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Yesterday we told you that freshman center Omer Yurtseven was given a 9 game suspension, but was ultimately cleared by the NCAA. This was kind of bittersweet news for Gottfried and company. The good news is that Yurt will be back by ACC play, but the bad news is that the kid needs to miss 9 games of what might be his only season in Raleigh (he’s projected to go in the 2017 draft). We wanted to give you a feel of what people around college basketball are saying about the ruling.

 

NC State thankful but still disappointed
“The NCAA conducted a thoughtful analysis of Omer’s situation,” said NC State Director of Athletics Debbie Yow. “Their staff exhibited considerable concern for fairness and for the welfare of this conscientious young man in their decision.”

“I’m disappointed for Omer,” said NC State men’s basketball head coach Mark Gottfried. “He has been patient and 100 percent forthright. We will adapt and integrate him in as soon as possible.”

 

Jay Bilas says Yurtseven did nothing wrong and suspension was uncalled for

“A young man choosing college should be welcomed, not punished for growing up and living in another country,” Bilas wrote in a text message to the N&O on Monday. “He has exhibited no behavior to indicate he’s a professional. In fact, he’s turning down money to play in college.”

 

Kentucky Sports Radio on the difference (or lack thereof) between Yurtseven and Kanter case
“What’s the difference between Yurtseven’s case and Enes Kanter’s case? Great question. Both played for Fenerbahçe and both received money from the club, but for some reason, Omer was ruled eligible (albeit with a nine-game suspension) and Enes was not. Omer claimed that the team paid him for the last three years, putting the money into an account they opened in his name, but that he didn’t want or ask for it. Meanwhile, Enes played for Fenerbahçe for the same amount of time, turned down a $6 million contract from the club when he was 16, and the NCAA ruled that because he received more money in expenses for housing, transportation, food, etc. ($33,000, about the same as tuition at a really nice prep school) than they deemed necessary, he wasn’t allowed to play college basketball. Stop me if any of this makes sense.”

 

Yurtseven’s Lawyer (Don Jackson)  gives he take to N&O

“There was nothing else here. There’s no justification for this. Omer and his family attempted to do everything the right way and based on the NCAA rules, and he still got a nine-game punishment.”

“This wasn’t about the objective, provable facts. It was more of an effort to protect their flawed methodology for future cases.”

“On a yearly basis, the athletes that are selectively targeted are disproportionately African-American and international student-athletes. There’s no justification for this young man to sit nine games or even nine seconds.”

“The (Euro) club went out of its way to undermine Yurtseven’s eligibility”

“Their goal was to prevent him from playing college basketball.”

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

Why doesn’t NC State grow a pair and litigate this ruling?

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is Currently Visiting NC State

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4 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is on a visit to NC State currently, according to a source.

Indiana State Transfer Ryan Conwell was on campus last week, but he just committed to Xavier.

From what I hear, the staff preferred James over Connell anyway. A plus with James is he has 2 years of eligibility, whereas Conwell has 1.

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.

Rivals ranked James as the #71 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, and ESPN ranked him as the #7 prospect in the state of Florida.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years. This year, he averaged 12.6 points and 5 rebounds.

For a more extensive look at James’ game, click here.

Rivals ranks James as the #77 overall player in the Transfer Portal.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is a Priority for NC State

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7 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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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.

NC State already hosted Indiana State Transfer Guard Ryan Conwell last week, and while the Wolfpack coaches like both players, from what I’m hearing, James would be their preference.

NC State hasn’t had James in for a visit, but that could happen soon.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Casey Morsell is the 4th Player in NCAA History to Start 41 Games in a Season

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13 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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NC State Guard Casey Morsell started 41 games for the Wolfpack this season, becoming the 4th player in NCAA history to do so.

 

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A post shared by NC State Basketball (@packmensbball)

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.

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NC State Basketball

Georgetown Transfer Dontrez Styles Commits to NC State!

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23 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Georgetown Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles (6’6″/212) has committed to NC State!

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.

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