Joey Wallace comes to Daemen with one year of remaining eligibility after beginning his career at Southern Connecticut State

MacDonald Announces Four Transfer Commitments

7/23/2019 10:15:00 AM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's basketball team will welcome four transfers to their 2019-20 roster, head coach Mike MacDonald announced today, including three with playing experience at the NCAA Division II level. The newcomers include redshirt senior guard/forward Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.), redshirt senior guard/forward Donte' Williams (Buffalo, N.Y.), sophomore guard/forward Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) and junior center Chris Luke (Cortland, N.Y.). The quartet will join a Daemen team that is coming off its finest season since transitioning to NCAA Division II, posting a 24-6 overall record, winning the East Coast Conference regular season championship and claiming the program's first-ever NCAA tournament berth.

"We think that by adding these transfers we have added to the depth of our team. These guys have the experience that will help our team this coming season and in the future. It's an eclectic group of transfers, including guys with one, two and three years of remaining eligibility," said MacDonald, the 2018-19 ECC Coach of the Year.

The 6-foot-4 Wallace comes after beginning his collegiate career at Southern Connecticut State University where he helped the Owls to a 75-45 record and two NCAA tournament berths. Competing in parts of four seasons, Wallace totaled 85 games played while making 61 starts for the Owls, and averaged 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. A career 43 percent shooter, Wallace was granted a medical redshirt after appearing in just three games during the 2017-18 season. He returned this past year to shoot a career-high 46 percent from the field while averaging 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 25 games.

A native of Rochester, Wallace spent his scholastic career at Immaculate High School in Connecticut. He is the son of former Syracuse University star and seven-year NBA veteran John Wallace. He'll major in liberal studies at Daemen, and have an opportunity to play at his dad's old stomping grounds when the Wildcats visit Syracuse for an exhibition contest on Oct. 26.

Another versatile wing player is the 6-foot-4 Williams, a Buffalo native and 2014 graduate of Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School. It's been a circuitous journey as he makes his return to the Western New York area. After spending one year at a Massachusetts prep school (Redemption Christian Academy), Williams played two seasons at Southeastern Community College (Iowa), averaging 11.8 points in 30 games as a sophomore. He moved on to California University (Pa.) where he redshirted in 2017-18 before appearing in 21 games (17 starts) and averaging 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this past season.

Williams, who was honored as a member of the California University Athletic Director's Honor Roll, will study sport management at Daemen. He was a first-team All-WNY, All-State and All-USA New York selection as a high school senior.

Also standing 6-foot-4 is Atkins who brings three years of remaining eligibility after spending the 2018-19 season at Jefferson University in Philadelphia where he played for legendary coach Herb Magee. Atkins saw action in 15 contests, averaging 1.5 points and 4.7 minutes per game, helping the Rams to a 22-8 record.

Atkins prepped at Watervliet Junior-Senior High School where he amassed over 1,000 points and earned All-Section II and Colonial Council MVP honors. A high honor roll student, Atkins will study biology at Daemen.

Lastly there's Luke who stands at an even 7-feet tall, making him the tallest Daemen player since 6-foot-10 Ezenwa Samuel played in 2006-07. A 2016 graduate of Cortland Junior-Senior High School, Luke went on to play at Niagara County Community College for head coach Bill Beilein. In two seasons for the Thunderwolves, Luke appeared in 65 games and made 49 starts, shooting 57 percent from the field while averaging 4.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. This past season, Luke helped NCCC to arguably the finest season in their program's history, finishing the year with a 27-10 record while making their first-ever appearance at the Division II junior college national championships.

Luke plans to study international business at Daemen.

Daemen College features the only NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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