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NC State Basketball

Kevin Keatts Talks Before NC State Heads to FSU (BULLETED)

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5 years ago

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Head Coach Kevin Keatts talked to the media today before NC State heads down to Thallahassee this Saturday to face #18 FSU at Noon. You can watch the video here (via TheWolfpacker), and a bulleted breakdown is BELOW.

  • What’s underrated about them is they play 11 guys.
    • When we do the scouting report, we break it up. We gave out the 1st six, and then we’ll go over the next 5 today.
    • This is more about personnel than the team because you have to know each guy’s strength and weakness because they all bring something different.
  • We’ll go back 4-5 games, but we also look for teams who play similar to the way we play.
    • You want to look at the most recent games and the most similar teams.
  • They play faster than you think.
  • Leonard (Hamilton) has changed the way they play the last few years on the defensive end.
    • They used to be more laid back and now they pressure.
    • They switch all five screens which causes problems.
  • They have a huge size advantage, and we have to do a great job blocking out and getting rebounds to get out and run.
  • Breaks are tricky. When you’re playing good basketball you want to keep playing.
    • Late in the season, I am okay taking a few days off. We’ve only got nine guys so we hope the rest helps.
  • I haven’t talked about it (NCAA Tournament), but these guys are smart enough to know what’s going on.
    • I’ve only talked about Florida State, not the big picture.
    • We haven’t talked about selection of the tournament at all.
  • Torin Dorn is very valuable.
    • I met with every guy yesterday and I talked about how important his experience is.
    • I’m excited that I’ve had the opportunity to coach him.
    • He’s a great kid.
    • Last year, the system was great for him and he did a good job fitting in.
    • He’s been valuable because he allows us to play small because of his rebounding.
      • If he didn’t rebound, we couldn’t play that way.
  • We had three guys who played last year, and CJ Bryce has been to the NCAA Tournament twice, so those 4 guys are very important.
    • They can help the other 5 understand how to finish the season, and taking it one game at a time.
  • Markell Johnson is 1 of the most experienced guards in the ACC and I don’t want him to play a great game and then drop off.
    • I’ve talked to him about being a leader in practice.
    • At this time of the year, veterans are smart enough to cruise through practice and hopefully it pays off in the game.
    • I’ve told those guys to put their work in. Our practices are only about an hour, they are mostly film work, so I’ve challenged to do a better job preparing for the game.

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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17 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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NC State Basketball

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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A post shared by Tipton Edits (@tiptonedits)

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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NC State Basketball

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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