It wasn’t all that long ago that Omer Yurtseven was struggling to stay on the floor for the Wolfpack. He was foul prone, he was being pushed around and he just wasn’t really putting up the type of rebounding numbers NC State fans had hoped for.
Over the first 4 games of the season, Yurtseven had grabbed only 16 rebounds (4 per game). Certainly not the type of number you want to see from you 7-foot center. But something clicked for him during the trip to the Bahamas.
Since that trip began, Yurtseven has been a different player. He’s been much more aggressive and much more physical on the blocks. Just look at the numbers. Over the past 5 games, he has grabbed 47 rebounds. That’s good for 9.4 boards per game.
One area he’s been extremely impressive is on the offensive glass. His ability to get NC State extra possessions and easy putbacks have been huge for team. In fact, Yurtseven is ranked #9 in the nation in ‘offensive rebounding %.’
This is an important stat and one that is much more telling than simply looking at the total number of offensive rebounds. To calculate this statistic, divide the total number of offensive rebounds secured by the total number of rebounds available by the player/team. Meaning, this sidesteps all the variables such as the number of games played or the number of shots taken/rebounds available.
So why is this such an important number? Well, offensive rebounds, in general, are important because they take away a potential defensive rebound. They also give your team an extra possession and take a possession away from your opponent. This usually leads to more points for the team that is doing better on the offensive glass. It’s no wonder that many in the basketball-data community view OR% as one of the four pillars of true efficiency along with eFG%, TO%, and FT rate.
Yurtseven has been getting a lot of pub lately for his 6-7 (86%) from 3pt range and his nearly 13 ppg, but if he can continue to dominate on the offensive glass, then his scoring will just be icing on the cake. The big man from Turkey is finally showing Wolfpack fans why he came over with such high praise and why NBA scouts have been keeping a close eye on him. If he keeps this up, it will give NC State yet another dimension that no many thought they’d have in the preseason.
Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is a priority for NC State, according to a source.
News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.
After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.
This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.
James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.
He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.
Prior to this season, the record for most games started in a single season in NC State history was 37, with three Wolfpack players doing so: Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, CJ Williams.
Morsell now sits atop the list, and a fellow teammate, DJ Burns ranks second, with 40 games started this season.
Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.
Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.
After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.
ON3 ranks Styles as the #104 overall player in the Portal.
With his final year of eligibility, Styles’ made the right choice this time.
NC State now has 2 scholarships remaining after Styles’ commitment.