NC State Basketball
What did the Wolfpack’s Incredible Run to the Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Chris Corchiani?
What did NC State’s miraculous run to the ACC Championship and Final Four mean to Wolfpack legend Chris Corchiani? I caught up with the man who is still NC State’s all-time leader in Assists and Steals 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?
Man, it was unreal. They caught lightning in a bottle and it was an absolute amazing run. They were a mediocre team all year that turned into a feared team that nobody wanted to play! To win the ACC championship in 5 days and to get to Final Four…..Wow!!
What did this run say about Kevin Keatts and these players? In what ways did you see them adapt, change or persevere?
Keatts received a lot of criticism for 7 years and after this run is deserving of great praise. I think shortening the lineup to 7-8 guys and doing away with the full court press and playing solid half court defense was a great move that obviously paid huge dividends. He also kept this team together which was not easy as they lost last 7-9 going into the. postseason. The guys also grew confident in their roles and played possessed!
As one of the best players to ever wear the Red & White, what did this run mean to you personally?
This run was something I have dreamed about happening and the fact it was so unexpected made it so much sweeter! To see the students, alums, boosters, and fans get what we all have been waiting for was the best!
What was the most memorable moment for you?
Most memorable for me was going to Final Four with my family and enjoying catching up with old friends, boosters, friends and teammates!
How do you think this run can change things for the NC State Basketball program going forward?
This run gives us momentum in so many ways. Listen, this was good not only for our hoops team but for our University! Hopefully our recruiting will take a big step forward with kids wanting to run with the Pack! A month of free advertising should be Huge for the future of our Men’s and Women’s basketball programs!
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When NC State legend Chris Corchiani left NC State, he not only held the school’s record for career Assists and Steals, but he also was career leader in ACC conference history. His 40.8% career Three-Point Percentage ranks 7th in school history. Corchiani was the first player in NCAA history to have 1,000+ career assists.
NC State Basketball
ON3’s Jamie Shaw Puts in a Prediction Georgetown SF Transfer Dontrez Styles will Land at NC State
ON3’s Jamie Shaw put in an RPM earlier today for Georgetown Small Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles to land at NC State. All-time, Shaw’s prediction accuracy is 87%.
I spoke with a source, and it seems like this prediction has some merit.
ON3 ranks Styles as the #66 overall prospect in the Portal.
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.
With his final year of eligibility, maybe he’ll make the right choice this time.
NC State Basketball
PI EXCLUSIVE: 2024 4-Star Signee Paul McNeil Breaks Down His Thoughts On NC State’s Miraculous Run
-When are we going to come out with energy and intensity from the tip off?
-When are we going to defend? Especially the perimeter!
-When will our big men Abu and Anya show some progression since their freshman year?
Currently we are not there and in ACC and tournament play the teams will not miss the shots and will finish the game strong unlike the teams we barely beat. #GETEMRIGHTGOTT!#GOPACK
Don’t get me wrong we have a great talented team. We just have to fine tune a few things that will take us to the next level to compete for an ACC and National titles.
#GETEMRIGHTGOTT!#GOPACK
If there was a way to fix Anya so that his only goal in life wasn’t blocking shots. Each time he goes for a block he leaves his man wide open. He over-commits on help D. Just needs to take up space in the middle. He has low rebound numbers because he is chasing blocks. If he maintained good defensive position in the paint he would be the leading rebounder on the team.
Only thing he really needs to do it clog the lane and help out on backside D when needed.
Why is Abu so bad at defense? He over-hedges and doesn’t get back to his man or he doesn’t provide help defense when someone gets beat off the dribble.
Markell’s defense is beyond amazing. Those 3 steals at the end of the game were unbelievable and won us this tight game. That defense along with Torin’s scoring and Dennis’ explosiveness and playmaking is really fun to watch.
I cannot wait for this small ball lineup to end. We’ve been outrebounded in practically every game. And the interior defense is pretty much non-existent. Kapita is a welcome edition and Yurt7 cannot get qualified soon enough.
One glaring weakness is the front court. Some of that was the refs but a lot of it was that currently we do not have a dominant guy in the middle. Really hoping that Yurt7 can be that skilled center that can draw the double and find the open man. So far the offense is strictly guard initiated so it lacks balance and easier scoring opportunities. A lot will be riding on the Yurt’s shoulders.
I’m also hoping that y7 can have a big impact, but I will try to not expect too too much out of him the first few games. I expect he might struggle a little, but I still think the presence of a 7 footer will overall help our team.
*to clarify, he is still very young and hasn’t had a whole lot of experience of basketball in the USA. Will take some time is what I’m thinking.
Definitely agree. He’s not the solution to all our ills. There are fundamental problems on defense that may never get resolved but Y7 will no doubt improve our front court production not hurt it.
Dennis dominated. The freshman did it all. He’s starting to look like the guy that was advertised. He looked really good when he saw an opening and attacked. I thought he settled for a few jumpers but his shot selection should get better as he plays in more games. Hopefully staff is busy getting all the tapes together for discussion. This is the Dennis I’ve been wanting to see.
I like Abu but he’s not going pro with the way he’s playing. He’s playing soft in the paint and has bad hands. Dennis fed him a sweet pass and he fumbled it. He really needs to work on his angles. There’s 2 parts to an assist… an important part of that is the guy without the ball making sure there’s an angle between him and the guy with the ball. Too often Abu sits behind a defender.
Yea Abu needs to work on his hands and feet. More than one post move. All big men need multiple post moves. He actually showed a pretty good jumper his Freshman year now he doesn’t use it much.
Sadly he is one of those guys that only hits shots when he is confident. And his confidence is always up and down.
Man were those refs horrible. Kapita had the rebound, gets undercut, and then he’s called for the foul? Henderson stands with hands straight up and doesn’t jump but somehow he’s whistled for the foul? And that foul on Markell on the cleanest steal ever at the end of the game?