NC State Basketball

Position Preview: Frontcourt most well-rounded group in years

Published

6 years ago

November 10, 2017

Pack Insider Staff

Position: Power Forward / Center

Players: Lennard Freeman, Omer Yurtseven, Malik Abu, Darius Hicks

NC State has had some pretty good frontcourt players over the past 10 years, but they arguably haven’t had this much talent and experience in place at a single time.

Between 2009-2011 State had an elite big in Tracy Smith, who teamed up with Richard Howell for a couple of seasons, but at that point, Howell hadn’t emerged as a true threat or dominant rebounder.

Then between 2011-13 the Wolfpack trotted out a fully seasoned and rebuilt Richard Howell who teamed up with a budding CJ Leslie. That was probably the most versatile and dangerous frontcourt we’ve seen at NC State in a long, long time.

Since that point, the Pack has had rather weak frontcourts that weren’t very deep and built around guys like Jordan Vandenberg and Beejay Anya. Abu has been a consistent force for the past 3 years, but he hasn’t been teamed up with a group quite this diverse or talent.

Strengths
This is where NC State is going to have a lot of advantages. The frontcourt is deep and it’s versatile.

Lennard Freeman returns after missing last season with a leg injury, but he returns a year older and whole lot stronger. He’s always been a force on the boards for NC State, but it was apparent how important his toughness in the paint was until he was out last season.

Abu (who is out for a few games with a knee injury) expanded his game last season. The 6’8 senior has always had the frame and the athletic ability to be one of the nation’s most exciting frontcourt talents, but NC State’s offense really never fit with his skill set. Abu thrives in one on one situations about 8 feet from the basket. In Keatts system, he’s going to be in that spot quite a bit. He’s also going to get a ton of transition dunks and dump-offs (or ally-oops) thanks spread court and speedy Wolfpack point guards.

Abu can kill you in a number of ways. Last season he showcased a consistent 15-foot jumper which will likely be a big part of his game this year. He also will be freed up to float a bit more with Freeman or Yurtseven carrying the rebounding load and patrolling the paint.

Speaking of Yurtseven, the 7-foot big man is back and with renewed confidence. His size and mobility alone make him a very valuable piece to this team, but add in a solid 15-foot jumper that can extend to the 3 point line and you have a guy who can change the game.

Lastly, you have Darius Hicks. The sophomore isn’t going to wow you in any one aspect of the game, but the kid is a well-rounded big who plays hard and smart. After seeing him in the exhibition, it seems as he’s added a wrinkle to his game that may help him see a little more floor time. Hicks went 1-2 from beyond the arc, a part of his game we didn’t see at all last season. If Hicks can pop out and knock down even 33% of this 3s, he will be able to give Keatts another versatile piece to play with in the frontcourt.

Weaknesses
When you look at this group as a whole, there isn’t really one area that you can point to and call weak. This is a versatile group that gives Keatts options. Yurtseven has the size and the touch. Abu has the athleticism. Freeman has the toughness and Hicks does a little of everything.

The one thing to watch is how this group fits into Keatts system. Obviously, he isn’t going to be able to put them all on the floor at once, so how will he divvy up playing time? How will he use these guys in a 4-out, 1-in system? It’s going to be up to Keatts to get creative and find way to use the plethora of tools his frontcourt holds.

NC State Basketball

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

Published

21 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.