NC State Basketball
Selection Sunday
Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!
View this post on Instagram
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.
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.
He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.
James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.
Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.
Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.
For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.
247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.
According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.
What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.
It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!
2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.
DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.
NC State’s DJ Horne played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this weekend, and he was named to the All-Tournament Team.
In 3 games, Horne averaged 14.3 points, shooting 41.5% from the field, and 30% from three.
Horne’s Portsmouth Partnership team made it to the finals, but lost to Jani-King 68-75.
The Portsmouth Invitational is an annual pre-draft camp that has been showcasing College Seniors to professional scouts since 1953.
Former NC State All-American SS Trea Turner Named NL Player of the Week
WATCH QB Grayson McCall’s Tape from the 2024 NC State Spring Game
NC State’s Payton Wilson & Dylan McMahon’s 2024 Draft Projections
#21 NC State 6 #7 ECU 10: Box Score (with notes)
Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!
Indiana State Transfer Shooting Guard Ryan Conwell Set to Visit NC State
NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Has Professional Options in France
NC State is High on Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill
NC State Reaches Out to High Point Transfer Guard Duke Miles
NC State vs. Duke in the Elite Eight was the Most Watched Game of the Men’s NCAA Tournament
2024 NC State Commit Trey Parker Finishes 2nd in OTE Dunk Contest
VIDEO BREAKDOWN: Was BYU 3 point barrage unstoppable, or was NC State’s defense to blame? You decide.
VIDEO: Terquavion Smith GOES OFF in G-League Debut with 37 points & 8 Boards
NC State lands combo guard DJ Horne from the portal
Wolfer96 wormncsu Purvis is a chump. His game was not near 5 star level. He probably cost us Randle along the way. He got what he deserved.
wormncsu I don’t blame Purvis. I thought he made a bad decision coming to State in the first place. If his ultimate goal was to play in the NBA then he had to play PG. He was too short to play SG at the next level and he was a good shooter but not great. But then UConn was also a horrible choice because they had a PG in Boatright. So no understanding the school choices he made.
You’re right he should not have listened to the idiots around him.
Purvis left with hopes of being groomed to be an NBA point guard. For most of the season he played lack luster at best. If he had stayed he could of played in the NCAA’s each year. Some of the kids need to learn to stop listening to outsiders on how good they think they are and just stick it out. If you look at our transfer history though the kids we have lost are nowhere near as good as the ones we have gained. As far as Gottfried goes maybe he is not an NCAA championship coach but you… Read more »
Everyone better have 2 brackets filled out. 1 where we get bounced in the 1st round and 1 where we go elite 8. I think all things considered we got lucky and placed in the best possible bracket. Villanova is the weakest 1 seed of the tournament. It was nice to relax for a change on selection Sunday. As a State fan it feels odd not to have that sinking feeling leading up to the selection show. I thought it was rather sad that UConn did not make the tourney. Purvis has to sit out last season during UConn’s championship… Read more »
Who would I like to see the Pack play? That’s a good question. I have a better one. Which Pack team will show up next week? If the last one shows, it doesn’t matter whom we play. On the other hand, if we are playing well, I would like a match up eventually with Gonzaga.