THE Dennis Smith Jr.
@SportsCenter #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/yVydsVYoIW
— NC State Men’s Bball (@PackMensBball) December 29, 2016
In their final non-conference tune-up, NC State looked like they were rounding into form as they took out a decent Rider team 99-71.
While not much of a matchup on paper, there were certainly takeaway from this game. Let’s examine them.
Dennis Smith Jr. is becoming elite, goes for 19pts and 16 assists
He was billed as a top 10 draft pick, and now he’s playing that way. Smith finished with 19pts and 16 assists and all of it was within the flow of the game. Smith is taking good shots and knocking them down, he using his quickness to get a step on his man and his physicality to put massive amounts of pressure on the defense. He’s to the point where defenses are having to make decisions. Stop him by helping (opening up other guys) or allow him a good look (which now he is knocking down). Smith is turning into a true force and just in time for ACC play. Oh wait…and we forgot to mention…this happened.
Abu goes beast-mode, finishes with 12 and 12
Ok, now we’re talking. We’ve been waiting for Abu to unleash and he’s starting to do just that. Ever since Yurtseven returned we have have seen a different Abu. With Yurt at the high post, Abu is reaping the benefits of one on ones on the block. He’s playing with more physicality, rebounding with more passion and starting to punish anyone who dares jump with him at the rim. This is the Abu that tested the NBA waters and the one NC State will need if they are going to be contenders this year. Abu finished with 12 points and 12 boards, but they were nearly all loud and memorable. Good news for State heading into the ACC season where they will need a physical athlete like Abu.
Unselfish play fueling the Wolfpack surge. The two stats you should be paying attention to:
There are two stats we think really are positives for NC State. The first is their assist number. 26 of their 40 buckets came via the assist. That is 65%. That is a very, very good number. Around 50% should be a number you’d be pleased with, but 65%? That means you’re clicking on all cylinders. Of course 16 of those 26 came from Dennis Smith Jr, but if the Pack wants to be a real force, then they’ll need big assist number from Smith night in and night out.
The other numbers to look at are the shot attempts. Abu had 8, Rowan had 9, Yurt had 11, Henderson and Dorn both had 10, and Smith shot it 15 times. Now that is how you spread the shots around, and when you spread shots around like that it means you’re team is playing together selflessly. This fact that this team is playing so well should make you happy, but what should really have you excited is how they are playing together.
“There’s really no one that’s selfish on this team. The guys are really interested in finding the open guy and passing the ball.” – MG pic.twitter.com/GyyCf3kWev
— NC State Men’s Bball (@PackMensBball) December 29, 2016
Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!
Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.
This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. 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 #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.
Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.
Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.
With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.
NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.
Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.
Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.
Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.
The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross. Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.
With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.
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.
Based on what I’ve seen thus far I think this is a team that could win a couple of upset games but will also lose some games that they should have won. I don’t think this team will do well against a well disciplined team like uva but it could in my opinion beat unc or duke. Will they get up for games against Miami, VT, Clemson? This could be a very fun or very frustrating ACC season.
That Kapita chase down block was what’s been missing from this team. Ted brings a level of attitude and hustle that we have been missing from our bigs.