When Liberty sophomore shooting guard David Dees began the process of seeking a university in which to transfer, the one thing he heard was that he shouldn't attend the University of Louisiana.
"I was told that I should stay away from them," Dees said. "I was told that UL brings in guys that they think can help the team, but when they don't pan out, those same guys don't play."
But Dees quickly realized that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"I never really felt like that was a legitimate reason not to attend a school," Dees said. "In fact that's exactly how it should be. If you don't perform, you shouldn't play."
When told of the advice initially given to the Dayton, Ohio native, Ragin' Cajuns coach Robert Lee laughed in agreement.
"They are right," Lee said. "If you don't perform, you aren't going to play."
After visiting with the Ragin' Cajuns, the 6-5, 200-pound Dees decided Lafayette was the best place for him to continue his collegiate career after all under the tutelage of Lee.
"I don't want anything given to me," Dees said. "I also want to play for a coach that is going to make me work hard, so that I can become the type of player I would like to be."
Last season, Dees, who led the Flames in 3-point field goals (48), free throw percentage (77 percent) and 20-point scoring games (9), averaged 16.2 points and 5.1 rebounds en route to being a first team All-Big South selection.
"We are really excited about adding a player like David to our team," Lee said. "He can really shoot the basketball. He's an excellent 3-point shooter. He reminds me a lot of Tiras Wade because of his ability to score."
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Eric Narcisse
enarcisse@theadvertiser.com