Keatts Presser after win over Wake Forest : BULLETED

Published

6 years ago

January 19, 2018

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts talked to the media after his team’s 72-63 win over Wake Forest. Above is the full version of the press conference and below is the bulleted summary.

First half, went into the break down 5 but thought team had too many breakdowns, too many transition buckets.
Made adjustments in 2nd half and won game on the defensive end. Won another ACC game because guys defended at the end. Last 4 minutes were great. Held Wake scoreless.
Did not shoot well from 3. (7-26 from beyond the arc), but Markell Johnson and Torin Dorn hit big shots at the end to put team over the hump
Yurtseven is getting better because teammates believe in him. Guys are starting to look for him and he’s starting to believe in himself. But not just offensively. He is blocking shots, and altering shots. Getting better every day.
Press that led to the 10-second call down the stretch was good coaching (joking…not joking). Called a timeout to put in a press. Guys did a great job. Were active, got in the passing lanes and executed. Big part of the game.
Nothing against bigs that didn’t play much (Freeman, Abu), but thought Wake was playing mainly perimeter guys and it was hurting State. Thought Dorn at the 4 was the right matchup. Down the stretch, the group that was in was playing good basketball and team needed ways to score.
Beverly is benefitting from Markell being back. he can be freed up from having to handle the ball so much. It’s also helping Yurtseven. Markell is the leading assist guy and can find people. It also allows him to be on the floor with Batts witch is team’s best defensive unit.
Assistant coaches should have let him know that Beverly was 1 assist away from a double-double so he could have called a play to get him that assist (joking…not joking). He’s playing well. Freshmen are growing up. Lavar starting to come along too and Beverly is playing really good basketball.
Markell has been great since coming back. Adversity helps you grow up. He’s working hard, but not in great shape yet. Still calling on Keatts to take him out when he gets tired on the floor.
Group that finished the game was just playing well. Guys on the bench were fresh, but the group in there was playing good basketball and didn’t want to break their rhythm.

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

23 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

2 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

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.