On August 18, Lee Branscome, Toyloy Brown, and I interviewed Lesley Varner II, a legitimate 3-and-D prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft. We discussed the highlights of his college campaign, the strengths and weaknesses of his game, and his preparation for the next stage of his career.
Varner steadily increased his minutes and productivity during his four years at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), which competes in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). After three nondescript seasons, the 22-year-old senior emerged as one of the WAC’s stars this past season. He earned a first-team All-WAC selection, averaging 15.6 points, 6.0 boards, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, with shooting splits of .435/.406/.871. He finished the season in the top 10 of the conference for scoring, rebound percentage (12.8), steal percentage (3.1), player efficiency rating (25.8), win shares (4.2), and plus-minus rating (3.7).
Special thanks to Connor Ullathorne, who produced this video, and UTRGV Athletics for the video highlights and photographs.
