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Kevin Keatts Media Day Presser: Bulleted Form

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If you want to watch NC State head coach Kevin Keatt’s Media Day press conference in full form, you can do so here, but if you’re just looking for the main points, look no further.

Opening Statement

  • Been working out two hours a week together. Two players he’s been most impressed with are RS Senior PF Lennard Freeman and Sophomore C Omer Yurtseven. They have been extremely good players and have worded hard.
  • Conditioning has been a big deal.
  • Practice starts Friday.
  • They are being picked to finish between 11th and 14th in the ACC by preseason publications. He wishes we were 15th so he could use it as motivation.

On Lennard Freeman

  • In the best shape of his life.
  • Last years team struggled with rebounding. Lennard is a great rebounder.

On Omer Yurtseven

  • He’s back to playing with confidence again. Coming in after missing games last season didn’t set him up to be confident.
  • Had to convince him that this year was going to be a different situation than last year.
  • He didn’t just come back because Keatts recruited him, but because he listened to the NBA guys.

On Style of Play

  • Has 3 legit big guys that he wants to put into the offense. Don’t be surprised to see Lennard and Omer on the court at the same time.
  • They will still play fast, but this team will be a different version of what the team will look like in the future, because he has bigger guys that can contribute.

On Taking over the Program

  • Soon as he stepped on campus, these players became his guys.
  • He told all the players that he doesn’t have any starters. They will determine that.

On Malik Abu

  • He has developed a 15-foot jump shot.
  • He’s started to put the ball on the floor a little bit
  • Goal is to get him confident from 15-18 feet away, but also take guys off the dribble from there.

On Braxton Beverly

  • Submitted the waiver for him two weeks ago, and they haven’t responded back with any questions.
  • He can practice and play, the only thing he can’t do as of now is competition.

On Point Guard

  • The guy that obviously needs to play well is Sophomore Markell Johnson.

On Torin Dorn

  • He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s believing in the system. He’s going to see a lot of minutes at Small Forward, but if we get in a situation where we have to go small, he will play Power Forward, or what Keatts calls the ‘4th guard.’

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

NC State Basketball

NC State Forward Katie Peneueta Enters the Transfer Portal

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NC State Forward Katie Peneueta is entering the Transfer Portal.

Peneueta transferred to NC State last offseason from Sacramento State, where she averaged 8.4 points, shooting 45.5% from three.

In her one year at NC State, Peneueta only played 8 games for the Wolfpack, battling injuries throughout the year. Peneueta has 1 year of eligibility.

With Peneueta entering the Portal, NC State now has 3 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Boston Center Caitlin Weimar is on an Official Visit to NC State

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) is currently on an Official Visit to NC State.

Weimar is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With NC State not having River Baldwin at Center next year, adding Weimar is an extremely exciting possibility.

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren?

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What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren? I caught up with the man who won the ACC Player of the Year Award in 2014 to get his take.

What was it like for you watching NC State go from the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament, to winning the Championship, to going to the Final Four?

I’m a second generation Wolfpack basketball player. Wolf blood runs through my veins, so to be able to witness a ride like that was truly amazing.

What did this run say about Kevin Keatts and these players? In what ways did you see them adapt, change or persevere?

I think that is speaks to the heart that the players have. As a 10th seed in the ACC tournament, it’s easy to pack it in and look towards the offseason, but they did the opposite. They bonded together over adversity and that’s what made them so endearing. Hard work in the face of adversity, that’s something that Wolfpack fans can relate to.

As one of the best players to ever wear the Red & White, what did this run mean to you personally?

As I mentioned earlier, NCSU hoops has been in my family for a long time, so it meant a whole lot personally. This run definitely took me back to some of the fond memories I have of putting on the Red & White and playing in front of a packed house at the PNC.

What was the most memorable moment for you?

I think Mike’s shot to tie the game at the end of regulation. It just felt like destiny at that point. Anytime you get to beat UNC and Duke days apart is special too.

How do you think this run can change things for the NC State Basketball program going forward?

I think that it puts us back on the national radar where we belong. After a magical run like that, I think it makes players want to be a part of that. A run like that reinvigorates a program definitely.

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Warren is 1 of only 6 NC State players to ever be named the ACC Player of the Year. In his Sophomore season, Warren was named a 2nd Team All-American by Sporting News and the AP. He averaged 24.9 points per game, which is the 5th best mark in a single season in NC State history. Warren scored 871 points that year, which is the most points ever scored in a single season by a Wolfpack player.

TJ was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

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NC State Forward Ernest Ross Enters the Transfer Portal

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NC State Forward Ernest Ross announced today that he is entering the Transfer Portal.

 

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Ross played in 14 games this year, averaging 3.4 minutes per contest. After playing in 34 games last season, averaging 11.4 minutes per contest, Ross saw his participation dip to a career low this season, but that didn’t for a second break his infectious personality. On the sideline, you could count on Ross every single game to be the heart and soul of the Wolfpack on the bench. To watch a player who played as little as he did, care as much as he did, makes me super proud that this young man represented NC State so well.

Ross was a consensus 4-star player in the 2021 recruiting class, with 247Sports ranking him as the #60 overall player nationally. ESPN ranked him as the #5 overall player in the state of Florida.

Ross has one more year of eligibility remaining.

NC State has 3 scholarships available now.

Best of luck Ernest!

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