Rick Pitino Jr. received some good news recently learning that Joey King will return home to play for Minnesota. King, a native of Eagan, MN, averaged 6.9 points as a freshman at Drake earning All-Freshmen honors in the Missouri Valley.
In early May, King announced his decision to leave the Drake program. Ryan James--a writer for GopherIllustrated.com--explained King’s reasoning for transferring back on May 10th:
One of Joey's family members is unfortunately ill so he's looking to transfer home to be closer to family.
— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) May 10, 2013
Per Evan Daniels, who broke the news on Sunday afternoon, King will likely receive a waiver to play immediately:
Joey King from Drake is headed to Minnesota, a source says. Likely will get a waiver to play right away.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) June 2, 2013
On the court, King has the ability to stretch a defense standing at 6-foot-9, but spending a fair amount of time beyond the arc. King shot 34.7% from the perimeter last season (33-95), and actually took more three-pointers than twos.
While it’s always nice to have a big forward who can step out and hit a three, it would behoove King to continue to develop his inside game as the Golden Gophers will have to replace two big bodies on the inside: Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams.
You can find Kevin on twitter @KLDoyle11