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PLAYER PREVIEW: Wyatt Walker set to bring experience, grittiness to Wolfpack frontcourt

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6 years ago

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Wyatt Walker might be a new face in Raleigh, but he’s certainly no rookie.

The 6’9 grad-transfer played at Samford for 3-years and starred for the Bulldogs, averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds per game. At NC State he’ll be asked to do a lot of the same as he steps into a prominent frontcourt role with the Wolfpack.

So how did Keatts end up nabbing an experienced center who has had this much success?

“I knew I wanted to play at a higher level after my 3 years at Samford.” said Walker  “So, I opened up my recruitment. Coach Keatts and me had already built a great relationship when he was at UNCW. I knew him and Coach Siddle. CJ Bryce and me were pretty good friends. As soon as he contacted me I was pretty fired up.Then I scheduled a visit, came in and loved it from day one.”

Walker is coming into a great situation. With the transfer of Omer Yurtseven and the loss of Lennard Freeman and Malik Abu to graduation, he is likely going to slot right into a starting role. But the situation isn’t just great on his side, it’s pretty darn good for NC State as well.

Walker is a rare graduate transfer who has 2-years of eligibility left. That is due to separate knee injures that cost him a season.

“I tore my meniscus in the preseason and I did surgery and rehab. I was at 100% and then had a freak accident in the 2nd game of the season last year and tore it again. Then did my last surgery in December, so it’s been a long time. I’m back at 100%, playing, running, feeling great.”

While it’s always concerning when a player has injured a knee multiple times, Walker isn’t too concerned about it and feel like he’s back to full strength.

“I feel great. Our trainers and strength coach do a great job… When I got here there was a big emphasis on getting my body right before anything. I feel great. At this point, you just have to go out and play. I rarely think about it anymore and whatever God’s plan is, whatever happens, happens.”

So what can NC State fans expect to see when he suits up in the red and white? Well, when asked who he patterns his game after, he mentioned a name we hadn’t heard in a long time.

“Arvydas Sabonis”

Not what we were expecting, but certainly not dissapointing at all. Sabonis was one of the best European players the NBA has ever seen. He could pass it, shoot it and score with his back to the basket. He had nearly unstoppable post moves and what he lacked in athleticism, he made up for in craftiness and work ethic.

That type of work ethic is already being noticed by his teammates.

“He works hard.” said PG Braxton Beverly. “He’s gritty. He’s got a lot of experience and had a great career as Samford when he was healthy and he’s doing the same thing here. He’s working his butt off every day. He brings that experience that is going to make a big difference for us.”

And his post moves seem to be turning some heads as well.

“90% of the time Wyatt gets it down there it’s a bucket, as far as post-moves.” said frontcourt mate DJ Funderburk.

If NC State is going to be as good as some think they are, they’re going to have to have quality play from their frontcourt, and whether he’s ready or not, Wyatt Walker is going to be a deciding factor.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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22 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. 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 #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State Basketball

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

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2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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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.

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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.

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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3 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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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.

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

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4 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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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.

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