For seven-year head coach Bill Coen, ironically, it was the injury that kept Lee out for the first nine games of the season that propelled underclassmen like Walker to bigger roles.

“Davey has come along very, very nicely,” Coen said. “He got immediate playing time – and that’s a silver lining for all of our young players – when Jon got hurt. Everyone got plunged into bigger roles than expected.”

While this may have been the long term positive of Lee’s foot injury, the senior’s immediate reaction was that there was a possibility he could miss out on playing for a majority of the season.

“I definitely gave that some thought, maybe redshirting, but if I did come back and we had enough games left then I really would want to be a part of this team. My other captain Joel, he’s a hard worker – I don’t want to lose that or lose this opportunity,” Lee said.

While it’s never easy for an athlete to sit on the sidelines, Lee said he saw his underclassmen teammates filled the void left in his absence.

“I’ve seen the progression of our team, the progression of our guys like Davey and Demetrius [Pollard] and the way they stepped up in the nine games I was out. Our team grew,” Lee said.

Pollard, a sophomore, burst onto the scene when he hit the buzzer-beating three-pointer against Boston University for Northeastern’s season-opening, 65-64 win Nov. 9. Walker had a game-winning three-pointer of his own while Lee was out, against arguably their hardest non-conference opponent, Belmont University on Nov. 23, 74-71.

While Walker steadily got better throughout Lee’s time of injury, his new role in the starting line-up seems to be his most comfortable setting.

“Coming off the bench, at first you’re just jumping right into it. You’re not used to what’s going on in the game so starting out there definitely helps me,” Walker said.

Playing alongside the two most experienced players on the team in Smith and Lee would probably make anyone feel the same way.

“They’re two incredible basketball players,” Walker said. “They have tremendous scoring ability. They both handle the ball so it definitely relieves my ball handling pressure. If they get it, they can run the point; if I get it, I’ll just run but it’s definitely a help to have two seniors out there.”

The versatility the Huskies have on the court with a backcourt of Walker and Lee, joined by Smith, Ford and Spencer, is exactly what Coen said he wanted in his starting line-up.

“You have three guys who are comfortable handling the ball, moving the ball, and all three guys can make threes so it allows us to spread the floor and put guys in different positions,” Coen said.

While the guards play the same offensive position, Lee and Walker have very different offensive styles and it’s proving to help balance out the team’s offense.

“He doesn’t turn it over, he’s a safe dude,” Lee said of Walker. “In my experience, I keep going and going. I keep attacking, so you kind of need Davey to be safe and balance it out.”

Just like the differences within their offensive styles, the two are probably polar opposites when it comes to their personalities.

“When Jon’s in a room, you know it,” Coen said. “He’s got presence, he doesn’t shy away from the moment; he wants that. Davey’s still feeling that out. He’s more of a background guy by nature.”

Despite what people may think, Lee shared Walker’s shyness his freshman year, according to his coach.

“[Jon] didn’t say much but as he grew more comfortable in what we were about and what he was about, he stepped to the front of the line,” Coen said.

He sure has, leading the Huskies in scoring last year and to first place in the CAA, which surely beats standing on crutches behind the bench. Walker may step to the front of the line too, and Lee said he thinks the freshman could be a leading scorer.

For now, Walker only needs to maintain his role, whether it be tipping passes, locking down players, or making open threes.

“That’s the best part of our team,” Lee said. “Everyone knows their role.”