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NC State Basketball

Kevin Keatts on Memphis: BULLETED

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4 years ago

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Head Coach Kevin Keatts met with the media on Monday to talk about NC State’s upcoming game against #16 Memphis on Thanksgiving Day. You can watch the video here, or check out the bulleted breakdown below.

  • They’re playing extremely hard and they’re averaging almost 87 points a game.
  • Turning people over 20 times a game
  • Average 10 steals a game.
  • Very big-time challenge because the way they play.
    • It’s almost like looking in the mirror at times.
  • They try to play fast, trap you, get easy baskets.

Memphis utilizing Precious Achiuwa without James Wiseman…

  • I see them going to him more.
  • He’s playing great, he’s playing physical.
    • He’s a hard matchup problem because he plays so hard
  • He’s getting almost double digits a game, maybe even 10 a game.
  • He reminds me of the Kenneth Farieds and the Montrezl Harrells with how hard he competes.

Memphis’ loss to Oregon…

  • I’m very cautious with the Oregon game because I know Wiseman played.
  • Want to watch the games where he doesn’t play, to see how they play.

Importance of non-conference games like this…

  • It’s important. I’m excited.
  • This is 1 of the games we were excited to have, because we knew they had a tremendous job recruiting class.
  • They’re good. I know a lot of people say they ain’t good without James Wiseman. It doesn’t matter. They got really good players. They’ve got youth.
  • They remind you a lot of when Duke had Wendell Carter and Marvin Bagley. They’re a talented group.
  • It’s a great opportunity to get a chance to see how much we’ve grown and where we need to get better.

Veterans stepping up…

  • One thing we do have on our side is guys who have played in these type of games so we got the opportunity to see where we at.
  • We took off yesterday, got a chance to practice today, tomorrow and Wednesday before we play.
  • We’ve got a lot to take in. We’ve got to get better in a lot of areas.
  • Those guys (Memphis) are tremendous on the offensive rebounds.
    • One of the biggest thing we’ve got to figure out is now how to stop them in transition.

A.J. Taylor…

  • A.J. won’t play.
  • Knee is back bothering him.
  • Good chance that AJ won’t play the rest of the year.
  • Could medically redshirt.

Danny Dixon…

  • We’re hopeful.
  • I was talking to our trainer, we hope we can get him in practice today and get some reps for him.

Manny Bates’ opportunity for a big game against Memphis…

  • Manny certainly has got to be big in this game and also D.J. Funderburk.
  • As we go along and we get more games under our belt, you’ll see Manny become a lot better.
  • His defense is way ahead of this offense, but he’s starting to get better and feel comfortable in those areas.

On having Markell Johnson and D.J. Funderburk back for Memphis…

  • I’m excited that we got healthy guys now.
  • It’s not the team that I envisioned when I first began the season because I thought we would have 10, maybe 11 guys that played the way we want to play.
  • Right now we’re playing with 8 scholarship guys, and those guys are playing the bulk of the minutes.
  • If you add Danny Dixon to it that would be 9 guys available to play.
  • I am happy to have D.J. and also Markell back because those guys bring so much value to our team.
  • Look back 6 games ago (Georgia Tech), and not having those guys, you wonder what the outcome could be.

Pumping Markell up for Memphis..

  • I texted him after our game and said “Man, another good game — another solid game.”
  • What I meant by that is that was the 2nd game in a row that he had 12 points and he started to fill his offense a little bit better.
  • I won’t pump him up, I’ll just hope that he continues to have a solid week and then on Thursday I hope we get the Senior that we all know is capable of being a really good player.

C.J. Bryce excelling in “Torin Dorn’s” role…

  • He’s doing some of the things that Torin did.
  • I haven’t been able to play him as a big guard.
  • I’m only bringing one guard off the bench and it’s been Devon Daniels.
  • He’s had to play the 3.
  • It’s shifted a little bit this year, because you might see us more use a bigger lineup than smaller, because if Danny comes back, then I can move Jericole Hellems to more of a 3 and play D.J. some at the 4.
  • Because we don’t have extra guards, because of the Dereon Seabron situation, and not having a couple of other guys, it’s made us become a bigger team than smaller.
  • C.J.’s doing some great things.
  • He’s obviously doing some of the things Torin did, leading us in scoring and rebounding, but he’s doing it more from the small forward position.
  • He’s playing like a veteran.
  • It’s funny because when I recruited him, he came in as an athletic guy who would run, jump..more of a slasher.
    • Now he’s moving more towards a mid range guy, and hopefully, as he gets comfortable throughout the year, you’ll see him making more shots behind the arc.

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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

What did the Wolfpack’s Incredible Run to the Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Chris Corchiani?

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5 hours ago

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April 16, 2024

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What did NC State’s miraculous run to the ACC Championship and Final Four mean to Wolfpack legend Chris Corchiani? I caught up with the man who is still NC State’s all-time leader in Assists and Steals to get his take.

What was it like for you watching NC State go from the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament, to winning the Championship, to going to the Final Four?

Man, it was unreal. They caught lightning in a bottle and it was an absolute amazing run. They were a mediocre team all year that turned into a feared team that nobody wanted to play! To win the ACC championship in 5 days and to get to Final Four…..Wow!!

What did this run say about Kevin Keatts and these players? In what ways did you see them adapt, change or persevere?

Keatts received a lot of criticism for 7 years and after this run is deserving of great praise. I think shortening the lineup to 7-8 guys and doing away with the full court press and playing solid half court defense was a great move that obviously paid huge dividends. He also kept this team together which was not easy as they lost last 7-9 going into the. postseason. The guys also grew confident in their roles and played possessed!

As one of the best players to ever wear the Red & White, what did this run mean to you personally?

This run was something I have dreamed about happening and the fact it was so unexpected made it so much sweeter! To see the students, alums, boosters, and fans get what we all have been waiting for was the best!

What was the most memorable moment for you?

Most memorable for me was going to Final Four with my family and enjoying catching up with old friends, boosters, friends and teammates!

How do you think this run can change things for the NC State Basketball program going forward?

This run gives us momentum in so many ways. Listen, this was good not only for our hoops team but for our University! Hopefully our recruiting will take a big step forward with kids wanting to run with the Pack! A month of free advertising should be Huge for the future of our Men’s and Women’s basketball programs!

_______

When NC State legend Chris Corchiani left NC State, he not only held the school’s record for career Assists and Steals, but he also was career leader in ACC conference history. His 40.8% career Three-Point Percentage ranks 7th in school history. Corchiani was the first player in NCAA history to have 1,000+ career assists.

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NC State Basketball

ON3’s Jamie Shaw Puts in a Prediction Georgetown SF Transfer Dontrez Styles will Land at NC State

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14 hours ago

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April 15, 2024

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ON3’s Jamie Shaw put in an RPM earlier today for Georgetown Small Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles to land at NC State. All-time, Shaw’s prediction accuracy is 87%.

I spoke with a source, and it seems like this prediction has some merit.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #66 overall prospect in the Portal.

Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.

Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.

After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.

With his final year of eligibility, maybe he’ll make the right choice this time.

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NC State Basketball

Tennessee Guard Freddie Dilione V is Visiting NC State Tomorrow

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1 day ago

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April 15, 2024

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Tennessee Transfer Guard Freddie Dilone V (6’5″/195) is visiting NC State tomorrow.

Dilone V just wrapped up his Redshirt Freshman season with the Volunteers, averaging 1.7 points in 5.2 minutes of play per game (18 games).

In 2022, Dilone V was a consensus 4-Star prospect, and the #33 overall prospect nationally according to Rivals. ON3 and 247Sports both ranked Dilone V as the #1 player in the state of North Carolina, playing right down the road at Word of God Academy in Raleigh.

Currently, 247Sports ranks Dilone V as the #71 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #10 Combo Guard. He played his first three seasons of high school ball down in Fayetteville at Trinity Christian.

Dilone V has 3 more years of eligibility.

 

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NC State Basketball

PI EXCLUSIVE: 2024 4-Star Signee Paul McNeil Breaks Down His Thoughts On NC State’s Miraculous Run

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1 day ago

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April 15, 2024

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The run the NC State Men’s Basketball team went on in March had the whole country watching, but what was it like to watch through the eyes of an incoming Freshman who will be joining the team next year? 4-Star 2024 Shooting Guard Paul McNeil shared his thoughts with me on the Wolfpack’s unforgettable run.

What was it like for you to watch NC State as the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament win 5 games in 5 days to win the Title?

What we did this year shows seeding doesn’t matter. What our guys did was just another level, and when you get between those lines, it’s a different type of static. I believe it took a lot of discipline and focus to win five games in five days. I also feel like the fan base played a huge part to the team by bringing extra energy and not making them feel alone.

What do you think happened to turn this team around?

You have to give God all the glory because without Him guiding us, we wouldn’t have made it how we made it. Also, it’s about the jersey you put on and the pride of it all. It’s like there’s no way we go out this way and they clicked at the right time. The team was just rolling and I also think the mentality of all the players changed.

As a player signed with NC State, how proud were you to see NC State go on this run, from the ACC Championship, to the Final Four?

I’m very proud of the guys. They deserved to win it all, but it just didn’t happen that way. I’ve been saying they were the best team in the ACC and I always knew we had the right pieces to be the best.

What does it mean for you to see Coach Keatts get the recognition he’s getting?

Oh man, he deserves it, especially coming from where he comes from and all the things he dealt with. With all the media attention, he still stayed focused and locked in towards the team. Coach Keatts is very blessed and very humble.

How do you think this run will help the future of NC State basketball?

It will put more eyes on us and teams know now to not overlook us and underestimate us ever again. It was never a Cinderella story — it was never ‘oh they just got lucky.’ This run will definitely help us a lot and I’m forever grateful for what the boys did.

_______

McNeil (6’7″/185) led Richmond to the semifinals of the NCHSAA 4A State Playoffs this season, before losing to #1 Hanover 55-53.

As a Senior at Richmond (Rockingham, NC), McNeil averaged 31.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.6 assists per game.

ON3 ranks McNeil as the #49 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, the #15 Small Forward, and the #6 player on the state of NC.

McNeil is a part of a 2-man 2024 Freshman Class that includes 4-Star Guard Trey Parker.

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