Keatts Presser After Win Over Jacksonville :: Bulleted

Published

6 years ago

December 23, 2017

Kevin Keatts talks to the media after his Wolfpack beat Jacksonville 116-64. If you want to hear the full version, the video is above. Below are the cliff notes.

Very proud of the effort. Best game team has played this season. Pleased with the 28 assists on 42 FGs. It shows they really shared the ball.
Team made 19 3s. Been saying that this team fills it up in practice. Only a matter of time before it falls in the game.
Tremendous job from all 9 guys that played. Had great passion and energy.
Excited to have this type of game going into Christmas break. Giving guys a couple days off to clear their mind and come back ready for ACC play.
Talked last couple days how important it was to win this one going into the break. Thought team was very focused and locked in.
Didn’t talk to Al Freeman much about his shot or his offense. Said he was going to after Robert Morris but thought it best to just leave him alone. He was locked in, mad some shots. Real excited about this kid. Needed to see the basketball go in the hoop.
Al Freeman took a nasty fall in practice. Didn’t know if he’d suit up. Give him credit. He did and he was great.
3pt shooting was great. One difference may have been that the team practiced in the PNC the day before the game. Going to try to do that as much as possible. Once first few went in, it seemed contagious.
Happy to go into break 10-3. Would love to be 13-0, but with a new coaching staff, new players and a new system, very happy about where they are.
Took day off after Robert Morris. Wasn’t planning on it, but thought they needed it. Then had one day prep for this one. Could tell who was going to play well by the practice.
Batts is coming along. Starting to understand what Keatts wants as a coach. Playing hard on the defensive end, which is why minutes have increased.
Good half-court defense. Showed team stats of where they are. Top 50 in the nation at stopping the 3. Teams shooting only 31% from beyond the arc. Last two games gave up 20 3s, which was bad. If we hadn’t done that we could be #1 there. Team took that to heart. Talked about it all game. Was not happy early when they hit a few but guys locked in a did their job. Excited about it now.

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

17 hours 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

1 day 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

2 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.