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Valparaiso Graduate Transfer Derrik Smits Visiting NC State Soon

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2 months ago

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Derrik Smits (7’1″/235) decided to transfer from Valparaiso on March 18th after graduating.

As you can see above, Reamer reported that Smits is planning on going through the Draft process, with the option to return to school (which is most likely).

Reamer reported yesterday that Smits has already visited Butler, and will be visiting Arizona State and NC State over the next 10 days, and will choose between those three schools.

Coming out of high school, Smits was a 3-star prospect, ranked as the #11 player in the state of Indiana. Smits chose Valparaiso over offers from Butler, Clemson, Xavier and Indiana.

Smits sat out his first season at Valpo due to injury, and then played the past three seasons.

Sports Reference

He saw a big jump across the board last year, seeing career highs in games started (25), minutes played (21.7), field goal percentage (59.4%), rebounds (5.7), and points (12.2).

NC State can fill 1 more spot before next season, and a front-court player is the priority. Pat Andree (6’8″), Graduate Transfer out of Lehigh, is on campus in Raleigh for a visit this weekend.

Andree has the height of a big fella, but is also a three-point specialist (41%). Smits is your prototypical “big.”

Smits has NBA pedigree. You might remember his pops: Rik Smits.

His father played 12 seasons in the NBA, was an All-Star in 1997-98, and averaged 14.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Smits gets his height from his father, who stood 7’4′.

With one year of eligibility left, Smits has to decide if he’s willing to leave the state of Indiana. He has the option to stay in-state by going to Butler, or he can check out the West coast at Arizona State, or the East coast at NC State.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Jalen Lecque Goes Undrafted, Signs UDFA Deal with Suns

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4 days ago

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June 21, 2019

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Point Guard Jalen Lecque, who was an NC State 2019 signee that opted for the NBA Draft instead of attending school in Raleigh in the Fall, didn’t hear his name called last night in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Despite going undrafted, the Phoenix Suns signed the athletic phenom to a 4-year Undrafted Free Agent Contract, with 2 years guaranteed.

Lecque was a 4-Star prospect out of Brewster Academy, ranked 40th nationally by Rivals and 247.

The high flyer committed to NC State back on October 2nd, submitted his paperwork for NBA eligibility on April 2nd, and fully declared for the Draft on May 29th.

This obviously didn’t go the way Lecque would have ultimately liked, but a guaranteed two-year contract gives reason for optimism.

I still stand on the premise that Lecque would have benefited from a year of college, and likely would have been a lottery pick next year.

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NC State Basketball

NCAA to Move 3-Point Line Back to International Distance

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2 weeks ago

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June 8, 2019

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When NC State played in the 2019 National Invitational Tournament, there were a variety of experimental rules put in place. One of those was moving the 3-Point line back 1 foot, 8 inches, which is the distance used by the FIBA (International Basketball Federation).

The NCAA considered the experiment successful, and recently approved a rule change to move the arch back to 22 feet and 1¾ inches. This rule will be implemented at the start of the 2019-20 season.

Senior Wolfpack Point Guard Markell Johnson had no problem shooting it from further back, hitting 9-17 (52.9%) in the Wolfpack’s 3 games in the NIT.

As a team, NC State shot 33.3% from the new standard, which was slightly under their season average of 35.3%.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Torin Dorn Worked Out for the Hornets Yesterday

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3 weeks ago

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June 7, 2019

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Former NC State Wing Torin Dorn worked out for the Charlotte Hornets yesterday.

Yesterday’s workout was technically Dorn’s first pre-draft team workout, but he did participate in an agent pro day in Phoenix two weeks ago. Dorn also played well in the Portsmouth Invitational at the end of April.

I would be shocked to see Dorn drafted, but workouts like these could help him get an invite to the NBA Summer League or get a G-League contract.

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NC State Men’s Basketball to Host Wisconsin in Big Ten-ACC Challenge

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3 weeks ago

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June 6, 2019

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men’s basketball team will host Wisconsin in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, the league announced on Thursday.

The game is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 4. Tip-time and broadcast information will be released later.

The match-up will be the fourth all-time between the two programs. Wisconsin has won all three previous meetings, including last season’s game in Madison, Wis., 79-75. Markell Johnson led the Pack with a then-career-high 21 points in defeat.

NC State returns six of its top-seven scorers from last season’s 24-12 team.
 
Wisconsin returns six of its top-eight scorers from last season’s 23-11 team.

Additional opponents and dates for the 2019-20 season will be announced at a later date.

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