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Basketball Preview: NC State’s Senior Leadership May Take Them Far

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Senior leadership is something you really don’t hear too much about in college basketball anymore. In the age of ‘one and done’ and guys leaving early to go play overseas,  it’s becoming rare that a guy with that type of make-up sticks around.

However, every March the phrase starts to get a little more run. It’s no coincidence either. Experience trumps talent in college basketball. It always has and it always will. Sure, you will still have a ‘one and done’ squad like Kentucky snatch a championship every now and again, but it’s not the norm. Seniors bring something no underclassman can ever give you. They bring you 3 years of work. 3 years of preparation. 3 years of punishing their bodies. They sit there, starting at that 4th and final year, motivated to make it all worth something.

Not all seniors end up capitalizing, but the more they’ve invested the more they will focus. They bring a sense of urgency that you can’t coach and wisdom that only game minutes can give you.

NC State enters this season with many believing that they are young and inexperienced. But if you look closer you’ll see a team that has more experience than we’ve seen in Raleigh in a long time. In fact, between Lennard Freeman, Sam Hunt, Malik Abu and Al Freeman, the Wolfpack has 15 years of college experience. That’s right. Three of NC State’s seniors are 5th year guys.

Let’s look at the last few seniors (from the Gottfried Era) that NC State has had on their roster and then look at how those teams finished.

Beejay Anya (2016/17) – No postseason
No seniors (2015/16) – No postseason
Ralston Turner (2014/15) – Sweet 16
Jordan Vandenberg (2013/14) – NCAA 2nd round
Scott Wood (2012/13) – NCAA 2nd round
CJ Williams and Richard Howell (2011/12) – NCAA Sweet 16

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when you saw strong senior leaders, you also saw good results. Just look.

The only outlier here is last season when Beejay Anya was a senior and the team didn’t make the postseason. I also think of all the seniors on this list, he was the only one who had no real leadership qualities (at least that he showed). His quarrels with the coaching staff and a certain sect of the team made that apparent. Other than that instance, where there was leadership, there was success.

While Hunt and Al Freeman may be new to the program, it doesn’t take away their four years in a college basketball program and it certainly doesn’t take away the fact that this is their last go-round. With those two, the always hungry, always focused Lennard Freeman, and Malik Abu, who decided to stick around one more season to reach his full potential, this Wolfpack team might end up being a little better and a little hungrier than everyone is expecting.

 

NC State Basketball

Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe Visited NC State this Week

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Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe (6’10″/215) was in for a visit to NC State yesterday, according to a source.

Anselm-Ibe was at Georgia the past two seasons, and was at Syracuse the two before that.

Back in 2020, Anselm-Ibe was a 4-Star prospect out of Prolific Prep in Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #18 player in the state of Georgia.

Anselm-Ibe hit the Portal on April 30th.

ECU Power Forward Transfer Ezra Ausar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago, and while things were looking good at first, at this point, it seems like things have reached a point of radio silence. From what I’m hearing, NC State would definitely take Ausar, but they aren’t going to wait for him either.

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NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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