NC State Basketball

Position Preview: SG’s will have to fill it up for Pack to Flourish

Published

6 years ago

November 8, 2017

Pack Insider Staff

Position: Shooting Guard

Players: Al Freeman, Sam Hunt

Strengths: Outside shooting, scoring, experience

Weaknesses: Elite athleticism, ability to score off the dribble, ACC experience.

It’s kind of hard to break NC State up by position, but we’ll continue to try. Yesterday we explored the PGs (Markell Johnson and Lavar Batts Jr.) and today we take a look at the SGs (Al Freeman and Sam Hunt). However, with Keatts 4 guard offense things won’t be this organized.

Al Freeman and Sam Hunt are new names to Wolfpack fans. Both come to Raleigh via graduate transfer. Al from Baylor and Sam from A&T. Freeman will likely see more minutes, as he is the more versatile and polished of the two.

Freeman could be State’s go-to scorer
Freeman comes from Baylor where he averaged 9 points a game in just 23 minutes per game. He did this by shooting a 43% from the floor and 39% from beyond the arc. There is no doubt that he’s going to be State’s go-to shooter and maybe their primary scorer.

If there is one thing that makes us nervous about this year’s Wolfpack, it’s the lack of proven scoring; particularly, outside shooting. Freeman is likely going to be State’s top option and he should get a ton of good looks. With the nature of Keatts’ offense and Johnson and Batts ability to get into the lane to draw help-side, there should be enough uncontested shots to go around. The question is, can they convert?

Hunt provides depth and experience
While Freeman is probably going to be logging more minutes, that isn’t to say Sam Hunt isn’t going to have a role with this team. In fact, teams are likely going to try to slow down Keatts and the Pack with a lot of zone, in which case you’ll see a lot more Hunt. He isn’t going to wow you with speed or athleticism, but he can shoot it and he gives Keatts another veteran guy who is going to work on both ends of the floor. He shot 35% last season from beyond the arc, a number that we think ticks up with less pressure on him as a scorer and more clean looks.

Knocking down 3s will unlock Keatts’ offense
These aren’t the most explosive SGs we’ve seen at NC State, but they actually compliment the PGs really well. Freeman can score off the dribble and attack if the defense presses up, but that isn’t his strength. He’s going to see most of his points come from spot-up shots off the kick-out (something Johnson and Batts excel at.)

Hunt made a living off creating his own shot at A&T, but State is going to need him more as a spot-up guy as well. All Freeman and Hunt have to do now is knock down open shots. Forcing the defense to respect them beyond the arc will create enough space in the lane for Keatts’ 4-out,, 1-in to create the havoc this team will thrive off of.

NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

Published

20 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.

NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

2 days ago

April 23, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.

NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.

NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.