Dezmine Wells (born April 15, 1992) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who last played for
Qingdao Eagles
The Qingdao Guoxin Haitian Eagle Club, also known as Qingdao Daily Fresh or Qingdao Eagles are a Chinese professional basketball team which is based in Qingdao, Shandong. The club plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association ...
of the
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China.
The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...
. He played college basketball for the
Xavier Musketeers
The Xavier Musketeers are the 16 teams representing Xavier University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. The Musk ...
and
Maryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...
.
High school career
Wells played high school basketball at
Word of God Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina where he was a friend of and teammate with current
Houston Rockets guard
John Wall
Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Wall was chosen with the first overa ...
.
College career
Wells began his college career at
Xavier, where he was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection. He was expelled in 2012 due to a "serious violation" of the code of student conduct after a female student alleged he committed sexual assault. Wells also was suspended by the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
for being involved in a huge fight after a game against the
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. Though they will move to the Big 12 Conference (XII) the teams are currently a part of the American Athletic Conference (The American), which from 1979 ...
in December 2011. A grand jury did not indict him for the assault, and Wells later sued the university for false accusation. The school was asked to hold off deciding their case until after the criminal case was settled and the prosecutor slammed the school for thei
unfair procedures.The issue was settled out of court after a judge ruled the lawsuit could go forward to discovery.
The NCAA waived the usual
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...
year requirement for Wells, making him eligible immediately at another university. He transferred to Maryland and led the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game as a sophomore.
The team missed the NCAA Tournament despite defeating
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
twice.
[
As a junior, Wells averaged 14.9 points per game for the Terrapins. Maryland again missed the NCAA Tournament.]
A wrist injury caused Wells to miss a month of games as a senior. Nevertheless, he scored 26 points and added seven rebounds and four assists in Maryland's 59–53 win over fifth-ranked Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. He was a First Team All-Big Ten selection. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon
Mark Leo Turgeon (born February 5, 1965) is an American college basketball coach. Turgeon served as the head men's basketball coach at Jacksonville State University from 1998 to 2000, Wichita State University from 2000 to 2007, Texas A&M Univ ...
said Wells "was not going to let us lose."[ Wells's last collegiate game was against ]West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
in Columbus, Ohio in the Round of 32 of the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 77th edition of the tournament began on March ...
. He tallied nine points and eight turnovers in a 69–59 loss.[
]
Professional career
Oklahoma City Blue (2015–2016)
ESPN's Chad Ford considered Wells a potential second-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft,[ but he went undrafted. He also struggled dribbling with his left hand, which lowered his draft stock. He subsequently joined the ]Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
for the 2015 NBA Summer League
The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League.
Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League at ...
. However, he was later ruled out of Summer League play due to thumb injury. On September 25, 2015, Wells signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
. However, he was waived on October 22 after appearing in one preseason game. On November 3, he was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue
The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center. The franchise began as ...
as an affiliate player from the Thunder. On November 14, he made his professional debut in a 110–104 loss to the Austin Spurs
The Austin Spurs are an American basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the postseason in 8 ...
, recording 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. On March 31, he was waived by the Blue after suffering a season-ending injury.
Greece (2016)
In July 2016, Wells signed with Tigers Tübingen of the Basketball Bundesliga, but his contract was voided on August 18 after he didn't pass his physical. On September 23, 2016, Wells signed with Doxa Lefkadas of the Greek Basket League
The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...
. He left the team after appearing in 9 games.
Scandone Avellino and Oklahoma City Blue (2017–2019)
On January 18, 2017, he was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue
The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center. The franchise began as ...
. Wells was added to the Oklahoma City Blue
The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center. The franchise began as ...
training camp roster on October 23, 2018.
VL Pesaro (2019)
On April 10, 2019, he has signed a contract with VL Pesaro of the Italian LBA.
San Miguel Beermen (2019)
In August 2019, Wells joined San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...
for the East Asia Super League Terrific 12 and the PBA Governors' Cup
The PBA Governors' Cup is a tournament of the Philippine Basketball Association. Along with the PBA Commissioner's Cup, the tournament is one of the two conferences that allows teams to hire a single foreign player, also known as an "import". The ...
. In his PBA debut, Wells had an impressive statline of 42 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a 130–119 win over Phoenix Fuelmasters. He averaged 37.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block per game.
Zhejiang Lions (2019–2020)
Wells spent much of the 2019–20 season with Zhejiang Lions
The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Guangsha is the name of the club's corporate sponsor, but to prevent ...
in China. He averaged 31.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.2 steals per game.
Jiangsu Dragons (2020–2021)
On September 21, 2020, Wells signed with Jiangsu Dragons
Jiangsu Dragons Kentier (), also known as Jiangsu Dragons or Jiangsu Kentier, are a Chinese professional basketball team in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu.
History
In the 2004–05 seaso ...
of the Chinese league. On April 10, 2021, Wells scored 43 points in a 94-98 losing effort to the Tianjin Pioneers
The Tianjin Ronggang Pioneers () or Tianjin Ronggang or Tianjin Pioneers are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Tianjin, which plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The Ronggang Import & Export T ...
.
Qingdao Eagles (2021–2022)
On December 6, 2021, Wells signed with Qingdao Eagles
The Qingdao Guoxin Haitian Eagle Club, also known as Qingdao Daily Fresh or Qingdao Eagles are a Chinese professional basketball team which is based in Qingdao, Shandong. The club plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association ...
of the Chinese league.
Personal life
Wells is the son of Pamela Wells, who was an All-American basketball player at St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C. He has two sisters, Jocelyn Brand and Jazmine Wilson and majored in American Studies. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in American Studies on December 19, 2015.
References
External links
Maryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Dez
1992 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in China
American expatriate basketball people in Greece
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Raleigh, North Carolina
Doxa Lefkadas B.C. players
Lega Basket Serie A players
Jiangsu Dragons players
Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players
Oklahoma City Blue players
Philippine Basketball Association imports
Qingdao Eagles players
San Miguel Beermen players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
S.S. Felice Scandone players
Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro players
Xavier Musketeers men's basketball players
Zhejiang Golden Bulls players