me from all angles. I just want to get away and just focus on basketball and school. I think this will help me as far as my future,” said Painter, who was first-team All-Eastern District but did not make first- or second-team All-Eastern Region or All-Tidewater as a junior.”

The announcement of the transfer to Hargrave, a Military Academy that many prospects use as a way to ready themselves for the rigorous lifestyle of a college athlete, seemed to be just the medicine that Painter needed. That summer Painter blew up the way scouts all over the nation had envisioned as he led his Boo Williams AAU team to the title at the Boo Williams Invitational.

“I thought that I played good and had a solid weekend,” said Painter. “On a scale of ten I was probably a seven and a half of eight. I rebounded, hustled and just worked hard. I was just having fun out there and working.”

He entered Hargrave with an new attitude and a new work ethic. Deshawn joined a team that was all ready littered with D-1 talent including: Freddie Riley (UMASS), Maurice Creek (Indiana), Adrien Lucienne (Cincinnati), Evan Gordan (Duquesne), Luke Hancock (George Mason), Chris Braswell (UNC-Charlotte) and Alex Newsome (Navy). With all those stars it was surely going to be interesting to see what kind of impact Painter would have, and would give college coaches a better idea of what they can expect at the next level. To say the least, Painter did not disappoint on the court, or in the classroom. With prior grades that had many thinking he'd need to reclassify as a 2010 prospect, Painter turned it up a notch and get his grades right and is on track to graduate on time in 2009. Here a the stats we were able to track down for Deshawn.

11-3-08 Guilfod Tech CC (8pts, 8rbs)
11-11-08 Roanoke College (10pts)
11-13-08 Louisberg Tourny (12pts)
11-14-08 Louisberg Tourny (9pts, 6rbs)
11-18-08 Patrick Henry CC (12pts, 15rbs)
1-11-09 Averett University (11pts, 9rebs)
1-26-09 Virginia Wester CC (10pts, 10rebs)

That is only a small sample, but as you know, tracking down high school stats is no easy task. However, the stats Deshawn put up were impressive to say the least as he showed that he could contribute on offense, while utterly dominating the boards against some pretty good talent. Night in and night out Hargrave plays other big time prep schools and Community Colleges as well as national tournaments. The play of Painter, considering the talent he was facing and the amount of talent on his own team, showed college coaches that DeShawn is the player they once envisioned but his upside might be no where close to being reached.

ESPN had this to say about the Pack's pick-up of Painter:

"In Painter, N.C. State has a big man that gives a good amount of effort and has tremendous upside. He uses his good, quick leaping ability to rebound the basketball, especially on the offensive end, and finish above the rim in traffic."

Painter is developing an outside game which could make him a matchup nightmare over the next few seasons.

"DeShawn has an emerging perimeter game with his rapidly improving ability to connect on jumpers. He also uses his leaping ability and high motor to block shots and take charge of the lane defensively. As he improves his footwork and moves with his back to the basket, Painter could develop into a very good interior player in the ACC."

Now that the wild ride of his recruitment has come to an end, Painter looks for a new beginning at NC State, under a coach who he feels can help mold him into the NBA talent he believes he can be.

*quotes from Virginian-Pilot article, and ESPN blog

Sharing the Wealth: "It Was Just A Great Fit"

Ed Miller of the Virginian-Post and J.P. Giglio of the N&O were able to catch up with DeShawn Painter after he committed to run with the Pack last night. Here are some of the highlights from their interviews:

Painter told the Virginian-Pilot:

"It's just a great fit all the way around...They need a 'big,' and I fit right into their system...Now I can focus on my career and getting better."

The Pilot also reported that: "The 6-foot-9, 200-pound Painter clicked with N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe and decided the former NBA player and coach is the best man to help develop his game. He praised the Wolfpack's academic support staff and the 19,700-seat RBC Center. He noted the lack of returning big men at N.C. State and believes he'll be able to play right away."

Painter told the N&O:

"I wanted to play closer to home...I love the coaching staff and I fit in with the [N.C. State] players. We all have the opportunity to play as freshmen...It should be fun."

"I feel like I'm prepared from the guys on my team and we played some college JV teams and Division III teams," said Painter, who'll arrive on campus for the second summer session. "Plus, it's military school, so discipline-wise, I think I'm ready."

J.P. Giglio also spoke with Dave Telep and this is what he had to say about Painter:

"Dave Telep, of Scout.com, said Painter is a great addition for coach Sidney Lowe, particularly this late in the recruiting process. Telep ranks Painter as the 69th-best prospect nationally in the class, five spots behind Howell, but said Painter has a bigger upside. "He has a nice balance to his game at the power forward spot," Telep said. "He's another guy that you count on to contribute as a freshman and grow as a player."


We love reading good news in the newspaper.

PACK LANDS PAINTER!

Sidney Lowe just keeps'em coming as he scooped up another 4 star recruit today. Deshawn Painter, a 6’9, 200lbs PF committed to the Pack in a signing that sures up a depleted front line that lost two of its starters (and leading scorers) in Costner and McCauley. Painter who many had given up on after his coach declared him not qualified and shared plans of having Painter reclassify as a class of 2010 prospect. This signing puts what many see as the finishing touches on an already superb recruiting class that should be credited to the hard work of Sidney Lowe and staff.

Painter officially chose Florida over NC State and a list of other schools, but when playing time became a question he began to waiver on his decision. Finally de-committing, Painter claimed that his recruitment was “wide-open,” however before he could blink, NC State head coach Sidney Lowe came calling. With an open scholarship and a desperate need for some front court depth NC State and Painter are the perfect match. Painter chose the Pack over Maryland, who is also in desperate need of some front court help. We’ll be on this situation as close a possible, but this is great news for the Wolfpack and we should all be extremely excited. With this signing NC State will surely be closing in on the top 10 recruiting class nationally. We’d like to be the first to welcome Deshawn to the NC State family and look forward to watching him in the red and white.

Painter Decision Looms

We can now confirm that the rumor that has been circulating about DeShawn Painter making his decision tonight between NC State and Maryland. Two sources, one on the NC State side and one on the Maryland side both gave us the same information. We're not sure how and at what time the decision will be put out to the public but the plan is for him to make the announcement tonight. We hope he doesn't get a case of the "Wall" and postpone it until later, but if that happens we'll let you know.

Those close to Painter have been tight lipped about which school he'll choose or where he is leaning, however we do know that there are a couple influential people in his camp that are in our corner. The NC State staff has felt good about how the visit went, but so does the Terp's staff. We'll continue to follow this story until it breaks. Keep checking back.

Painter Wasting No Time: Narrows List, Sets Date

DeShawn Painter has wasted no time in narrowing his list and setting his decision date, following his visit to Maryland this past weekend. According Maryland's Testudo Times Painter has eliminated Virginia Tech from his list after they picked up Florida transfer forward Allan Cheney last night. This leaves NC State and Maryland as the final two. He also states that he will be making his decision shorty after his graduation on May 17th. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"6 '9 big man DeShawn Painter now lists Maryland and NC State as his finalists. This comes off the heels of Painter's visit to College Park this past weekend where he apparently played pick up at Comcast with some pretty big names. Word is that he really enjoyed the trip and will make a decision shortly after he graduates high school on May 17th."

DeShawn Painter: Still No Decision

Ok, so this one was a challenge. Maybe it was the fact that it was Mother's Day or the fact that there wasn't much news to be had on the NC State end, but we weren't having much luck getting any DeShawn Painter updates last night...however, don't fret, after a few phone calls we finally got what we wanted.

According to a reliable Maryland source "It's been kind of quiet around here (concerning Painter). I know they were hoping for a commitment but they did not get one."

Although it's only a small bit of information, the source was certain Painter did not accept an offer from Maryland on his visit. So what does that mean for the Pack? It's surely a good thing since, as we reported earlier, the NC State staff felt good about how DeShawn's visit went when he came to Raleigh. The fact that Painter left Maryland without accepting anything is what the Pack was hoping for. We don't know the specifics of his Maryland visit, but we have someone working on that, so hopefully we can give you a run down on just what the College Park visit entailed. This was DeShawn's final official visit, as all three of the schools he was considering have been visited (VT, NC State, Maryland). Not exactly sure when we should be expecting a decision but we'll keep our eyes and ears open.

DeShawn Painter Official Visit Update

DeShawn Painter finished up his visit on Sunday, and according to one of our sources, the staff feels good about how the visit went. There apparently was no commitment from DeShawn, but he was shown the best that Raleigh and NC State has to offer. His next visit at Maryland next weekend, will be his last. We'll have more later this week.

DeShawn Painter: Profile

Height: 6'9
Weight: 210
Position: PF, C
Class: 2009
Team: Hargrave Military Academy
Stars: 4 Stars - Scout, 3 Stars - Rivals
ESPN Grade: 92 (#67)
Status: Prospect
Offers: NC State, Florida, Louisville, Ohio State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Maryland

Description:
Painter has two things you can't teach: height and length, and he uses every bit of it. He is one of the more athletic 6'9 guys you will see. DeShawn loves to run the court and finish on the break, is an aggressive rebounder and a legit shot blocker. On offense Painter has a nice mid-range jumper in his repertoire that he can pull out when he needs to extend the D. The mechanics of his shot are sound. He has good form, arch, and follow through on it, and you can tell that he has confidence in this aspect of his game. In the post he possesses a decent drop step accompanied by a 'baby hook.' He understands what it means to create space in the post and fights hard to get good position. Crashing the offensive boards is one of the hardest things to teach a basketball player, but it seems to be one of Painter's favorite things to do, as he is constantly flying in looking for a follow-up dunk or tap in. With all of these strengths mentioned, Painter will need to work on his size, agility and balance, and polishing his post moves.

A Painter commitment would go a long way for the Pack. He was a Billy Donovan commit, and I think that speaks for itself. He is 'big,' who is extremely athletic and can run the court, which is something that seems very important to Coach Lowe. Painter would really firm up our depth at the 4 and 5 spots. Passion is hard to teach, and from what I've seen of Painter, he won't need a tutor in this subject. In watching his film, it seems like he has only scraped the surface of his potential. His ceiling is extremely high and I think the Pack would have something pretty special on their hands if they landed him.