The search for the Seawolves’ next starting point guard has extended its reach to Longwood University’s Lucas Woodhouse, who, as of earlier this month, is transferring to Stony Brook.
“I’m just looking forward to playing in front a nice crowd for a winning program about 30 minutes from my house. It’s perfect honestly,” Woodhouse said. “A dream come true.”
The 6-foot-1-inch Huntington native put up averages of 11.5 points and 6.7 assists in 33 minutes per night for the Lancers this season. After announcing live that he had the intention to transfer on WMLU – Longwood’s radio station – Woodhouse said Stony Brook made a push for his talents.
“When I got my release from the program here, [Stony Brook] reached out to me right away. They offered me a scholarship, wanted me to come,” Woodhouse said. “I knew what this school was about, I know it’s a winning program, that’s why I wanted to go there.”
With seniors Dave Coley and Anthony Jackson graduating, Stony Brook is left with a big hole in their backcourt, one they have began filling up by nabbing Michigan’s Mr. Basketball, Deshaun Thrower. Entering his junior year, Carson Puriefoy may also be in the running for the lead point guard spot, despite having assumed a sixth man role for the majority of last year.
It would be a stretch to think Kameron Mitchell can make the leap to the starting one spot, and with how actively the Seawolves have pursued point guards to bring in, one can only assume that they are not interested in trying to mold Ahmad Walker into a hybrid point-wing, just like the former Syracuse Orange star Michael Carter-Williams.
Woodhouse will have to sit out the coming season, but still has two years of eligibility remaining. This will give Stony Brook’s newest addition lots of time to learn coach Steve Pikiell’s schemes and polish his craft.
“I just want to work on getting faster and stronger. Becoming more aggressive, creating shots for other people. Being able to get in the lane and kick out or make the dump off pass,” Woodhouse said. “I’ve been playing man defense basically my whole college career here so it won’t be that big of an adjustment.“
One of Woodhouse’s most valuable skills will be his shooting. The former Lancer shot just 27 percent from behind the arc in his freshman year, a number he jumped to 37 percent on 131 tries this season. This clip would have led the Seawolves among players who attempted 100+ threes.
This long range marksmanship could be huge for Stony Brook, having struggled against zones this season. Of course, the Seawolves had great shooters, but the team’s offense prioritizes free throws and near-basket finishes before threes. If Woodhouse is given the freedom, he could help big time in exorcising the demons of Stony Brook’s past.
“I want to keep improving my jump shooting because it makes my game better, it opens up more things for me and my teammates,” said Woodhouse. “The jumpshot pretty much opens everything so I want to keep improving on that.”
Another asset of Woodhouse’s is his playmaking ability, vaunted by many who have watched him over a couple of seasons at Longwood. 39.1 percent of Woodhouse’s possessions ended in an assist on a team that went 8-24 this season. What he can do with the likes of Jameel Warney on the floor alongside him should give Seawolves fans reason to be excited about this pick-up.
Although it will be a year before we see Woodhouse step on the hardwood, this move has the potential to be a tremendous positive. While the coaching staff decides who will man the backcourt this year, they have an ace in the hole for seasons following.
