Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!
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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.
Yow had a real chance at shaping the future of Wolfpack basketball and she hired a car salesman.
I’m glad you didn’t say used car salesman, because that would imply that players stay around. Look how many have left and more will after this year. It’s musical chairs at NCSU. Problem is it’s not the head coach that is leaving. How much is his by out?
BTW, guess who is the highest paid State of NC employee? Our awesome coach.
On a good note for today NC State Women’s basketball doing their thing! Dang I said i wasnt going to post but I had to give a shout out to them!!!! Keep up the good work and coaching!!! WFU up next on Sunday 2pm lets take care of business on that day also!! Great Job!!!
Ok PackInsider Staff, turn this bunch of shit into a positive. Times up. Bring on wrestling and girls basketball and baseball.
51 points… didnt want to put any explicit words up here…
WTF why is Hicks in the game instead of Kapita!!!! I think coach Gott is senile…. Real talk! not trying to be funny but it dont add up… Any good players we have will most likely transfer its been a trend.
My bad I said I wasnt going to post anymore today…………………………………….
Check out what Kyle Washington is doing at Cincinnati.
For that short stint he was in Ted Kapita gave us the most energy and effectiveness down low. Why is he not in the game? You know what Im done posting is making me more depressed….
I’m at a point where performances like this aren’t surprising and I’m not even getting upset anymore. Wolfpack Nation has to decide if they want to compete for ACC and National titles. If they do Gott is not the guy. People keep comparing Gott to Lowe and Sendek. Those guys are not where you set the bar because a bar shouldn’t be set that low.
Why is Abu in the game? He can’t play defense, he can’t catch a pass, he can’t hold on to the ball. And he’s walking back on defense and losing his man time and time again?
No discipline on offense, defense, transition defense. Can’t pass, don’t know the difference between a good shot and a bad one. Just a horribly coached squad out there.
SMH. We look like a HS team out there. I’m trying and have tried to hang in there with coach Gott but he is just not qualified for NCAA. Sorry…. Even if we come back which I doubt he needs to go..
I’ve been saying it for years now. He is a shit coach. That half was an embarrassment.
No comment. Packinsider Staff wants only positive comments. Damn bunch of snowflakes.
I didnt see any positive in the first half of this game. So cant post whats not happening. NCSU needs to put up money or somehow entice a quality and qualified coach to come to NCSU. I feel bad for the kids on this team. SMH